Robertson County Growth Plan: Hope to See YOU Tonight!

By now you have probably heard of tonight's Public Workshop at Highland Crest Community College campus where the draft of the Robertson County Growth Plan will be presented - TONIGHT at 5:00pm.

Here are my comments in the Robertson County Times

“We can’t stress enough how important the input of residents and business owners is for the success of this project,” said Jonathan Garner, chair of the project’s steering committee. “This plan will affect everyone in Robertson County in some way, so providing ample opportunity to have issues addressed is very important to us."

Posted with Blogsy

Red River Preserve: Business Feasibility Study

It is great to see this project being discussed in the news – these next couple of months will be critical for the project’s moving forward. The culmination of over two years work will likely be at a pivot point over the next two to three months.

Check out this discussion with County Mayor David McCullough of Cheatham County.

Cheatham County mayor David McCullough said officials should have the study sometime next month.

He said it will first be reviewed by the industrial development boards and Chamber of Commerce and ECD representatives in both counties as well as himself and Robertson County mayor Howard Bradley.

If officials believe the park is financially feasible, the goal is to get a copy of the study to county commissioners the first week of January.

McCullough said a joint meeting will be held the second week in January for Cheatham and Robertson officials, pending a decision to move forward on the park. The meeting would be held in Robertson County as Cheatham County previously hosted a similar meeting in July.

I really do not think folks grasp just what this projects means for Robertson County, but not just for Robertson County and Cheatham County – the entirety of Nashville and Middle Tennessee.

Welcome to Robertson County, Kyowa!

What an exciting day for our County!

Friday saw the announcement of Kyowa America Corporation opening a new facility in Portland, Tennessee (yes, this is in Robertson County – I will explain below).  This is a $12 million investment that will create 160 jobs….just think on that for a little while.

Here is Governor Haslam’s press release on the announcement.

Here is coverage of the announcement in the Nashville Business Journal.

Here is coverage of the announcement in The Tennesseean.

As an officer and board member of The Robertson County Chamber of Commerce as well as serving as counsel for the Robertson County Industrial Development Board – it is a pleasure to watch these entities work in facilitating these types of projects. The untold number of thankless hours that Robertson County Chamber President & Chief Economic Development Officer Margot Fosnes put into facilitating the communication between the City of Portland, Robertson County and Kyowa should be appreciated and commended. I certainly thank you, Margot!

UPDATED: Folks had asked some of the specifics regarding Kyowa - Kyowa America, an automotive supplier to Toyota, will be bringing their plastic injection molding business to the facility on Fred White Blvd. in Robertson County. They will employ 160+ at this facility at full capacity and production is expected to begin in late summer. Jobs available will include accounting, supervisory and other office related positions as well as production. Kyowa is using Sumner Employment Exchange to handle all job inquiries, www.sumnerexchange.com , 615-325-5161.

Oh – and, I had put this on Facebook when the announcement was unfolding – Many of you inquired how Portland is in Robertson County. Here is an eloquent explanation by none other than Margot Fosnes:

Just to clear up any confusion about this company locating in Portland and whether it is actually in Sumner County, this building sits on the Robertson County side of Hwy 31W in Robertson County. Portland has also recently annexed the TN-KY Industrial Park which sits entirely in Robertson County, further extending the area of the Portland city limits which lies in Robertson County. We are proud to have Portland as the 11th muncipality in our county and we have a great working relationship with their city officials in bringing economic development to our communities.

Economic Development that We Do NOT Think Of...

Here is a piece that I did not discuss at the time regarding the T-N-T Tournament played in Robertson County.  

What a great way to bring in tourists and showcase what a community we have.

It is great to see more of the same with Robertson County being awarded the  Dixie Youth Baseball Tournament.

June Unemployment Rate

This is a concerning development regarding Robertson County’s unemployment rate.

Robertson County was one of 91 counties in the state of Tennessee whose unemployment rates increased for the month of June.

Tennessee’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate for June was 9.8 percent, up slightly from the May rate of 9.7 percent.

Robertson County’s unemployment rate rose to 9.4 percent in June, compared to the previous month at 8.6 percent.

Upcoming Economic Development Workshops

There are Economic Development Workshops scheduled later this month presented by County Technical Assistance Service (CTAS) and the Tennessee County Commission Association (TCCA).

I look forward to attending the workshop in Franklin on August 24^th.

Economic Development & Regional Mass Transit

Check out this piece by City Commissioner Paul Webb of Brentwood on the importance of regional mass transit.

Robertson County and the City of Springfield continue to step in the right direction with their involvement with the Metro Planning Organization and the Regional Transit Authority.

In several discussions, I know that the various municipalities throughout Robertson County are considering/taking steps to become more proactive. It is good to see Robertson County, and entities within Robertson County, take positive steps towards such a worthwhile endeavor. With our various economic development projects being vetted, discussed and planned – this vision will be crucial.

Strategic Plan: Part II - Economic Development

In follow-up to last week's post regarding Robertson County's Strategic Plan, here is the 'Economic Development' portion of the plan.

I am in the process of securing the updates and suggestions generated out of Monday's meeting, and I hope to share those as they come in. With that said, there were not any significant changes to these goals.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT	GOAL: Maintain a strong local economy and position Robertson County for continued economic development by encouraging the expansion of existing business and industry and attracting diverse new enterprises.
ACTIONS:	2011	2012	2013	2014	Responsibility
Complete assessment of target industries for future recruitment.	X				Chamber Economic Development Director, Robertson County IDB, Springfield IDB, White House IDB
Development of new industrial park along I-24 Corridor		X	X		Chamber Economic Development Director, Robertson County IDB, Robertson County Commission
Expand marketing of Robertson County tourism asset related to Ring of Fire Trail	X	X			Chamber Economic Development Director, Tourism Adviosry Council, Local Governments
Develop county-wide “signature” event.		X	X		Chamber of Commerce, Tourism Advisory Council, Local Governments
Develop a meeting or conference center.				X	Chamber Economic Development Director, RCIDTB, JECDB, Chamber of Commerce
Expand Retire Robertson program to recruit retirees to Robertson County.	X	X	X	X	Chamber of Commerce, Retire Robertson Committee
Develop an Industry Appreciation event.	X				Chamber of Commerce, Chamber Economic Development Director

Economic Development: Us, Too.

Though this is a story regarding Clarksville, this segment caught my attention.

Companies, he said, are in a better capital position. They're erasing debt, and once times are better, he thinks there will be an investing spree.

The national figures seem to support his position.

Norbert J. Ore, chair of the Institute for Supply Management Manufacturing Business Survey Committee said in an official report that the manufacturing sector "continued its growth trend ...

Robertson County must be ready, too.     I am confident that our own Robertson County Economic Development Board is taking the necessary steps to prime Robertson County for position when the economic downturn begins to shift direction.

Economic development is pivotal for it permeates every aspect of the County.
Specifically, the RCEDB's focus has been on Maxey Road, an undeveloped interstate interchange. I anticipate that I will be able to share with you regarding developments regarding this project in the months ahead as they are currently "in the works."