Stephanie Vozza [1]

Cookeville Putnam County Sparta White County Livingston Overton County

“Step On Up.” That’s what officials hope will happen—figuratively and literally—to the area’s economy as well as to the businesses that move to Tennessee’s Upper Cumberland.

“Step On Up” is the slogan of the Highlands Initiative, a four-year economic and community development program for the area. It was developed and spearheaded by the Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce.

“The Chamber was the catalyst of the partnership,” says George Halford, president/CEO for the Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce. “The world economy is changing—globalization, NAFTA, $3-a-gallon gas—and to be more productive, we have to work together.” Initial planning began in 2003. In 2004, 65 leaders in the community met for a strategic planning process. And in 2005, the official program—the Highlands Initiative—was launched.

“The program is regional in concept with ambitious long-range goals,” says Halford, who has experience in strategic planning, having been the former economic development director for Clarksville and a key player in the city’s Aspire Clarksville campaign. “We’ve been very open, inviting the input of the community,” he adds. “If we can work together, we can accomplish more than if we compete against one another,” says Wallace Austin, president of the Sparta-White County Chamber of Commerce.

ohn Roberts, executive director of the Overton County Chamber of Commerce in Livingston, Tenn., agrees and points out that the Highlands Initiative isn’t the first time folks in the area have worked together.

“We had a different organization three or four years ago that had Sparta, Cookeville and Livingston working together,” he says. “It was a forerunner to the current project.

“Highway 111 is common to all of us and opens all sorts of potential. We have been able to work with each other in a real pleasant relationship.”

The program is off to a good start; organizers surpassed their fundraising goal of $2 million.

The funds will go toward a marketing campaign with the goal of attracting 1,560 new jobs to the region by helping existing business and industry expand and by attracting new companies to the area. “This is a live project,” Halford says. “Fundraising is ongoing.” The Highlands Initiative is broken into four main strategies. The first is business recruitment and retention, where officials plan to organize and implement an aggressive program to attract targeted employers to the region. This strategy will be the main focus of the project, using over half of the budget.

Measurable goals include increasing visits by prospective companies by 200% over such visits made in 2004 and to recruit 1,200 new primary jobs with an average pay of $13.70 per hour. Tennessee Technological University (TTU) (see sidebar) will play a part in this strategy, helping to identify and contact executives of prospect companies.

“Almost all industry that locates here in the Upper Cumberland has a dialogue with our school,” says Robert Bell, president of TTU. “Businesses usually want to know what types of labs, research capabilities and other amenities we offer the area.”

In addition, Initiative officials hired the Wadley-Donovan Group, an economic development consultant, to identify “best fit” types of businesses as well as infrastructure requirements.

“The study identified 10 types of businesses,” Halford says. “We’re going to narrow it down to four clusters for our region.”

The second strategy is to identify emerging and diverse economic engines by maximizing regional economic benefits of tourism, medical, retail and retiree development. This includes the implementation of a promotional “Discover the Highlands of the Upper Cumberland” visitor program to attract tourists. This program has a goal of increasing motel and restaurant revenues by 3% per year. The third strategy is regional awareness and information. “One of our tasks is to create brand awareness for our customers,” Halford says.

Officials want to raise awareness of the positive aspects of the area and increase prospect inquiries by 45% from e-marketing, advertising, direct mail and Web site interaction.

The final strategy is advocacy. To support the new business growth and new residents, Initiative participants will collaborate to ensure infrastructure, transportation, education and recreation are maintained for a high quality of life. Goals include funding for a P-16 education system as well as infrastructure improvements. “The Wadley-Donovan Group study told us we have the opportunity to be the Asheville, [N.C.,] of the west,” Halford says. “We want to prove that we are not a group of sleepy little towns on the interstate where you stop for gas. We’re not just that place you pass through on your way to a U.T. football game.”

“But we also know we’re not Boulder, Colo., or Ann Arbor, Mich.,” Halford adds. “But we are high quality at a low cost. We are the next big thing.”

While the entire 14-county area is included in the regional development effort, currently three counties are working together toward the Initiative.

“Why three when there are 14 counties in the area?” Halford asks. “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. We started with the core groups, and those are the counties that have access to I-40 and Highway 111.”

The three counties participating in the Highlands Initiative are Overton, Putnam and White, all of which lie on the Highway 111 Corridor,” Austin says.

Putnam County COOKEVILLE

Putnam County officials served as the catalyst for the initiative. Its county seat is Cookeville.

“We are the Jackson of I-40 east,” says Halford. “Our city has a population of 30,000. The county is at 65,000. And we draw from a population of 325,000 for our shopping.”

Cookeville has a billion dollars in annual retail sales and bank deposits.

Halford says his biggest challenge is a lack of industrial land. “We’d like to build a 500-acre mixed-use industrial park near the interstate,” he says.

Cookeville-Putnam County and Sparta-White County currently share the Upper Cumberland Regional Airport, which is located between the two cities.

“We’re also working on developing an airport business park,” Halford says. Halford says Cookeville has a solid tourism industry, with 1,300 hotel rooms.

Rails with Trails is an 18-mile walking trail from Cookeville to Monterey currently under construction.

“It will be a regional tourist attraction,” Halford says. As far as residential growth, Halford says he’s seeing a huge boom from “half backs.”

“Those are the people from Michigan who retired to Florida and then decided to move half way back,” he says.

White County Sparta

White County and its county seat, Sparta, bring to the table available trained labor, Austin says.

“We think we are in good shape to recruit industry,” says Austin. “We are short on available green fields and our industrial park is about filled up, but we have available buildings that are ready for new businesses to come in.”

Austin says his area is experiencing a residential growth boom. “We are seeing an influx of new people, especially retirees who are moving here from Florida,” Austin says. “We’re happy to have them come. A retired couple is worth 2.7 factory jobs in relation to their effect on our economy and taxes. They are choosing Sparta because our land is reasonably priced, we have four seasons, and we offer good shopping and health care. Realtors have said that last year has been the best year yet.”

Austin says that new residents are purchasing large tracts of land as well as homes in subdivision.

“A local developer here is offering a new 30-lot subdivision,” he says. “He expected it to take him one to two years to sell all of the lots, but he sold out in three months.”

Businesses are coming, too. Austin says First National Bank of Tennessee is building a new facility in Sparta.<?p>

“They did a lot of research,” he says, “and found Sparta to have a lot of potential for retail and industrial growth. We’re happy they’ve given us their vote of confidence.”

Overton County Livingston

Overton County officials are “happy to cooperate and work together,” says John Roberts, executive director of the Livingston Chamber of Commerce.

Roberts’ area is undergoing major projects, and he says he hopes to participate more fully in the Initiative once his projects are complete.

“We are working on a $8 million to $9 million water project as well as a $2.5 million satellite campus for Tennessee Technological University that had $1 million in local government funding,” Roberts says.

Volunteer State Community College also has a location in Livingston.

Overton County officials are also working on building a new corporate business park.

“We purchased the land for $1.6 million,” Roberts says. “We’ve received a $850,000 grant.”

The new business park will be on Highway 111 between Cookeville and Livingston.

“It’s going to be a 165-acre park,” Roberts says. “We expect to start laying water and sewer soon, and we have gas and electric service already connected.”

Roberts says the new park will be his county’s third. “We have a county industrial park and a city industrial park,” he says.

Major tenants include Berkline Corp., manufacturers of recliners; Aeroquip, an automotive supplier; and Parker Seals, manufacturers of seals, O-rings and gaskets.

Roberts says these two parks are near capacity.

“We get vacant buildings from time to time,” he says. “But we’ve been able to fill them.”

Roberts says Putnam County officials are excited about Overton County’s new industrial park.

“They’re short on space and while it may not directly benefit Putnam County, it’s close enough to impact their economy,” he says.

Services & Infrastructure

Road

I-40; U.S. Highway 70; and State Highways 1, 42, 52, 84, 85, 111, 135, 136 and 289

Air

The Upper Cumberland Regional Airport has a 6,000-foot runway. The Livingston Municipal Airport has a 4,100-foot runway. Nearest commercial service is at Nashville International Airport.

Rail

Nashville, Eastern, Caney Fork and Western Railroads serve the area.

Water

The Cumberland River, with channel depths of nine feet, is between 15 and 30 miles away with the nearest port in Gainesboro.

Trucking

Several motor freight companies serve the area with terminal facilities available.

Health Care

Cookeville Regional Medical Center has served the area since 1950. Through the years, it has expanded its services, including a new outpatient center and a new 20-bed rehabilitation center. The hospital is about to undergo a $70 million construction project that will include a new six-story patient tower with private rooms as well as an expanded cancer center. When complete, the facility will contain 227 acute care beds and an expanded intensive care unit. Also located in Cookeville, Premier Medical Park offers health care in an office park setting. With 20 different health care providers in three buildings, Premier Medical Park is home to specialists in fields such as imaging, physical therapy, neurology and dermatology. “Cookeville is the health care hub for the Upper Cumberland,” says Melanie Chadwell of Premier Medical Park. “Premier Medical Park has been open for six years, and we draw from a 15 county area. We are adding new specialties. Our facilities have convenient parking.”

Tennessee Technological University

Tennessee Technological University is the only four-year university located in the Upper Cumberland. With its home in Cookeville, the school serves a student body of 9,314 with seven academic divisions: the College of Agriculture and Human Ecology, College of Arts and Sciences, College of Business Administration, College of Education, College of Engineering, the School of Nursing, School for Interdisciplinary Studies and Extended Education.

“We believe the university is one of the biggest economic engines in the region,” says Robert Bell, president of the school. “First, we bring 1,000 permanent and 1,000 part-time employees, and 9,000 students to the area. That’s 10,000 to 12,000 consumers having an economic impact on retail and other types of local businesses.” According to an economic impact study prepared by the school’s Center for Economic Education, TTU has a $151.2 million impact on the Upper Cumberland each year.

The school is good for the economy, but it also impacts the students who attend by offering a consistent high-quality education. TTU was ranked as one of the “Top Southern Public Universities” by U.S. News & World Report and as “One of America’s 100 Best College Buys” by Institutional Research and Evaluation.

Two new projects are set to break ground this year. A new nursing building and a new home for the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Center were each about to begin construction at press time, and will both be completed in about 18 months. The new nursing building—a $23 million project—will allow the school to add more nurses to its program as well as bring in more modern laboratories.

“We are a technology school, but we have a great demand for nursing,” Bell says. “The new building will help us put more nurses into the community.”

The STEM Center is a $6 million privately funded project that will work with elementary and middle school students in the area to motivate them to become engineers and scientists. The 20,000-square-foot facility will feature a 250-seat auditorium, laboratories and the ability to offer distance learning opportunities.

TTU has a small business development center to help entrepreneurs, and a manufacturing research center that provides workforce training. Bell says TTU is historically known for its science and engineering programs, but the fastest growth has been in its College of Education. The College of Business MBA program, which is taken via the Internet, is also experiencing high demand.

TTU is also home to the Bryan Symphony Orchestra and the Appalachian Craft Center, as well as the host of an intercollegiate athletic program.