No WhiteWash!

Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen recently visited Switzerland, Germany and Poland, where he said he was working to attract investments for a West Tennessee megasite near Brownsville, TN.

It is amazing that a little city and county had the foresight to build a megasite and also was able to get the governor as their top salesman to pitch for them.  It appears that that the only thing that Sullivan County can get the governor to do is to plant flowers at the I-81 rest stop in Bristol, TN.

What are our local elected officials in North East Tennessee doing to bring jobs to Sullivan County, TN?  Maybe our local state elected officials should have spent less time trying to pass all of those gun bills and instead doing things to help the economy.

It is clear to me that the economic development efforts in Kingsport/Sullivan County is not working.  Its time for change and a new game plan.

Haywood County site certified as a Megasite

Brownsville, TN – Haywood County announced in July that a 1,700+-acre site in the county has been certified by McCallum Sweeney Consulting (MSC) of Greenville, S.C., as a “megasite,” or large industrial property suitable for a major automotive manufacturing facility or related industry.

The Haywood County site, known as the I-40 Advantage Auto Park, is located north of Interstate 40, 20 minutes east of the Memphis, Tennessee, suburbs. The site is easily accessible from Memphis, Bartlett, Collierville, Germantown, Jackson and other West Tennessee cities. The site is bounded on the north by U. S. Highway 70/79 and CSX Railroad and on the south by Interstate 40.

“Haywood County thanks the landowners and the many local, state and regional entities that have been part of our community’s diligent work for almost three years as we have strived toward this milestone goal of MSC megasite certification,” said Haywood County Mayor Franklin Smith. “The reality of this certification is that it will increase our potential to attract an industry with high-paying jobs to benefit current citizens and future generations.”

Based on its expertise as a site selection consultant for the automotive industry, MSC was commissioned by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) as an independent source to evaluate community submitted sites in TVA’s service area. MSC established stringent certification criteria and a detailed process to evaluate potential properties.

“Today’s companies, especially in the automotive industry, are under enormous pressures to make better site selection decisions,” said MSC Senior Principal Ed McCallum. “The certification of the I-40 Advantage Auto Park site in Haywood County is a great addition to the region’s catalog of sites that are ready to meet the stringent demands of an automotive assembly plant.”

The I-40 Advantage Auto Park site meets the MSC criteria required for certification, including land availability that has sufficient contiguous and developable acres, infrastructure, utilities, and labor capacity.

Brownsville, Haywood County is a Tennessee Three Star Community where industry, business, agriculture, education, and government work in harmony.

General Statistics for Brownsville-Haywood County

City/County Taxes
There is no state tax on real estate property in Tennessee. The following property tax rates per $100 of assessed value prevail in Brownsville-Haywood County:

City General Fund: $1.50

County General Fund: $2.39

Total – $3.89

Population

2000 Census – 19,797

2007 Projection – 22,500

Housing

Median Property Value – $85,000

Average Rent (House) – $500

Average Rent (Apartment) – $450

Households

2005 Estimate – 7,500

Cost of Living (Based on the U. S. Average – 100 percent)

Groceries – 97.1

Utilities – 87.4

Healthcare – 90.1

Housing – 96.1

Misc. – 98.1

Composite – 96.6

Sales Tax

State – 7.75%

Local – 2.00%

Total – 9.75%

I wonder if there are any elected officials in North East Tennessee communicating with Nashville about economic development for the local area?

Tennessee to Build on Success in Healthcare, Investment

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen and Economic and Community Development Commissioner Matt Kisber today announced plans to attend the 2009 SEUS/Japan Annual Meeting in Tokyo October 17-19, followed by a nine day trade mission to China. During his trip, Governor Bredesen will meet with Japanese companies currently invested in Tennessee and will hold talks in the Chinese cities of Beijing, Xian, Hangzhou and Hong Kong. The visit comes following action by the Tennessee General Assembly to approve House Joint Resolution 191 calling for closer economic, educational and cultural ties between Tennessee and Hubei province, home to the famous Three Gorges Dam and provincial capital, Hangzhou.

“Last year, we launched a very successful beginning to the economic and cultural relationship between China and Tennessee by opening the Tennessee-China Development Center in Beijing,” said Governor Bredesen. “Despite the global economic slowdown, Tennessee’s trade relationship with China continues to grow and we see real potential for that trade relationship to increase its momentum.”

In 2008, Chinese customers purchased $1.3 billion dollars worth of goods and services from Tennessee companies, making China the state’s third largest trading partner behind Canada and Mexico. Japan is Tennessee’s fourth largest trading partner, purchasing $1.07 billion dollars in Tennessee goods and services.

“We continue to have strong interest in Tennessee from China,” said Commissioner Kisber. “As the Chinese economy, especially its consumer markets, continues to expand, we want Tennessee companies to benefit and our mission is designed to raise awareness of Tennessee products.”

One of China’s primary interests is Tennessee’s expertise in the delivery of health care and in health-related products and training. In October 2008, Commissioner Kisber signed a memorandum of understanding along with Dr. Zhu Baoduo of the Chinese Foreign Loan Office to establish regular exchanges of health care professionals focused on discussing ideas around rural health care delivery. The inaugural China-Tennessee Rural Health Exchange began in May 2008 when 43 Chinese health experts visited the University of Memphis, East Tennessee State University and the Vanderbilt Institute for Better Health.

On June 8, 2009, experts from the three Tennessee universities travelled to Xian to participate in a conference on rural health with more than 100 Chinese medical professionals as a follow-up to last year’s exchange. The exchange is funded through a grant from the World Bank and the British Department for International Development.

The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development has begun accepting applications for participation in the trade mission. The Japanese portion of the trade mission will be October 18 and 19 in Tokyo and is being managed by the Japan-America Society of Tennessee and the Chinese portion of the trade mission will run October 21 through October 29 and is being managed by ECD. The mission delegation is expected to be limited to approximately 40-50 participants with a participation fee of $5,000 per delegate ($1,500 for spouses). That fee includes participation in all trade mission events and domestic flights, but does not include international travel and hotels. Representatives of companies and communities interested in participating in the trade mission can learn more and apply online at www.tnecd.gov

Questions about the trade mission can be sent to [email protected]

Read more via Governor Bredesen, Commissioner Kisber to Lead Trade Mission | TN.gov Newsroom.

- Automaker Will Use Loan to Add American Jobs, Help Improve Environment -

FRANKLIN, Tenn. (June 23, 2009) – Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA) today said it has been conditionally approved by the U.S. Department of Energy for a $1.6 billion loan to modify its Smyrna, Tenn., manufacturing plant to produce zero-emissions vehicles and state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery packs to power them.

The loan, announced by the U.S. Department of Energy, is among the first three loans under the Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing Loan Program (ATVMLP), a $25-billion program authorized by Congress under Section 136 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. The loan will help Nissan produce electric vehicles, which emit no gases and are powered only by electricity.

“This loan is an investment in America. It will help us put high-quality, affordable zero-emissions vehicles on our roads,” said Dominique Thormann, senior vice president, Administration and Finance for NNA. “This project will expand our Smyrna plant and that’s great economic news.” Continue reading “Nissan’s Plan For Zero-Emissions Vehicles Advances With U.S. Department Of Energy Loan” »

Sperling’s Best Places have ranked over 400 cities that looked at economy and jobs,cost of living, climate, education, health and healthcare, crime, transportation, leisure, arts and culture, and quality of life to determine a ranking for every metro area in the U.S., plus 27 Canadian cities.

Below are Tennessee cities that show the 2007 rank as compared to its 2004 rank.  Knoxville, TN is the only Tennessee city that showed an improvement in rank, while all other Tennessee cities in the table below lost rank.  You can see other cities by clicking on the link below.

Analyzing more than 400 metro areas in the U.S. and Canada using dozens of variables, the newly published, second edition of Cities Ranked and Rated written by Bert Sperling and Peter Sander and published by Frommer’s, is the ultimate sourcebook for anyone looking to find the best place to live – or who’s hungry to know how their hometown compares.

Where magazine surveys only show the big picture, Cities Ranked and Rated, 2nd Edition, lets you drill way down to find the percentage of white- versus blue-collar jobs, the number of annual days below zero degrees Fahrenheit, the cost for an average doctor visit and even the number of Starbucks in a given metro area. Extensive tables show you America’s most literate cities, the best states for long summer evenings, and the places with the cheapest car insurance.

Cities Ranked and Rated, 2nd Edition, finally boils down all the variables into an overall city rating.

1. Gainesville, FL
2. Bellingham, WA
3. Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA
4. Colorado Springs, CO
5. Ann Arbor, MI
6. Ogden-Clearfield, UT
7. Asheville, NC
8. Fort Collins-Loveland, CO
9. San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA
10. Boise City-Nampa, ID

See complete rankings

Gainesville, home to the University of Florida, has "gained popularity among northern migrants seeking a Florida climate and intellectual stimulation without the high prices, tourist bustle, and stigma most commonly associated with the state," according to the authors. The book also highlights Gainesville’s recreational opportunities, arts venues, opportunities for small businesses and small-town Southern feel.

The nation’s least desirable place to live, meanwhile, is Modesto, CA, which scored a 0 on the book’s 100-point scale. Modesto’s lack of things to do, high cost of living and high unemployment rate contributed to this ranking, according to the book. In addition, "crime continues to be a real as well as an image problem," and "it was recently noted as having the highest auto theft rate in the nation," the authors note.

A quarter of U.S. employers have eliminated matching contributions to employee 401(k) retirement plans since September to save money amid the economy’s downturn

Read more via Employers cutting back 401(k) plans: study | Reuters.

The first quarter retail sales numbers for Kingsport, TN area are out and I have not heard anything from the City of Kingsport concerning the recent decline in retail sales in the first quarter of 2009.

It has been reported in the media that Kingsport’s retail sales were down 2.8 percent in the first quarter.  What this means is that the first quarter retail sales are down 2.8 percent as compared to the same quarter last year.  What is not reported that the first quarter of 2008 was down 3.5  percent as compared to the first quarter of 2007.

The graph below shows that the 2009 first quarter retail sales are less than first quarter 2006.  Data for the retail sales numbers are from ETSU

The table and graph below show the net growth/loss after inflation is applied.  Data for inflation is from InflationData.com

While this is just one quarter, one needs to look at the overall picture for the entire year and previous years.  The graph below shows the retail sales percent growth after inflation for the Kingsport area for years 2001-2008.  Click here for much more detail on previous years.

It should be pointed out that in the last 8 quarters, Kingsport has only had two quarters that have been positive growth when compared against the same quarter the previous year.  The two positive retail sales growth quarters can be attributed to new store openings.  While it may look like it good growth, one needs to keep in mind that this is incremental growth.  The real challenge will be whether Kingsport can keep up this growth given the unemployment situation in Kingsport. Another real question is how much money can you get the citizens to give up in a bad economy?  I also might add that the way the second quarter of 2009 is going, it  may make another negative growth quarter.

No WhiteWash here, just reporting the facts.

There’s a Way to End The Constant Phone Calls About Your Unpaid Bills

Read more via Stop Those Harassing Debt Collectors – ABC News.

Ten Autos That Will Sap Your Wallet — and 10 That Won’t

Read more via Most and Least Expensive Cars to Insure – ABC News.

Your Guide to Surviving Work With an Office Prima Donna

Read more via Coping With the Co-Worker You Hate – ABC News.