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Job Announcements May Not Be Present In The Future
If We Do Not Prepare
By: State
Representative Jim Hackworth
Shortly after participating in the recent announcement at the state
capitol of Confluence Solar coming to Clinton, a number of my
fellow State Representatives asked me why I thought we were so
successful at recruiting new companies and bringing jobs to Anderson
County. My immediate response was because of Readiness, Teamwork,
and Flexibility. Why do I believe this is the case?
First, let us take Readiness.
Beginning in the 1980’s a number of us came together to identify and
establish sites for new and future industrial sites here in Anderson
County. It was during this time the I-75 Industrial Park was
established and the David Jones Industrial Park was identified for
future development. We also took the necessary actions to expand the
Carden Farm and Eagle Bend sites at that time. That is when the
bridge was built into the Carden Farm site and additional land was
obtained from TVA. As you can see, these efforts clearly put the
infrastructure in place that led to the readiness we are benefiting from
today.
Next, let us take Teamwork. Anyone
that follows industrial development activities here in Anderson County
and our region can attest to the evident positive working relationship
and interactions between each of our city, state, and county government
officials. And, I would certainly be remiss if I did not include
our industrial recruiting agencies here in Anderson County in this list.
In fact, that was clearly evident when all those entities were invited
to join in on the announcement this past week in Nashville. As
always, we all had a part to play in our most recent success. Stay
tuned; more is to come!
Finally, let us take Flexibility.
Our willingness to be flexible in the areas of training assistance, land
prices, infrastructure improvements and assistance, and tax abatements
has enabled us to put together packages that led to the successes we
have enjoyed here in Anderson County. On more than one occasion
our city, county, state officials, and their agencies have collectively
brought their dollars and resources to the table to accomplish these
successes.
In conclusion, I am deeply concerned we
are headed toward becoming more like those communities represented by my
colleagues if we do not step up to the plate and prepare for success in
the days ahead. While I agree we all should certainly pause to celebrate
our recent and past successes, we must not be blinded by the fact that
we are quickly and dangerously running out of sites for placing our next
new company and the jobs they bring with them. In fact, as I
understand it, we only have a few small sites left for use outside the
City of Oak Ridge. Let me be clear that I believe if we do not
quickly identify and prepare our future sites as we have done in the
past, the job announcements of the past may not be present in our
future. Anderson County is one of the state’s leaders in job
creation. Let’s keep it that way.
__________________________________________
It is important to me to know
where the citizens of the 33rd District stand on the issues. I hope that
you will contact me to let me know how you feel about the issues facing
our community. You can reach me in my legislative office at
1-800-449-8366, ext. 1-4400 or email me at rep.jim.hackworth@capitol.tn.gov.
Rep. Jim Hackworth
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