BusinessTN

Tennessee's business community should never lose sight of what stellar assets it already has in its possession, but even the strongest asset, no matter how entrenched, must be protected. One need to look no further than the recent absurd push by Georgia lawmakers to redraw the state's border to see how even the most seemingly inherent asset can be at risk.

Consider, as well, the national reaction to a speech delivered earlier this year by country music star Kix Brooks, a board member of the Country Music Association (CMA). Before a Nashville audience gathered at Lipscomb University, Brooks opined that for the city of Nashville to sustain its annual downtown music festival, the CMA Festival, it ought to consider paying artists to perform. Brooks' speech took on a life of its own, perceived by many as an artist threatening the future viability of the festival in Nashville lest the city pay up. Current CMA President Randy Goodman was even quoted by a Nashville television station at the time stating that perhaps opportunity existed to bid the event out to cities like Atlanta or Dallas.

Brooks and others would later clarify that the festival's departure was a long shot at best. CMA CEO Tammy Genovese has stated in no uncertain terms that the festival would never leave Nashville. None of that stopped newspapers in places like Dallas from pondering in ink if perhaps their municipalities had the financial will to woo the festival away from Music City.

It would be easy to brush aside such out-of-state commentary were it not for the fact that, just a few years ago, rumors surfaced that the CMA Awards show—a Nashville mainstay for decades—could be leaving for Atlanta or a larger media market. Then, as now, fears were assuaged with calming comments from local decision-makers. A few years later, the show traveled to New York City for the first time.

These examples prompt the question—just how big a threat can a rival state be when it comes to luring away a key component of another state's business vibrancy? Answer: Does Branson, Mo., ring a bell?

This past spring, the county commission in Houston County, Alabama, unanimously approved plans for a country music resort, "Country Crossing," to be built near Dothan, Ala. Billed as a Branson-like national destination, the proposed $300 million complex (part of which is to be called "Little Nashville") would include numerous performance venues, hotels (including "Nashville Grand") and themed restaurants. An unofficial economic impact study published by the Dothan Eagle found that in its 10th year of operation the development could reach total revenues of over $870 million, with nearly 5,000 jobs created.

Lead developer Ronny Gilley says more than 20 country music artists are on board to locate themed venues at Country Crossing. A frequent collaborator on real estate developments with various country artists, including Kix Brooks, Gilley says he never had any discussions with any one in Tennessee with regards to possibly locating Country Crossing in the Volunteer State.

Gilley is also the man behind "BamaJam," a new music and arts festival with a distinctly country music flavor that took place in Enterprise, Ala., this past June 5-7—interestingly, the same dates as the CMA Music Festival. Did Gilley pay artists to perform? "Indeed," he says. And, generally speaking, what is Gilley's view of Alabama and other states eyeing a greater piece of the country music pie? "The state of Alabama is very, very aggressive in economic development and growth," Gilley reports. "We've tried to align ourselves with the country music industry in order to expose our projects, our communities and our state to the rest of the country. So far, we've been successful. So from a state standpoint, it's more of an unorthodox approach to economic development."

Translation? Stellar assets are all well and good, but maintaining such assets requires more than simply acknowledging or being proud of them.

Drew Ruble,
Editor