Media
continued from 2011
Tenn. Green Economy Poised for Expansion
News Sentinel (June 29, 2011)
"The potential economic benefit to the greater Nashville (area) is significant," said Murat Arik, the research center's associate director, who co-authored the study with David Penn, the center's director.
Green Jobs Growing, Offer Big Potential, Studies Say
Tennessean (June 28, 2011)
A Middle Tennessee State University study said six major green initiatives, including the Hemlock Semiconductor plant in Clarksville, will directly or indirectly create an estimated 16,500-plus permanent jobs in a few years.
Tennessee's Green Economy Small, but Ready to Grow
Forbes (AP, Bloomberg Business Week, Jackson Sun,
Leaf Chronicle, Yahoo News, June 28, 2011)
A Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce survey of more than 6,000 businesses found more than 43,000 green jobs statewide last year. That accounts for roughly 1.5 percent of the total public and private employment of 2.7 million people in Tennessee.
Green Jobs on Rise in Tennessee
Daily News Journal (June 28, 2011)
MTSU's Business and Economic Research Center (BERC) partnered with the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development to produce a study that examines the economic impact of six industries in the state that have invested in green energy and will create new jobs in Tennessee in the next three years.
Green Jobs Growing in Tennessee Labor Market
Times News (June 28, 2011)
The Business and Economic Research Center (BERC) at Middle Tennessee State University partnered with the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development to produce a study that examines the economic impact of six industries in the state that have invested in green energy and will create new jobs in Tennessee in the next three years.
Green Jobs in Tennessee Small But Growing
WPLN (June 28, 2011)
Tennessee has a relatively small but growing green jobs sector according to new reports from the state Labor Department and Middle Tennessee State University.
Middle Tennessee Jobless Rate Dips
Tennessean (June 26, 2011)
"We're seeing slower job growth to the point of almost no job growth," said David Penn, an economist at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro.
Report Sees More Green Jobs in State
Times Free Press (June 25, 2011)
In a study conducted by Middle Tennessee State University for the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, economists said the most active green sectors were construction and manufacturing, with about a fifth of all jobs in those sectors identified as environmentally friendly.
Studies Detail Tennessee's Green Jobs, Potential
Memphis Business Journal (June 24, 2011)
Murat Arik, associate director for the BERC, said, "With these investments, Tennessee is redefining its economic landscape. More than 10,000 permanent green jobs will be created in Tennessee by 2014. These jobs include engineers, energy brokers, solar installation managers and logistics engineers and analysts."
Reports ID 'Green' Job Opportunities
Daily News Journal, Tennessean (June 23, 2011)
The Business and Economic Research Center at MTSU partnered with the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development to produce a study that examines the economic impact of six industries in the state that have invested in green energy and will create new jobs in Tennessee in the next three years.
Officials: No Ruing Over the 'Roo
The Saturday Independent (June 21, 2011)
"Bonnaroo is unique," Arik said. "Many of the people who attend are coming from out of state. Bonnaroo is primarily attracting people from out of state, and even international visitors."
Tennessee Rises from Nation's Ashes
Murfreesboro Post (June 19, 2011)
Coupled with a 5.3 percent increase in single-family permits and 9.4 percent growth in total construction permits during the same time frame, Nashville – and its surrounding metropolitan area – isn't in bad shape, numbers released by MTSU's Business and Economic Research Center show.
Tennessee Exports Unscathed by Major Global Events
Nashville Business Journal (June 16, 2011)
Shipments from Tennessee's 6,400 exporters are surging thanks to the declining dollar and unprecedented commodity prices, according to the latest Tennessee International Trade Report from Middle Tennessee State University's Business and Economic Research Center.
State's Exports Up 25% in Q1
Nashville Post (June 16, 2011)
Tennessee's export sector posted strong numbers in the first quarter of this year, says MTSU economist Steven Livingston.
Tennessee Cashes In with Music Festivals
Tennessean (June 13, 2011 | Daily News Journal)
David Penn of Middle Tennessee State University said it would be devastating if the CMA or Bonnaroo music festivals no longer happened. "It'd be like retailers without Christmas," he said. "Hotels and motels anticipate this revenue stream from both."
Local Businesses Welcome 'Roonies
Murfreesboro Post (June 5, 2011)
A 2005 study conducted by the MTSU Business and Economic Research Center determined the economic impact of the festival on Middle Tennessee rings up to $22 million. Obviously, Coffee County, where the festival is held, reaps most of the financial rewards, but Rutherford County does see some of the spillover.
New Jobs Grow Scarce: Some Nashville Firms Afraid to Hire
Tennessean (May 20, 2011)
David Penn said Middle Tennessee's rate of job growth may have shrunk to less than 1 percent in May. He and others blamed the jobs slowdown on high energy prices, especially for gasoline, and supply chain disruptions caused by the earthquake and ensuing nuclear crisis in Japan earlier this year.
TN Is Adding Jobs but Can't Meet Demand
Tennessean (May 20, 2011)
"The biggest challenge is generating enough jobs relative to the demand for jobs out there," said David Penn, an economist at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro.
Rutherford Co. Home Prices, Sales
Murfreesboro Post (May 15, 2011)
Home sales fell slightly in Rutherford County last month, but Tennessee as a whole showed overall improvement during the first quarter of 2011. Rutherford County home prices decreased 13 percent to $150,000, as compared to the same time last year.
Destination Rutherford Nets $2.5M in Pledges
Daily News Journal (May 10, 2011)
Destination Rutherford started some eight years ago when MTSU's BERC conducted a study and found that the average wages weren't going up in Rutherford County.
Flood Tested Resolve of Business Owners Large, Small
Tennessean (May 2, 2011)
"Given the scope and impact of the flood, it is not an exaggeration to suggest that Nashville has experienced a double recession: one due to national economy, the other due to the flood," said Murat Arik, associate director of the Business & Economic Research Center at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro.
Kingsport, Johnson City Job Sector Growth
Kingsport Times News (April 28, 2011)
Nashvillians Pursue Opportunities in China
Tennessean (April 23, 2011)
Last year, Tennessee’s exports to China totaled $1.86 billion, up 43% from 2009. The biggest categories included artificial yarns, fibers and fabrics, cotton and chemicals. Meanwhile, imports of Chinese-made goods to Tennessee, including computers, cellphones, games, and toys, totaled more than $16 billion last year, up 25% from 2009. "It's a huge trade imbalance that reflects the broader disparity in trade between the two countries," said Steven Livingston, a political science professor and senior research associate in the Business and Economic Research Center at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro.
Opry Mills to Benefit Jobless Rate
Tennessean (04/15/11)
The dramatic impact here of Opry Mills' reopening would be sparked because the 3,000 new jobs would end up putting an additional 1,500 people to work through indirect jobs, meaning a total of 4,500 jobs pumped into the labor market, said Arik, associate director of the Business and Economic Research Center at MTSU.
Area Job Growth Plateauing
Post Business (03/31/11)
The team at the Business & Economic Research Center at MTSU has updated employment data through February for the state's metro areas. Nashville's seasonally adjusted numbers show that year-over-year growth turned positive last April and that the region now is home to about 17,000 more jobs than a year ago. But since crossing the 2 percent threshold in September, growth has — with the minor exception of December's holiday hiring — stubbornly stayed in an extremely narrow range.
Tennessee Jobless Rate Rises
Tennessean (03/18/11)
"In the short-term, I don't expect to see any layoffs related to the Japanese disaster," said economist Murat Arik, associate director of the Business & Economic Research Center at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro. Still, the situation is fluid, and to the extent that local auto-sector firms need parts or production from Japan, they could be forced to close temporarily until that supply returns, cautions Steven Livingston, editor of a global trade newsletter and a political science professor at MTSU.
Home Sales Dip in Feb.
Murfreesboro Post (03/13/11)
According to a report recently issued by the Business Economic Research Center at MTSU, sales generally improved during the fourth quarter of 2010 with Nashville showing increases from the previous quarter.
Green Jobs Take Root in Tennessee
Tennessean, Daily News Journal (03/13/11)
"There is certainly more movement toward a green economy in the state with plants that have located here," said economist David Penn, director of the Business and Economic Research Center at Middle Tennessee State University.
Local Jobless Rate Is Up, but Good Sign Ahead
Daily News Journal (03/13/11)
The local rate is better than the January rate of 9.5 percent for the state and 9 percent for the nation. The days of the 4.5 percent unemployment rate in 2007, however, won't come back any time soon, said David Penn, director of MTSU's Business and Economics Research Center.
Will Middle East Unrest Disrupt Tennessee's Economy?
Nashville Business Journal (03/11/11)
Considering that Tennessee exported $1 billion in goods to the Arab world in 2010, a Middle Tennessee State University professor recently looked at how unrest there could impact Tennessee's economy. As Senior Research Associate Dr. Steven Livingston notes, Tennessee's connection to the Arab world has grown since 2000, when it exported just $160 million in goods to the region.
Tennessee Exports $1B in Goods to Middle East
Post Business (03/11/11)
In 2010, Tennessee exported just more than $1 billion in goods to the Middle East, up from $160 million in 2000. Though it seems like a big number, the folks at Middle Tennessee University's Business and Economic Research Center say the Arab world is still "peripheral" to the state's economy.
Rise in Nashville-Area Jobless Rate Seen Only as a Blip
Tennessean (03/11/11)
But most economists attribute the spike to seasonal changes such as the layoff of temporary workers or the loss of extra retail employees after Christmas — not a renewed economic swoon. "I don't attribute the increases to the economy getting worse," said economist David Penn, director of the Business and Economic Research Center at Middle Tennessee State University.
Nashville Housing Market 'Neutral'
Nashville Business Journal (02/18/11)
Historically, housing has led the way out of recessions, said David Penn, director of the Business and Economic Research Center at Middle Tennessee State University. That's one of the reasons this recession has been different. Instead of shifting into high gear, Penn said the housing market is "shifting from reverse into neutral."
Report Shows Last Year's Job Growth, Decline by Industry
Citizen Tribune (02/17/11)
Numbers for growth and decline in employment by industry in Tennessee have been released by the Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations in conjunction with the Business and Economic Research Center at Middle Tennessee State University.
Uncertainty Holds Down Job Creation
Tennessean, Daily News Journal (02/13/11)
"Employers are cautious," said economist David Penn, director of the Business and Economic Research Center at Middle Tennessee State University. "There is lack of demand and uncertainty whether demand will be sustained and worth the cost of searching for new employees and hiring them." Employers have satisfied demand these past two to three years by increasing productivity of the work force that is left, Penn said.
Economy Still on Mend after Years
Murfreesboro Post (02/13/11)
"Recovery is underway, but the pace is not rapid," said David Penn, director of MTSU's Business and Economic Research Center, in his presentation to TACIR (Tennessee Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations) in early February.
Confidence Improving in the Region
Southpoint, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta (02/02/11)
As an aside and a plug for our friends at MTSU's Business & Economic Research Center, see their heat maps of Tennessee's employment picture. They also provide similar maps for major state metro areas, including Nashville.
New Volkswagen Plant Helps Launch Auto Industry Comeback
Tennessean (01/30/11)
"We are finally seeing some auto parts manufacturers start to hire again, but it's a tough hill to climb," said David Penn, an economist at Middle Tennessee State University who tracks employment trends.
Donelson Pike Gets Call Center
Tennessean (01/29/11)
"These days, we need all the job opportunities we can get," said Middle Tennessee State University economist David Penn.
Tech Jobs in Demand in Nashville
Tennessean (01/23/11)
"These needs are pretty specific, and a lot of those people would have to be recruited from outside," said David Penn, an economics professor at Middle Tennessee State University who follows employment trends. "But that could change if these employers are willing to rethink how they hire people in technology and are more open to bringing in entry-level people and raising their skills."
Consumers Hit with Higher Food Prices
Tennessean (01/16/11)
"When people's incomes are not rising and the prices we spend on things like food are rising, that's a pay cut," said economist David Penn, director of the Business and Economic Research Center at Middle Tennessee State University. "On balance, it's not a catastrophe," Penn said of food inflation, noting that the cost of other things, such as clothing, has been going down. "It's more of an annoyance."
Small Town Tennessee
New Intermodal Port in Rural Northwest Tennessee Draws Interest from Top Corporations
Southern Business and Development (01/13/11)
The new port is projected to produce 1,700 new permanent jobs and 234 part-time construction slots, according to studies conducted by the Middle Tennessee State University Business and Economic Research Center. The Center’s studies also showed that business revenues for the region will increase $355 million a year due to its presence. The Northwest Tennessee Port Authority already has shepherded $33 million into the project - $5.6 million in local government investment, $5.5 million through various earlier federal sources, $500,000-plus in private funding and $3 million in state support.
Rapidly Changing Job Market Brings Hopes, Fears
Tennessean (01/09/11)
Murat Arik, associate director of the Business and Economic Research Center at Middle Tennessee State University, said some manufacturing jobs soon will be created in Tennessee as Volkswagen starts up in Chattanooga and Hemlock Semiconductor Group gets under way in Clarksville.