ENTIRE SPRING 2021 ISSUE

Tennessee: Creative Economic Development Tourism, Transportation & Tech
by Bryan Daniels, CEcD, IOM, CCE and Lisa Hood Skinner
The state of Tennessee made an important shift decades ago from its heavily agrarian roots to a transformative emphasis on three diverse income sources: tourism, transportation and technology. It has fully embraced multifaceted tourism, transportation-fueled industries and impressive R&D/ technology-centered ecosystems.

Innovation, Technology, and Entrepreneurs Drivers of Tennessee’s Economy 
by Charles Wood, CEcD
Innovation and technology have been driving forces in Tennessee’s rise as an economic powerhouse in the South. This article focuses on the growth drivers of Tennessee’s three regions and four major metropolitan areas, as well as identifies critical components to the state’s entrepreneurial ecosystem that have been created to support and expand startup efforts at the regional and state levels.

Three’s Company Team Tennessee Delivers
by Clay Walker, CEcD
Tennessee’s landscape offers three unique regions, but the Grand Divisions have plenty in common and serve as points of pride, not division, for the Volunteer State. The state is divided relatively evenly into West, Middle and East divisions, but the unity and state pride found throughout Tennessee make these distinctive regions undetectable to someone who might explore the nation’s sixteenth state.

Tennessee Valley Authority Built for People; Highly Invested in Economic Development
by Bradley Jackson and Bryan Daniels, CEcD, IOM, CCE
The mission of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), under the TVA Act of 1933, was to provide its mainly rural seven-state area with low cost, reliable power; increase prosperity, and serve as an environmental steward. Now, as the nation’s third-largest electricity generator, its mission of service remains forward-thinking.

Shipping with Planes, Trains, and Making Automobiles in Tennessee Tennessee Mobility Moves the World
by Lauren Thibodeaux Emert and Lisa Hood Skinner
Tennessee’s strategic location in the U.S., central to the nation’s major interstates and air travel, has elevated the state’s status for large-industry distribution. Industries of all sizes favor Tennessee’s plentiful labor force and business-friendly tax structure. These combined factors help ensure the state’s capacity to rapidly make and move goods, supplying the world with the products it needs. 

Traveling the Trails of Tennessee’s Tourism The Soundtrack of America. Made in Tennessee. Takin’ It Outside
by Kim Farmer Mitchell and Lisa Hood Skinner
Tennessee’s tourism business, the state’s second-largest industry, attracted $23 billion in domestic and international travel spending, generating more jobs than any other industry in 2019. It outpaces the nation in all areas of travel, including tax revenue, expenditures, payroll, and employment. The state’s branded tourism campaigns reflect the Trails philosophy: designated Music Trails, newly formed Tennessee Whiskey Trails, and adventure tourism and eco-tourism on Outdoor Trails.