Jobs4TN continued

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Target Clusters, Existing Industries

Tennessee will focus its recruitment efforts on six target clusters in which the state has a clear competitive advantage: automotive; chemicals and plastics; transportation, logistics and distribution services; business services; healthcare; advanced manufacturing and energy technologies.

In 2010, expansion of existing business accounted for nearly 86 percent of new jobs created in Tennessee. The state will focus on helping existing businesses expand and remain competitive through a targeted outreach program and a new existing-business toolkit of incentives and resources.

Establishing Regional Jobs Base Camps

ECD fundamentally restructured its field staff to establish a jobs base camp in each of nine regions across the state. Each base camp is working with local partners to develop or revise a regional economic develop plan and align existing federal and state resources around that plan.		  

tennessee's business magazine job creation issue cover

 

 

 

 

 

 

Table of Contents

A key function of these base camps is reaching out to rural counties to incorporate them into broader regional economic development strategies that leverage existing resources and maximize the assets of rural communities. An assistant commissioner of Rural Development will help to lead this effort. ECD has selected regional directors to run each jobs base camp:

  • Northeast Tennessee, Allen Borden;
  • East Tennessee, Kirk Huddleston;
  • Southeast Tennessee, Patsy Hazlewood;
  • Upper Cumberland, Rebecca Hargrove Smith;
  • Northern Middle Tennessee, Reggie Mudd;
  • Southern Middle Tennessee, Jamie Stitt;
  • Northwest Tennessee, Blake Swaggart;
  • Southwest Tennessee, Cary Vaughn; and
  • Greater Memphis, J. Edward (Ted) Townsend III.

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ECD restructured its field staff to establish a jobs base camp in each of nine regions across the state.