Sessions
 | 2012 Governor’s Conference on Economic and Community Development Schedule and Session Blocks | ||
9 – 10 AM |
Back by popular demand! Learn firsthand how the nation’s leading site selectors evaluate potential locations and what it takes to land a project in your community. Kingsley Brock, Assistant Commissioner, Business Development, ECD Michelle Comerford, Managing Director, Austin Consulting
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10:15 – 11:15 AM |
Downtowns and Main Streets have long played unheralded roles in the local economy. This session will focus on the role downtowns play in the current big economic picture, their importance in the future and what communities of all sizes are doing to strengthen them. Joe Borgstrom, Director of the Downtown & Community Services Division, Michigan State Housing Development Authority Click Here for Session Presentation |
Find out more about the state’s incentives, including tax credits and ECD’s expanded FastTrack grant program that assists companies with job training, helps communities develop infrastructure around a project, and the new FastTrack Economic Development Fund. Philip Trauernicht, Senior Advisor for Grant Programs, ECD |
Learn what the Regional Accelerators in the state’s urban areas of Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga are doing to help entrepreneurs create successful businesses in their cities and how it can help your town. Charlie Brock, Executive Entrepreneur, CO.LAB
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1:15 – 2:15 PM |
Learn how to help job seekers in your community through TN Dept. of Labor and Workforce Development initiatives. A panel discussion will cover an overview of the new Jobs4TN website, how to connect available labor pools to job creation and expansions, and legislative activity and updates to the Tennessee Works Act. Linda Davis, Director, Labor Market Information, TN Dept. of Labor and Workforce Development |
Learn what the Regional Accelerators in the state’s rural areas are doing to help entrepreneurs create successful companies in their communities and how it can help your town. Mark Mamantov, Bass, Berry & Sims
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Want to learn more about the television, film and music industries in Tennessee? Hear industry experts talk about everything from recruitment to production and how our state has many unique advantages in the entertainment industry. Loucas George, Producer, "Nashville" TV series
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2:30 – 3:30 PM |
National consultants have said they routinely consider certified sites to be more prepared for new investment and have a better shot at making a project’s shortlist. Learn about the new Select Tennessee Certified Site program that can help give your community a leg up on the competition. Michelle Comerford, Managing Director, Austin Consulting Click Here for Session Presentation |
Tourism plays a big role in generating dollars for Tennessee communities every year. Join panelists from across the state for a discussion on the importance of tourism and the impact it can have on economic development. Commissioner Susan Whitaker, TN Dept. of Tourist Development |
The global market for strong, lightweight materials is projected to grow significantly in the next decade, especially if the cost of producing these materials can be reduced. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory has led DOE’s low-cost carbon fiber program for more than a decade, and will soon begin operating a $35 million pilot plant to produce new carbon fiber materials at near commercial scale. In the past year, 42 companies across the globe have joined the Oak Ridge Carbon Fiber Composites Consortium. Find out how your community can capitalize on this exciting economic development initiative. Tom Rogers, Director of Industrial Partnerships and Economic Development, Oak Ridge National Lab Click Here for Session Presentation |
3:45 – 4:45 PM |
Learn about the growing impacts of international companies in Tennessee. This session highlights foreign investments in the state, provides insights related to these investments and explores future trends. Alan Raymond, Economic Investments Manager, TVA Click Here for Session Presentation |
We all know prospects are doing research on our communities 24x7x365, and we now get up to 20 times the interactions on our websites as we do through all other communications combined. Do you know what information and digital tools your economic development organization needs in order to market itself effectively? Find out how the latest technologies and digital trends, such as Web-based geographic information systems, can help your community compete in today’s global marketplace. Guillermo Mazier, Business Development, Atlas Advertising Click Here for Session Presentation |
The National Nuclear Security Administration will begin construction soon in Oak Ridge on a new Uranium Processing Facility for our nation. This multi-billion dollar investment at the Y-12 National Security Complex will be the largest single capital project in Tennessee since World War II’s Manhattan Project. To learn more, join key project leaders for this special UPF Opportunities session. John Eschenberg, UPF Federal Project Director, Y-12 National Security Complex Click Here for Session Presentation |
Friday, October 19, 2012 | |||
8:15 – 8:55 AM |
Three-Star is getting a makeover. Learn what’s next for the program and how it will evolve to better serve our communities’ needs, while aligning with Gov. Haslam’s Jobs4TN economic development plan. Allen Borden, Assistant Commissioner of Statewide Operations, ECD Click Here for Session Presentation | ||
9 – 10 AM |
ECD staff will discuss the department’s latest initiatives and answer your questions about Governor Haslam’s direction for economic development in our state. Kingsley Brock |
Learn why Tennessee is prioritizing "going global" and why our state is as competitive in the world commercial stratosphere as some countries twice our size. Also hear a global briefing on which parts of the world from Brazil to India are the most attractive to Tennessee products, why this matters to our economy back home, and how ECD can help access those markets in the most profitable manner. Samar Ali, Assistant Commissioner, International Affairs, ECD |
Rural Tennessee has seen significant investment by companies who value the agriculture and forest product opportunities found across the state. In this session you will hear from a panel of agribusiness leaders discussing their successes in establishing or expanding their business and the job opportunities they have created. Randy Vardeman, Vice President of World Operations, Cobb-Vantress
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10:15 – 11:15 AM |
An uncertain world economy provides a challenging backdrop in the global competition for new jobs and investment. Learn from a panel of Consuls General about the economies in their respective countries and the how this could impact economic development in Tennessee. John Butler, International Project Manager, ECD |
Does your community need additional funding for economic development projects? Learn how Tax Increment Financing can be a powerful tool in your recruitment efforts. Click Here for Session Presentation |
Agribusiness makes up a large segment of Tennessee’s economy, and the economic impact to our state totals $71 billion annually. Agriculture has influence in sectors that may not occur to most Tennesseans. Learn about the international, national and state significance and direction of agriculture and forest products. Commissioner Julius Johnson, TN Dept. of Agriculture Click Here for Session Presentation |
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