Student Initiative Paul Bower wasn’t so sure about his career choice in August 1970. He had barely settled into his job as the property manager at a University of Wisconsin dormitory when one of the most publicized student riots against the war in Vietnam erupted in front of his office. It was mayhem. Students were running out on the street while Bower, being a good property manager, locked the doors behind them. He was concerned for the… More...
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First-Class Formula Education Week recently reported that nearly four in 10 Tennessee students don’t graduate high school on time. That’s 7.4% below an already paltry national average earning Tennessee yet another 40 rank among the 50 states. Clearly, Tennessee needs to focus its attention on students not achieving at basic levels. But in doing so, Tennessee cannot turn its back on its high achievers either. After all, it’s their public school system, too. Gov. Phil Bredesen’s recent creation of…
Hands Across Borders Knox County’s recent investment across county lines in a next generation research park could legitimize the term “regionalism” in Tennessee. Called the Pellissippi Research Centre on the Oak Ridge Corridor, the Blount County-based park is designed to recruit corporate headquarters and high tech companies and even includes a residential and retail component to be handled by the former property owner, Mike Ross of Rarity Communities. Maryville-based Molecular Pathology Laboratory Net- work, the park’s first tenant,…
Commercial Real Estate 101 If there is a vacant street corner anywhere in Tennessee, it’s probably because developers and real estate brokers have been too busy with their current workload. Look in each major, and minor, market across the state and you’ll see plenty of activity. In Cleveland, Bradley County (population 100,000 souls), the value of new building permits shot up from $15 million to $29 million between January and September. A couple of hours to the northwest, in…
Voting for Dollars Step right up. Try your luck. Cast your ballot to win a million bucks. This month, Arizona residents will vote on a citizen ballot initiative that would give them the chance to win $1 million for simply voting in a primary and/or general election. Preposterous? Maybe. Or maybe not. Arizona political activist and ophthalmologist Mark Osterloh crafted the Arizona Voter Reward Act to boost voter turnout and improve public participation in Arizona state government. The initiative would…
Parking Violation When city leaders decided to land a professional basketball team a few years ago, they successfully solicited help from state agencies the same way Nashville did when it recruited the NFL Titans. “There was a commitment for the state to help recruitment,” says Paul Degges, chief engineer for Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT). Part of that assistance to the Titans included state money to build new facilities not unlike the controversial FedExForum parking garage in Memphis. “But…
In the Weeds Over his 30-plus-year corporate career (mainly with California-based intermodal transport giant Maersk Sealand), William Hargraves has traveled the world developing standards for the movement of perishable commodities and serving internationally as a food safety adviser. Hargraves’ work has led him to some of the poorest nations on Earth, where he has experienced firsthand how limited governmental and humanitarian organizations are in their efforts to stimulate economies. Why? Primarily, Hargraves says, their Band-Aid approach provides no long-term…
Fluff & Stuff In the global race to develop alternative energy technology, a fuel source with a name like “Fluff” might seem to have some strikes against it from the start. Nonetheless, Fluff has won the backing of R&D giant Battelle. McMinnville-based WastAway Services, which three years ago pioneered a thermal system that creates the wood-pulp-like Fluff from household garbage, already markets it as a soil substrate; parent company BouldinCorp, a top producer of horticultural machinery, had long cultivated…
A Fast Track Internationally speaking, Formula One road racing is more popular than NASCAR in much the same way that World Cup soccer surpasses the National Football League. Oak Ridge native, military brat and former professional driver Eric Wilson wants to harness that global popularity to bring a new kind of economic development to the Secret City by building an international Formula One-level road course at the former K-25 site. Many of the buildings at K-25, where the infamous nuclear…
The Welfare Wean A decade ago, Tennessee underwent welfare reform, overhauling the failing welfare bureaucracy and resulting in widespread job creation and a reduced taxpayer burden. Today, business leaders and taxpayers should encourage the state to reform a different kind of welfare: corporate welfare. This year, the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (ECD), the state’s administrator of corporate welfare, will cost Tennessee’s taxpayers over $100 million. What began as a well-intentioned program to encourage business growth has…
Editor's Letter By the time this edition of Business Tennessee reaches most subscribers, Tennessee will have elected a new U.S. Senator. The winner will have big shoes to fill. Given his high-ranking seat in the U.S. Congress, departing Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has been one of the most powerful people in federal government. As such, Frist has influenced outcomes favorable to his home state of Tennessee in ways that will not be easily duplicated by a…
As the Dust Settles Prior to 2004, Tennessee workers’ compensation laws left much to be desired. The rapidly rising costs were not only putting a huge financial strain on the state’s existing businesses, but were discouraging new ones from relocating to the state, as well. Problems regarding the ambiguity of the workers’ comp laws and the inconsistency in which they were enforced abounded, leading to frustration on the part of both employers and employees. At the time, Tennessee ranked…
National Philanthropy Day Awards Each year, National Philanthropy Day is set aside to honor those who work tirelessly in the spirit of volunteerism to better their communities, raise much-needed money and support nonprofit organizations. The brainchild of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), National Philanthropy Day acknowledges the contributions of individuals and corporations around the world. The AFP was founded in 1960 as the National Society of Fund Raising Executives and has 27,434 members in 183 chapters. The members of…
Packaged Goods It’s that time of year, when we take time to show our appreciation to those people who are important to us, be they client or colleague, boss or board member. This year, look beyond the predictable fountain pen, coffee mug or whimsical golf figurine and give delicious treats made in Tennessee. Toast a colleague with a good bottle of Tennessee wine, or indulge their sweet tooth with a tipsy cake. When the gift-giving situation calls…
Wilson County Wilson County has always been known for its rustic quality of life—rolling hills and lovely landscapes with good weather year-round. Living in the three towns of Lebanon, Mt. Juliet and Watertown offered a rural lifestyle within driving distance of the busy, urban activities of nearby Nashville. People lived in Wilson County, but many worked and shopped outside the county. This last fact is something the Joint Economic & Community Development Board (JECDB)—with its mission to…
Hardin County Hardin County boasts the distinction of being the only county in the state in which, as Jerry Hunt of Team Hardin County says, “to borrow a phrase—a river runs through it.” And not just any river, but the Tennessee River—the same river that cuts twice through the state and is one reason for Tennessee’s distinct three regions. Hunt, the recently retired CEO of Team Hardin County, says with confidence that the future of Hardin County,…
