ETEC Board Commends Tennessee Valley Corridor
July 22, 2010
(Click the image for a downloadable PDF of this Editorial, or scroll down for the text version.)
The board of directors of the East Tennessee Economic Council recently adopted the following resolution in support of the work of the Tennessee Valley Corridor:
"Since 1995, the Tennessee Valley Corridor has served as an important catalyst for economic growth. It has been our partner as we worked to re-build the basic building blocks of the region-industry, education, science and technology.
"The Corridor is an amalgamation of men and women joined together for one purpose: to build better communities. It's accomplishments across Tennessee, in Kentucky and Alabama, and now in North Carolina speak for themselves. Research and technology parks have been built. Major science and technology programs initiated. Manufacturing facilities like Volkswagen and Alstom are ramping up for production. New energy plants to create solar energy, bio-fuels and nuclear power are underway. Programs like America's Veterans to Tennessee Engineers have been created to put our neighbors and friends to work. A new initiative, the TVC Nuclear Energy Coalition, is just getting underway to build regional infrastructure to support the nuclear renaissance. All that happened because together we convened, we challenged ourselves, and we worked together for a brighter future for our region.
"We want to commend the leadership of the Corridor -- many of whom came from Oak Ridge companies -- for these last 15 years for their dedication, for their willingness to try something different, and for their hard work in building strong regional relationships that we hope last for years to come."
Jim Campbell, President
East Tennessee Economic Council
"Since 1995, the Tennessee Valley Corridor has served as an important catalyst for economic growth. It has been our partner as we worked to re-build the basic building blocks of the region-industry, education, science and technology.
"The Corridor is an amalgamation of men and women joined together for one purpose: to build better communities. It's accomplishments across Tennessee, in Kentucky and Alabama, and now in North Carolina speak for themselves. Research and technology parks have been built. Major science and technology programs initiated. Manufacturing facilities like Volkswagen and Alstom are ramping up for production. New energy plants to create solar energy, bio-fuels and nuclear power are underway. Programs like America's Veterans to Tennessee Engineers have been created to put our neighbors and friends to work. A new initiative, the TVC Nuclear Energy Coalition, is just getting underway to build regional infrastructure to support the nuclear renaissance. All that happened because together we convened, we challenged ourselves, and we worked together for a brighter future for our region.
"We want to commend the leadership of the Corridor -- many of whom came from Oak Ridge companies -- for these last 15 years for their dedication, for their willingness to try something different, and for their hard work in building strong regional relationships that we hope last for years to come."
Jim Campbell, President
East Tennessee Economic Council
Business-Friendly Tennessee Ranks Third in Study
Virginia Also in Top Ten
The Tennessean
July 20, 2010
A new U.S. Chamber of Commerce study ranks Tennessee third among all states for its low business taxes and minimal red tape — a corporate-friendly combination that an author of the report says helped the state see a net gain of 260,000 residents since 2001.
"Americans are voting with their feet and they're choosing Tennessee," said Mark Schill, an associate with Praxis Strategy Group, which worked on the chamber's economic development study of how state policies can affect job creation.
The U.S. Chamber shared details of its report at a two-hour roundtable staged at Nissan North America's headquarters in Franklin on Monday, an event that featured a dozen or more corporate executives critiquing economic policy here.
Gov. Phil Bredesen took part and heard a litany of praise from executives representing Eastman Chemical, Nissan North America, DuPont, Hemlock Semiconductor and others.
"For us, the very pro-business environment in the state is a major reason we're here," said Scott Becker, Nissan's senior vice president of administration and finance. Becker said Nissan's decision to move its North American headquarters to Tennessee from California within the past decade was driven by the low-tax landscape here as well as a desire to set up shop closer to the car maker's U.S. dealers along the East Coast and suppliers in the Southeast.
Schill said advantages that Tennessee offers new and expanding business include: tax credits for job creation, particularly if a company plans to pump $100 million or more into a project that creates 100 or more positions. Other incentives that play a role in drawing new businesses are incentive programs for bringing a corporate headquarters here and modest workers' salaries.
Tennessee has seen strong growth in medical equipment and supplies, other health-care jobs, new initiatives linked to solar energy and value-added agriculture or food manufacturing, the study said.
Terry Strange, site manager for polysilicon and solar energy firm Hemlock Semiconductor, said a state and Tennessee Valley Authority mega-site program — which certifies industrial sites as ready for corporate development — cut by one-third Hemlock's costs and time of crafting plans to build a $1 billion plant near Clarksville to make products used in solar panels.
Tennessee Receives 2010 Silver Shovel: Between 5 and 10 Million Population Category
June 01, 2010
Tennessee hopes the value of the investment is just the start in its relationship with Wacker Chemie — a second 2009 “Project of the Year.”
The company plans to construct a new, hyperpure polycrystalline silicon facility on property it has acquired in Cleveland, Tennessee. The 550-acre site, which cost the company $20 million in land acquisition alone, will be the home of manufacturing and office facilities. The size of the site, combined with readily available power from the Tennessee Valley Authority and the area’s transportation infrastructure, helped to make Tennessee Wacker Chemie’s choice. The company expects a major boost in demand for polysilicon from the solar and semiconductor industries, and employment should reach 500 people.
“Government officials at all levels, agencies, and business associates from the state of Tennessee and Bradley County were extremely attentive to our business requirements, cooperative, and made every endeavor to support our plans,” said Wacker Chemie President and CEO Rudolf Staudigl.
In nearby Chattanooga, Gestamp Corp. will invest a comparatively small $90 million to construct a new auto parts stamping plant — a project that will create 230 new jobs and continue the momentum of a region that is experiencing solid growth and job expansion. A major new contract from Volkswagen helped spur Gestamp’s expansion plans, and the quality of the local work force helped make the location decision an easy one.
“We’re pleased to be able to continue our strong working relationship with Volkswagen,” said Jeff Wilson, president and chief operating officer for Gestamp. “I firmly believe the excellent business climate and skilled work force of Chattanooga and Tennessee will allow us to benefit from the same qualities Volkswagen found here and to continue our company’s long-term growth.”
Other firms in the automotive, tobacco, food products, and distribution sectors also located or expanded facilities in Tennessee last year that resulted in significant investment and job creation.
“Government officials at all levels, agencies, and business associates from the state of Tennessee and Bradley County were extremely attentive to our business requirements, cooperative, and made every endeavor to support our plans,” said Wacker Chemie President and CEO Rudolf Staudigl.
In nearby Chattanooga, Gestamp Corp. will invest a comparatively small $90 million to construct a new auto parts stamping plant — a project that will create 230 new jobs and continue the momentum of a region that is experiencing solid growth and job expansion. A major new contract from Volkswagen helped spur Gestamp’s expansion plans, and the quality of the local work force helped make the location decision an easy one.
“We’re pleased to be able to continue our strong working relationship with Volkswagen,” said Jeff Wilson, president and chief operating officer for Gestamp. “I firmly believe the excellent business climate and skilled work force of Chattanooga and Tennessee will allow us to benefit from the same qualities Volkswagen found here and to continue our company’s long-term growth.”
Other firms in the automotive, tobacco, food products, and distribution sectors also located or expanded facilities in Tennessee last year that resulted in significant investment and job creation.
Alabama Receives 2010 Silver Shovels: Under 5 Million Population Category
June 01, 2010
Mercedes Benz has long been a poster company for business in Alabama, so it makes sense that a year of strong growth in the state would start with a major expansion commitment on the part of the luxury carmaker.
With a $290 million investment and the creation of 1,000 jobs in Tuscaloosa, Mercedes Benz U.S. International Inc. led a growth trend that saw foreign automotive transplants make big commitments in the state. Buoyed by right-to-work laws that make the state labor-friendly, Alabamans also celebrated the decision of Toyota to expand its Huntsville engine and engine parts facility, adding 240 new jobs in the process.
But in an age when communication continues to be king, Alabama’s biggest 2009 job boost came from Ryla Inc., the privately owned provider of call center and customer care services, which will create up to 1,200 new jobs by investing $8.5 million to open a regional headquarters, data center, and customer call center in Saraland, Mobile County.
“We are proud to be expanding into the Mobile area by hiring and creating more than 1,000 new jobs over the next few years,” said Ryla President and CEO Mark Wilson. “Ryla applauds the governor, as well as state and local leadership, for approving incentives that fuel economic development and create employment opportunities domestically.”
In addition, more than 700 jobs have come from expansion in the poultry processing industry, benefiting Russellville, Franklin County, as well as Coffee County, with additional projects throughout the state in software development, biodiesel, and injection molding.
With a $290 million investment and the creation of 1,000 jobs in Tuscaloosa, Mercedes Benz U.S. International Inc. led a growth trend that saw foreign automotive transplants make big commitments in the state. Buoyed by right-to-work laws that make the state labor-friendly, Alabamans also celebrated the decision of Toyota to expand its Huntsville engine and engine parts facility, adding 240 new jobs in the process.
But in an age when communication continues to be king, Alabama’s biggest 2009 job boost came from Ryla Inc., the privately owned provider of call center and customer care services, which will create up to 1,200 new jobs by investing $8.5 million to open a regional headquarters, data center, and customer call center in Saraland, Mobile County.
“We are proud to be expanding into the Mobile area by hiring and creating more than 1,000 new jobs over the next few years,” said Ryla President and CEO Mark Wilson. “Ryla applauds the governor, as well as state and local leadership, for approving incentives that fuel economic development and create employment opportunities domestically.”
In addition, more than 700 jobs have come from expansion in the poultry processing industry, benefiting Russellville, Franklin County, as well as Coffee County, with additional projects throughout the state in software development, biodiesel, and injection molding.
Tennessee Named Co-State of the Year by Southern Business and Development
July 15, 2010
Southern Business and Development magazine’s annual "Top Deals and Hot Markets" rankings have been released, and Tennessee is at the top of the list. The Volunteer State, alongside Louisiana, has been named the Co-State of the Year for the second year in a row.
“I am pleased that Tennessee has received this recognition for our success in economic development,” said Governor Phil Bredesen. “We’ve worked hard to bring better paying, high skilled jobs to Tennessee, and this award reflects the success of our efforts.”
To determine these rankings, SB&D considers only companies making public commitments of 200 jobs or more, or $30 million in capital investment.
“Despite the economic downturn, Tennessee welcomed more than 21,000 new jobs and almost $6 billion in new capital investments in 2009,” said Matt Kisber, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. “It is rewarding to see Tennessee acknowledged for our economic development wins in light of what Southern Business and Development recognizes as a challenging time.”
Calling Bredesen and Kisber a “dynamic team,” the magazine cites Tennessee as one of only two states in the South that has not been affected by the recession as far as recruiting large job generating projects is concerned.
“The Volunteer State has landed several of the South's largest and most prominent projects since 2006, including those announced by Volkswagen, Nissan, Dow Hemlock, Wacker Chemie and SAIC,” writes Southern Business and Development’s Lee Burlett. “Tennessee is also a Southern leader in recruiting renewable energy projects, specifically solar related deals.”
In addition to the State of the Year honor, Tennessee was also awarded the Automotive and Green Economy Deals of the Year for Nissan’s decision to modify its Smyrna manufacturing plant to produce zero-emissions vehicles and state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery packs. Memphis was named the SB&D Major Market of the Year, and Nashville was given an Honorable Mention in the same category. In the mid-market category, the Tri-Cities region was given an honorable mention, along with Cleveland in the small market category. Wacker Chemie and Nissan were also named as two of the Top 10 Deals of 2009.
The Southern Business and Development magazine honor is the latest in a number of awards Tennessee has received for its economic development efforts. Most recently, Area Development magazine honored Tennessee with a Silver Shovel Award for success in economic development and job creation. In March, Trade & Industry Development magazine named Wacker Chemie and the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development among the winners of its 2010 Corporate Investment & Community Impact (CiCi) Awards. Tennessee also received top five honors in Site Selection magazine’s Governor’s Cup for economic development and was ranked among the top five states in the U.S. for best business climates.
About the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development
The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development’s mission is to create higher skilled, better paying jobs for all Tennesseans. The department seeks to attract new corporate investment in Tennessee and works with Tennessee companies to facilitate expansion and economic growth. To find out more, go to www.tn.gov/ecd or www.InvestTennessee.org.
The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development’s mission is to create higher skilled, better paying jobs for all Tennesseans. The department seeks to attract new corporate investment in Tennessee and works with Tennessee companies to facilitate expansion and economic growth. To find out more, go to www.tn.gov/ecd or www.InvestTennessee.org.
Virginia and North Carolina Top States for Business
July 14, 2010
Virginia finds itself in good company when it comes to doing business. CNBC revealed its "Top States for Business" and both Virginia and North Carolina ranked in the top five.
Virginia ranked number two this year -- down from its top spot last year. North Carolina came in fourth -- up five from its 2009 rank.
According to CNBC , Virginia earned the number two spot because of its business friendliness, abundant workforce, technology and innovation, as well as its access to capital.
The Commonwealth lacked in two areas: education and transportation. Over the past year, WAVY.com has reported that local K through 12 schools across the area have slashed budgets. The state's colleges and universities are no different. This factored into Virginia's education rank, which dropped from seven to 13 on the list.
In transportation, the Commonwealth slid two spots to number 12.
The study also looked at the availability of air travel in each state and the quality of roads.
Last year, WAVY.com reported that VDOT faced a $2.6 billion shortfall, which forced the agency to halt hundreds of projects and lay off thousands of workers.
The study also looked at the availability of air travel in each state and the quality of roads.
Last year, WAVY.com reported that VDOT faced a $2.6 billion shortfall, which forced the agency to halt hundreds of projects and lay off thousands of workers.
And like last year, Virginia was docked again for its high cost of living and cost of doing business.
The two largest private employers for both Virginia and North Carolina, according to the study: Wal-Mart and Food Lion. And not surprisingly, the study also noted Northrop Grumman as another big employer in Hampton Roads.
Topping this year's report: Texas.
The two largest private employers for both Virginia and North Carolina, according to the study: Wal-Mart and Food Lion. And not surprisingly, the study also noted Northrop Grumman as another big employer in Hampton Roads.
Topping this year's report: Texas.
Bloom Box Goes Into Operation Atop EPB Building
Fuel Cell Machine To Power Portion Of Local Facility
The Chattanoogan
June 28, 2010
Chattanooga now has its own 100 KW Bloom Energy Server to power up a section of the EPB Building downtown, officials announced at a press conference on Monday morning.
Congressman Zach Wamp and Bloom Energy principal co-founder and CEO Dr. K.R. Sridhar were on hand to unveil the technology, which they said can produce clean, reliable, affordable power practically anywhere, allowing clean energy to be created onsite.
“The Tennessee Valley has been involved with this technology for a long time, and we’re now at the point of demonstrating its viability as a complement to the grid,” Congressman Wamp said. “The ultimate goal would be to manufacture fuel cells in Tennessee and further advance the new manufacturing boon in the Tennessee Valley Corridor.”
Congressman Zach Wamp and Bloom Energy principal co-founder and CEO Dr. K.R. Sridhar were on hand to unveil the technology, which they said can produce clean, reliable, affordable power practically anywhere, allowing clean energy to be created onsite.
“The Tennessee Valley has been involved with this technology for a long time, and we’re now at the point of demonstrating its viability as a complement to the grid,” Congressman Wamp said. “The ultimate goal would be to manufacture fuel cells in Tennessee and further advance the new manufacturing boon in the Tennessee Valley Corridor.”
Congressman Wamp said he first learned about solid oxide fuel cell technology seven years ago from Dr. Sridhar. That meeting led to a partnership of UTC, the National Center for Computational Engineering (SimCenter), EPB, TVA and The Enterprise Center with Bloom Energy, which brought about the testing and demonstration of the new fuel cell in Chattanooga.
The UTC SimCenter first hosted a 5 kilowatt (kW) stationary solid oxide fuel cell demonstration, which can produce enough electricity to heat or cool a 5,000-square-foot house in 2006. That successful field trial was a key milestone on Bloom’s path to commercialization, officials said. The SimCenter has continued testing the viability of additional fuel cells.
The Bloom Box, housed on the top floor of the EPB parking garage, will provide power for 30,000 square feet of the EPB building.
It is currently operating off of a natural gas supply. Rep. Wamp said if it can be converted to be powered by Tennesseee-grown switch grass "it will take it to negative carbon."
He said the Bloom Box, which was introduced with fanfare in California in February, has zero emissions. He said it can help curb the nation's reliance on other fuel sources that have led to "catastrophes."
He stated, "By generating power on-site where it is consumed, Bloom Energy Servers offer increased electrical reliability and improved energy security, providing a clear path to a future of energy independence. The solid oxide fuel cell produces clean energy from a wide range of renewable or traditional fuel sources, including natural gas, wind, solar and biomass.
“Bloom’s technology could have a tremendous impact for the world in creating new energy sources and is cleaner and more efficient than much of today’s power generation. Fuel cell technology coupled with increased nuclear energy could significantly shrink our country’s carbon footprint.”
Bloom Energy founder Sridhar earlier estimated that a Bloom Box for the residential market could be out in 5 to 10 years for under $3,000.
He told the Chattanooga audience that the Bloom Box on top of the EPB Building is the first of its kind outside of California.
Dr. Sridhar said, "UTC and the Tennessee Valley have been exceptional partners from the beginning and the valuable insights gained here have helped shape our product into the commercially viable entity it is today. We are thrilled to be here to celebrate the continuation of Bloom Energy's collaboration with Tennessee's Congressional leadership, TVA, EPB and the University."
Several officials, including Dr. Harry McDonald of the SIM Center and Jim Hall, chairman of the Enterprise Center, said it is hoped to convince the Bloom firm to manufacturing the product in Chattanooga.
Dr. McDonald said, "Energy independence and preserving the environment are critical national priorities. An efficient economical fuel cell with low or negligible carbon emission that can operate on a wide range of locally available fuels - such as natural gas and other biofuels - and then provide distributed electrical power without major transmission loss is one element in the solution to this critical issue. This type of research is exactly why the SimCenter must continue to grow and widen its interests to provide Chattanooga, the state and the nation with well-educated engineers to solve challenging important problems."
Chattanooga Partnership Provides Innovative Power Technology to Tennessee Valley
June 29, 2010
Officials and representatives in Chattanooga, Tennessee, recently inaugurated the City's first Bloom Box, a 100kW energy server poised to become an important alternative energy source for the nation's power grid.
The energy server uses solid oxide fuel cell technology developed by California's Bloom Energy. Researchers from The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga's SimCenter: National Center for Computational Engineering evaluated the cell's efficiency and will continue to monitor the new installation.
The project is the continuation of a long-standing partnership between the UTC SimCenter, EPB, TVA, and Bloom Energy that began with Bloom's first field trial of its technology in 2006. That successful field trial was a key milestone on Bloom's path to commercialization.
Located on the top floor of the EPB building's parking garage, in downtown Chattanooga, the Bloom Box will be a showcase piece for innovation and for successful collaboration between the public and private sectors. By working closely with TVA, this project also highlights how distributed generation technologies such as Bloom's can be an integral part of a clean smart grid for the 21st century.
"Energy independence and preserving the environment are critical national priorities. An efficient economical fuel cell with low or negligible carbon emission that can operate on a wide range of locally available fuels-such as natural gas and other biofuels-and then provide distributed electrical power without major transmission loss is one element in the solution to this critical issue," said Dr. Harry McDonald, holder of the Chair of Excellence in Computational Engineering at the UTC SimCenter. "This type of research is exactly why the SimCenter must continue to grow and widen its interests to provide Chattanooga, the state and the nation with well-educated engineers to solve challenging important problems."
The units will be closely monitored by the EPB, Bloom Energy, and the UTC SimCenter to optimize and simulate performance and to provide educational value on cutting edge energy technology.
"UTC and the Tennessee Valley, have been exceptional partners from the beginning, and the valuable insights gained here have helped shape our product into the commercially viable entity it is today," said KR Sridhar. "We are thrilled to be here to celebrate the continuation of Bloom Energy's collaboration with Tennessee's Congressional leadership, the Tennessee Valley Authority, EPB, and the University."
With major support from Congressman Zach Wamp, and in conjunction with the TVA, this project will provide 24/7 clean reliable power to EPB's building.
"The Tennessee Valley has been involved with this technology for a long time, and we're now at the point of demonstrating its viability as a compliment to the grid. The ultimate goal would be to manufacture fuel cells in Tennessee and further advance the new manufacturing boon in the Tennessee Valley Corridor," said Congressman Wamp. "Bloom's technology could have a tremendous impact for the world in creating new energy sources that are cleaner and more efficient than much of today's power generation. Fuel cell technology coupled with increased nuclear energy could significantly shrink our country's carbon footprint."
Bloom Energy's technology produces clean, reliable, affordable power, practically anywhere, from a wide range of renewable or traditional fuel sources, including natural gas, wind, solar, and biomass.
Bloom Energy Servers are among the most efficient energy generators available, providing for significantly reduced electricity costs and dramatically lower greenhouse gas emissions. By generating power on-site where it is consumed, Bloom Energy offers increased power reliability and security.
Chattanooga continues to be on the forefront of technology. Home to the UTC SimCenter National Center for Computational Engineering, the largest fiber to the home network, and one of the most automated Smart Grids in the nation, the 100 kW Energy Server is yet another shining example of Chattanooga quickly becoming a recognized national leader in state-of-the-art thinking and innovation.
"Here at UTC, we are proud of the progress our campus and our community have made in the areas of sustainability and energy innovation. And we are especially proud that the research scientists and students from our SimCenter played an integral part in the development of this exciting new technology," said UTC Chancellor Roger Brown. "This is exactly the caliber of research and development this region is coming to expect from our campus."
A New Power Source in the Valley
June 29, 2010
The newest energy invention from Silicon Valley could help power the economy of the Tennessee Valley if local officials are successful in their bid to bring production of the device to Chattanooga.
The city already has tested two of the new fuel cell devices that backers say could revolutionize how electricity is made and distributed throughout the globe. During an unveiling Monday of the newest 100-kilovolt "Bloom box" atop the EPB building downtown, local officials praised the innovative technology and urged its creator to bring production of the fuel cell device from the Silicon Valley to the Tennessee Valley.
"This Bloom box is the best example of what we have seen in the Tennessee Valley Corridor to date on real futuristic job and economic development," said U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, the Tennessee congressman who helped secure nearly $10 million in federal grants for the project. "Our goal throughout has been that we want Tennessee to be the home for their manufacturing capability. I can't say that we will be, but I can say that we should be."
KR Sridhar, the founder and CEO of Bloom Energy who already has attracted more than $400 million of venture capital for his Bloom Energy, hailed Chattanooga's "entrepreneurial can-do spirit" and local support for his invention. But the 49-year-old scientist-turned-entrepreneur said it's still too early to pick a manufacturing site for making the new device.
For now, Dr. Sridhar said he continues to work to improve the efficiency of his solid oxide fuel cells and to cut their production cost through increased production.
The devices now are able to generate electricity at a cost of just over 13 cents per kilowatt-hour -- or under 10 cents per kwh with state subsidies in California. Such prices still are nearly twice the average energy production costs for the Tennessee Valley Authority. But the Bloom boxes generate electricity from fuel and oxygen without any heat, combustion or carbon emissions.
"This is truly clean energy and doesn't have to be connected with the grid," Dr. Sridhar told a gathering of more than 100 community and business leaders in Chattanooga on Monday.
Bloom Energy is an outgrowth of technology originally developed for NASA's Mars mission to produce oxygen and fuel from electricity. But when the Mars project was scrapped, Dr. Sridhar and his team of scientists realized their work could have an even bigger impact on Earth if they reversed the process.
The process is nearly twice as efficient as burning coal or gas to generate electricity and doesn't produce the carbon emissions linked with global warming, company officials said. The Bloom box atop the EPB building now provides enough electricity for about 30,000 square feet of the eight-story building, or the equivalent of the power consumption in about 100 typical Chattanooga homes. The device uses natural gas, but it also could use fuels such as Tennessee's switchgrass to actually have a negative carbon footprint, compared with the carbon emissions from most power plants blamed for contributing to global warming.
The device could be especially attractive in developing countries or remote areas where electric power lines don't reach, Dr. Sridhar said.
UTC SimCenter Director Harry McDonald, who previously headed NASA's Ames Center in California where Dr. Sridhar once worked, said the invention is one of the best that came out of the NASA facility and already has proved it can work.
"They have come up with a total solution, and it's proven it can work," Dr. McDonald said. "I really think we could make these devices here with all that we have in Chattanooga."
For now at UTC's SimCenter, computational simulations are being done to help test and improve the Bloom box and provide real-life training for UTC graduate students, Dr. McDonald said.
In 2001 when Dr. Sridhar began his Ion America -- later renamed to Bloom Energy -- Dr. McDonald helped Dr. Sridhar raise money for his invention from venture capitalists such as John Doerr of Kleiner, Perkins, Caulfield and Byers, who previously backed Google, e-Bay and other high-tech startups.
Rep. Wamp and other Tennessee Republican lawmakers, including former Chattanooga Mayor and current U.S. Sen. Bob Corker and former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, also helped secure federal research grants for work on the new invention.
Among the 30 power-generating devices in operation by Bloom Energy so far, the EPB fuel cell server is the biggest and the only one outside of California. A smaller 5-kilovolt machine previously was tested for the past three years at the UTC SimCenter, which also is conducting simulation studies for the project.
"The valuable insights gained here have helped shape our product into the commercially viable entity it is today," Dr. Sridhar said.
‘Vets to the Valley’ Continues to Answer the Nation’s Future Workforce Challenges
More than 50 Vets Recruited to the Tennessee Valley Corridor Region, Surpassing the Program’s Initial Goal
Tennessee Valley Corridor News Release
June 23, 2010
Within its first year, the Tennessee Valley Corridor’s “Vets to the Valley” (VTTV) initiative has garnered national attention and already recruited more than 50 veterans to the region to continue their education and help fill essential engineering positions at some of the nation’s top organizations.
The program was designed to utilize one of the nation’s most valuable assets—technically-trained, ex-military personnel, while at the same time answering a tremendous challenge facing the U.S. and the Tennessee Valley Corridor— a shortage of trained high-tech technicians and engineers.
“Our region is home to organizations that are doing some of the most advanced science and technology work in the world, and we need a skilled workforce to continue these missions and maintain our competitive advantage,” said Doug Fisher, Chairman of the Tennessee Valley Corridor, Inc. “However, as older engineers retire, we must be prepared to replace them with the next generation of engineers who have the experience, training and insight to help us maintain our global leadership. By recruiting and supporting technically-trained ex-military personnel to our region, that’s exactly what the Corridor’s Vets to the Valley initiative is doing.”
VTTV includes two slightly different, but locally-tailored programs, focused on two areas within the Tennessee Valley Corridor—Huntsville, Ala. and Oak Ridge, Tenn. Military from across the country are being recruited to apply for the two programs.
Participating organizations in the programs provide a paid co-op/work-study program, allowing participants to gain hands-on experience in an engineering position while they pursue an engineering degree at a local higher education institution. Upon graduation and completion of their degree, participants are then given priority consideration to permanently fill that position.
Thus far, VTTV program participants have moved to the Corridor from all regions of the country—from Washington, Massachusetts, Louisiana, Texas and Alaska, to name just a few.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for our veterans, but it’s also an important economic development tool for our region, as well as an exceptional recruiting tool for the business partners of the initiative,” said Fisher. “Vets to the Valley is another example of how the Tennessee Valley Corridor is answering one of the nation’s top needs – a shortage of engineers – and preparing our country for the future and to remain competitive.”
NEW-STEM, the Huntsville, Ala. program, which stands for Non-Traditional Emerging Workforce in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, is designed to attract technically-trained Warrant Officers (WO), Ranks W1-W5, and Non-Commissioned Officers (NCO), Ranks E5-E9, exiting the Army, Air Force, Navy and other branches of the military to the technology-rich North Alabama region.
The program provides veterans with the opportunity to earn an engineering degree at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAHuntsville), while working in a paid co-op position offered by either a federal agency located on the U.S. Army’s Redstone Arsenal or a private sector company. The participating organizations in the NEW-STEM program thus far include the DoD’s Missile Defense Agency (MDA), Northrop Grumman Corporation, Intuitive Research and Technology Corporation, and Raytheon Company.
The NEW-STEM pilot program officially began in August 2009 with its first class of six veterans. Currently, the participating organizations are interviewing eight candidates for the next class of participants. The selected veterans will begin coursework and co-op positions at the end of the summer. This fall will mark the program’s first anniversary and it will have a total of 11 participants working and attending school in Huntsville.
America’s Veterans to Tennessee Engineers, the Oak Ridge, TN-based program, focuses on attracting veterans interested in Nuclear, Chemical, Electrical, Mechanical or Civil Engineering.
The program also actively advertises to the Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) and has made a trip to Walter Reed Army Medical Center to share the program with their patients. America’s Veterans to Tennessee Engineers is nearing its second anniversary, approaching 40 total participants, and recently held another selection board meeting. The results from this meeting will be announced shortly.
The program recently announced the first veteran, Pete Ditmer who served with the U.S. Army, completed his studies at the University of Tennessee in May, graduating with a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering. He will begin working at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama, later this summer.
Participating agencies in America’s Veterans to Tennessee Engineers include B&W Y-12, the Tennessee Valley Authority, Bechtel, UT-Battelle (Oak Ridge National Laboratory), Pro2Serve, Energy Solutions, Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), GEM, B&W Clinch River, Information International Associates, Inc., EnergX, Tetra Tech, the U.S. Enrichment Corporation (USEC), Materials and Chemistry Laboratory (MCL), Inc., Ingenium Professional Services, Inc., and the newest addition, URS Corporation.
Educational organizations participating include Roane State Community College, Pellissippi State Technical Community College, The University of Tennessee, and Tennessee Technological University. Supporting organizations and governments include Anderson County; AkinsCrisp Public Strategies; City of Oak Ridge; City of Knoxville; Department of Energy Oak Ridge Office; East Tennessee Economic Council (ETEC); Innovation Valley, Inc.; Knox County; Lawler-Wood LLC; National Nuclear Security Administration Y-12 Site Office; Oak Ridge Associated Universities; Roane County; Tennessee Valley Corridor; Energy, Technology & Environmental Business Association; and WSI – Oak Ridge.
For more information about the “Vets to the Valley” initiative and application requirements, please visit www.tennvalleycorridor.org.
Program Provides Education, Training
February 01, 2010
After six years of forecasting weather in the Air Force, Staff Sgt. Mark Dellaquila was at a crossroads: Should he re-enlist or separate to pursue a college degree in engineering?
“There was an on-going battle inside of my head about whether to separate or re-enlist,” Dellaquila said. “I had a pretty good six-year enlistment in the Air Force, and I enjoyed it. I also received invaluable experience and training. But I knew I wasn’t going to finish a degree in engineering while on active duty with both the long hours and the constant unknowns about where I’d be stationed in the future.”
A work force development program launched last year in the Tennessee Valley helped Dellaquila make up his mind. Called “Vets to the Valley,” the initiative offers technically trained veterans the opportunity to earn an engineering degree while working for partner employers to gain hands-on experience in the field. The program offers graduates priority consideration for full-time positions.
“The initiative includes two slightly different, but locally tailored programs designed to bring talented, military veterans together with the region’s top technical organizations and employers,” said Erin Kushot, program manager for Vets to the Valley. “These highly trained ex-military personnel can help our nation fill the ever-increasing gap in engineering to keep us competitive, while at the same time providing a financially secure plan for them and their families.”
“Vets to the Valley” focuses on two areas within the Tennessee Valley Corridor: Huntsville, Ala., and Oak Ridge, Tenn. Participating employers provide a paid co-op/work study program that allows participants to work in an engineering job while in school, and then be given priority consideration to permanently fill that position upon graduation.
NEW-STEM Plugs the Gap
The Non-Traditional Emerging Workforce in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (NEW-STEM) initiative is designed to attract technically trained non-commissioned officers and warrant officers who are leaving the military to the technology-rich Huntsville region. NW-STEM provides these veterans with the opportunity to earn their engineering degree at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.
As one of six members of the inauguration NEW-STEM class, Dellaquila started the co-op work program in summer 2009 and school in Huntsville in the fall. He is working for Northrop Grumman while pursuing a degree in aerospace or industrial engineering.
“The program literally addressed and answered every hesitation or reservation I had about leaving the Air Force,” said Dellaquila, who monitored global weather conditions affecting daily operations of the Air Force’s largest Air and Space Operations Center. “It would provide me with the opportunity to receive a top-notch education in engineering and also a job in the same area to not only pay the bills but to give me hands-on, real-life experience in the courses I would be studying.”
The second NEW-STEM class began its co-op and classes in January. Veterans are now being recruited for the fall 2010 class, and applicants will be accepted until April 2, 2010. About 20 positions are open.
“This is a great initiative to help veterans transition from the military way of life to a rewarding career as a civilian while furthering their education in a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics field,” Dellaquila said. “I hope more NCOs who want to pursue a civilian career in a STEM field will see what a great opportunity this is and apply. It can really be a life-changing experience.”
America’s Veterans to Tennessee Engineers
NEW-STEM’s counterpart in Oak Ridge, Tenn., “America’s Veterans to Tennessee Engineers,” focuses on attracting veterans and wounded warriors. The program, which launched in May 2008, is geared to attract veterans interested in nuclear, chemical, electrical, mechanical or civil engineering.
One of the first participants in the program was Derrick Middleton, a Marine Corps infantryman who served in Iraq. After learning about America’s Veterans to Tennessee Engineers, Middleton decided to pursue a chemical engineering degree.
“The transition from military to civilian life is a very difficult one,” said Middleton, who is working part time at Materials and Chemistry Laboratory Inc. (MCLinc) while studying at Pellissippi State Community College. “This program has already greatly benefited me in the aspect of allowing what is normally a significantly hard and uncertain period of time to be more of an exciting time. It has provided the perfect opportunity for a somewhat immediate job placement, in an environment that encourages and expects an education too.”
The program holds three selection boards each year. The selection board comprises senior members of the participating corporations and universities.
For Middleton, the resources available to help him complete the program – tutoring, mentorship, advice and encouragement – were one of the main reasons he chose to participate.
“I would encourage all veterans to look into this program,” Middleton said. “I am sure glad I did. It has turned out to be a life-changing opportunity. This program has opened up many doors for me. I believe it would open up many for others.”
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Northeast State Eyes Automotive Technology Center for Downtown Kingsport
December 16, 2008
The downtown Academic Village may be growing again, this time for an automotive technology center.
Despite Tennessee budget cuts and an uncertain economy, Northeast State Technical Community College may add an automotive body and paint training center to the post-secondary educational programs downtown.
The College Foundation’s Board of Directors recently voted to endorse accepting the donation of a building and land downtown to the foundation, pending the foundation and the donor working out the final details.
The Kingsport Center for Higher Education and Regional Center for Advanced Manufacturing (RCAM) are under construction within a one block radius of the Regional Center for Health Professions. Those three facilities comprise the Academic Village.
Northeast President Bill Locke said the donation, if it goes through, should occur before year’s end.
“We’ll know by the end of the month whether that deal is going to go or not,” Locke said Tuesday afternoon.
Locke said the eventual plan would be for the donated property to be used to expand the automotive technology program, which offers associate of applied science degrees.
“We don’t have any more more here to grow,” Locke said of automotive offerings on the main campus in Blountville.
Offerings there include a program that trains people to work in NASCAR, but the downtown Kingpsort expansion likely would focus on automotive body and paint work.
“It would cost us about $250,000 to get it in the shape to do something with it,” Locke said of the property. “I know we aren’t getting anywhere with it unless we get some help from some car companies or whomever.”
That’s because the school probably will face a 15 to 20 percent state cut in its budget for 2009-10.
Locke said a 15 percent cut in the $12 million the school is to receive from the state for 2008-09 would cost about $1.8 million.
“We’re going to lose money big time,” Locke said. “Until they tell some exactly, we don’t have a clue.”
He said he and other community college presidents across the state are awaiting work from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission on what budget cuts may be made.
With little support for raising tuition, he said the schools likely will be left to make up the cuts.
However, despite gloomy financial headlines and likely double-digit state funding cuts, Locke in the Tuesday interview and in a Dec. 11 speech to the foundation board said he remained optimistic about the future.
“I feel good and positive about the College,” Locke said to the board. “We are in a tough situation here, but we’ve always been able to weather the storm.”
Northeast State ranks at the bottom of per student funding for higher education public institutions in the Tennessee Board of Regents system.
“We receive less funding per student than any other college in Tennessee,” Locke said. “Because of our continuing increases in enrollment we may be facing a bigger cut in state funding than some other schools.”
However, Locke also emphasized Northeast State’s triumphs during the past year including:
- Fall 2008 enrollment exceeded 5,500 – the 10th record enrollment in 11 years
- The Regional Center for Health Professions opening in August welcoming hundreds of health-related professions and nursing students
- A survey of students by the THEC that found the College’s job placement rate for 2007 graduates at 98 percent
- Construction continuing on the Kingsport Center for Higher Education and Regional Center for Advance Manufacturing, both expected to open in August of 2009.
Northeast State operates the Regional Center for Health Professions, which houses the divisions of Nursing and Health-Related Professions.
The college will operate RCAM and the Higher Education Center through an agreement with the city once the buildings are constructed.
The four-year institutions — the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Carson-Newman College, King College and Lincoln Memorial University — have committed to offering a selection of courses at the Higher Education Center.
Locke said the economic turmoil keeps Northeast State committed to finding creative and innovative methods to serve students’ needs academically and financially. He said the school remains committed to ensuring the region’s residents have the opportunity to reach their full potential through higher education, he said.
“It isn’t going to be easy,” Locke said “but I know we are going to come through this.”
Tennessee Valley Corridor Leads South to Transportation Future
September 15, 2008
The United States consumes and imports more oil than any other country. Of course, we also output a gross domestic product like no other, so it is essential that we push for technological advancement to maintain our competitiveness. From transportation to energy, the Tennessee Valley Corridor is providing national leadership to keep America at the forefront of innovation.
Through regional collaboration and cooperation, the Corridor can lead in creating the solutions to the problems we face in today's changing world. The technology-rich Corridor is strategically linked by the world-class resources from the southern anchor of Northern Alabama through Tennessee into Southwest Virginia and Southern and Eastern Kentucky.
Another world-class resource is on its way to the Corridor in the recent announcement of Volkswagen, a biodiesel and hydrogen fuel cell leader, selecting Chattanooga for its first U.S. production facility.
While the economic benefits are obvious – for every one manufacturing job, there are as many as seven support and service jobs – a major manufacturing plant for advanced transportation systems will have generational benefits in the region. Many people deserve a lot of credit because they have worked for years to bring about this day. It illustrates how the Tennessee Valley Corridor is thriving and Volkswagen is just our latest success story.
Nissan recently relocated its North American headquarters from Southern California to Franklin, Tenn., to join with its world-class assembly plant in Smyrna and engine plant in nearby Decherd, Tenn.
That combined with the continually expanding Toyota engine plant in Huntsville, Ala., the reopening and expanded manufacturing lines by General Motors in Spring Hill, Tenn., ongoing expansions by hundreds of other top-tier automotive suppliers, such as Denso in Athens and Maryville, Tenn., to Aisin Automotive in Clinton, Tenn., it is easy to see that the Tennessee Valley Corridor has truly become the leader in defining the future of America's advanced transportation industry.
The Oak Ridge National Laboratory was selected last year as one of only three sites in the country to establish and operate one of the U.S. Department of Energy's new Bioenergy Research Centers. The center will accelerate research in the development of cellulosic ethanol and help make biofuel production cost competitive on a national scale by 2012 by improving the potential of switchgrass and poplar trees. Biofuels are going to be a part of the answer to our goal of energy independence, and our region will be out front with solutions.
The Corridor continues to be in the forefront of bioenergy development. DuPont and the University of Tennessee recently announced a partnership to build a cellulosic ethanol pilot biorefinery facility in Vonore, Tn. The partnership will draw on UT's expertise in cellulosic feedstock production and its work with Tennessee farmers to grow switchgrass as a dedicated cellulosic energy crop. The research and demonstrations being performed here will help our nation reduce its dependence on foreign oil.
As advanced transportation solutions are researched and developed in the Corridor, they will need to be demonstrated prior to moving to marketplace. Our region also offers a transportation test track through a partnership with University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Advanced Transportation Technology Institute and the Advanced Technologies for Transportation Research Program.
Other countries need to see us proactively moving toward energy independence and a greener planet. The best way we can do this is to deploy the technologies and capitalize on our free-enterprise system to solve these problems. We must continue to invest in next generation vehicles to decrease our petroleum consumption. The future of advanced transportation manufacturing is in the southeastern United States and the Tennessee Valley Corridor will lead in the research, development, technology and manufacturing of clean energy solutions to the entire world while creating a generational legacy of economic opportunity for the people of the Tennessee Valley.
Tennessee Valley Corridor Welcomes Tennessee’s Sixth Congressional District into the High-Tech Corridor
Congressmen Bart Gordon and Zach Wamp Join Regional Leaders at Official Announcement in Murfreesboro
Tennessee Valley Corridor News Release
August 13, 2008
Congressmen Bart Gordon (D-TN) and Zach Wamp (R-TN) joined with the board of directors of the Tennessee Valley Corridor, Inc. (TVC) and with key leaders from Middle Tennessee’s Mind2Marketplace (M2M) group today on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) to officially announce that the footprint of the Tennessee Valley Corridor, an award-winning regional economic and technology development organization, will be expanded to include Tennessee’s Sixth Congressional District.
The technology-rich Tennessee Valley Corridor previously included four congressional districts in eastern and southern middle Tennessee, two in northern Alabama, and one in both southwest Virginia and southern and eastern Kentucky. The addition of Tennessee’s Sixth District makes a total of nine contiguous congressional districts actively working together for high-tech job creation in the Tennessee Valley Corridor.
“I am very pleased to see our Congressional district officially become a part of such a great regional organization,” said Congressman Bart Gordon, who also chairs the powerful House Science and Technology Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. “For some time now, Zach and I have been working together with our colleagues to get more of our high-tech institutions collaborating, both to serve the national interest, and to create more high-tech jobs here in the Tennessee Valley. Today’s announcement will help those of us here in the Sixth District expand upon and create even more opportunities for collaboration here in Middle Tennessee.”
Other congressional leaders actively involved in the Corridor include Tennessee Congressmen Jimmy Duncan, Lincoln Davis, and David Davis; Alabama Congressmen Bud Cramer and Robert Aderholt; Kentucky Congressman Hal Rogers; and Virginia Congressman Rick Boucher. In addition, Tennessee Senators Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker, as well as Alabama Senators Jeff Sessions, have been particularly active supporters of the effort.
“From Tennessee Tech and MTSU to all of the automotive facilities and many other science and technology assets in Middle Tennessee, Congressman Gordon’s district is exactly the type of region the Corridor wants as a partner,” said Congressman Wamp. “We look forward to working with our new Middle Tennessee partners to find even more ways to build strong, mutually-beneficial partnerships with other high-tech communities and institutions in Oak Ridge and Tullahoma, Tenn.; Huntsville, Ala. and throughout the Valley for the benefit of the entire region.”
“The goal of the Tennessee Valley Corridor is to link together our technology assets so the Tennessee Valley Corridor is instantly-recognized as one of the premiere science and technology regions in the country,” said Tom Rogers from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory who serves as Chairman of the Tennessee Valley Corridor, Inc. “We welcome Congressman Gordon and his district into this growing effort and are excited to have them joining us.”
The Tennessee Valley Corridor (TVC) is a multi-state regional economic development organization dedicated to promoting the Tennessee Valley Corridor as one of the nation's premier science and technology centers, and to leveraging the Valley's abundant research and technology assets and institutions for maximum regional economic development and new job creation.
Mind to Marketplace, a consortium of academic professionals, businesspeople, PK-12 educators, Chambers of Commerce and government leaders was formed two years ago to connect the brightest and best ideas in middle Tennessee technology to the marketplace.
Since 1995 when it was first formed by Congressman Zach Wamp, the Tennessee Valley Corridor has built a strong alliance of community, business, education and government leaders through a series of regular regional and National economic summits led by the Corridor's bipartisan and multi-state Congressional delegation and a blue-ribbon board of regional leaders.
Building on such regional assets as NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, the U.S. Army's Redstone Arsenal, the U.S. Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Center, the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the National Transportation Research Center, the Center for Rural Development, the National Safe Skies Alliance, several world-class research universities and dozens of corporate leaders in science and technology, the Tennessee Valley Corridor organization has helped showcase the region's superior quality of life and the people, business, natural and scientific resources needed for high-tech research, development, business and investment in the 21st Century.
For more information on the Tennessee Valley Corridor, please visit www.tennvalleycorridor.org and Mind to Marketplace can be found at www.mind2marketplace.com.
Nissan Dedicates $100M Eco-Friendly Headquarters
From Roof to Floor, Building's Design Had Green in Mind
TheTennessean
July 23, 2008
Nissan North America welcomed "home" its 1,500 headquarters employees Tuesday as it unveiled the company's curved glass-and-steel headquarters that sits along Interstate 65 in Franklin.
Gov. Phil Bredesen and U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander joined Nissan President and CEO Carlos Ghosn to officially christen the $100 million, 450,000-square-foot structure as a crowd of state and local dignitaries sat politely sweltering in the midmorning sun.
"Here in Tennessee, Nissan has not only been a powerful economic engine, it's been the driving force in the development of the entire automobile sector across our state," Bredesen said. "The decision to put down roots with the new Nissan North America headquarters is a vote of confidence in Tennessee."
About 42 percent of Nissan's headquarters staff relocated with the company after it moved to Nashville from Southern California in 2006.
Inside the building, Rob Traynham, Nissan's director of corporate services, who oversaw the two-year project, showed off everything from the "green roof" that rings the top executive-floor offices, to an energy-efficient subfloor heating and cooling system.
Despite the sustainability initiatives built into the office, the company did not undergo the process of certifying the building through the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program.
Traynham said the administrative costs of doing so would have run to about $2 million.
Among the headquarters' green features, its S-shaped glass exterior plays a role in the building's functions. The glass walls are positioned to harness light and heat from the sun on either side, and the curved shape provides a way to offer something more visually compelling than a giant rectangle with a straight, 420-foot hallway, officials said.
"The exterior was not the starting point of the design," Traynham said, explaining that the company began the project by trying to understand how groups inside the building worked together. "Everything in this building has a purpose."
And no, he said, the building's S shape is not some hidden message promoting the company's advertising slogan, "Shift."
Ghosn heralded the facility as a "visual statement" of Nissan itself.
"We deliberately designed this building to reflect our commitment to our employees, to our environment and to the sustainable growth of Nissan in the Americas," he said.
VW Opens Door for Auto Jobs Across the Tennessee Valley
July 28, 2008
As significant as 2,000 new Volkswagen jobs will be to the economy of Chattanooga, the German automaker's new U.S. assembly plant will spread benefits far beyond the plant's borders, bringing more jobs — and attention — to Tennessee as it moves toward playing a bigger role in the U.S. auto industry.
The state has progressed from zero auto jobs 30 years ago to become one of the leading auto-industry hubs, a position strengthened recently not only by Volkswagen's mid-July announcement that it would build in Chattanooga, but also by Nissan's move of its North American headquarters to the Nashville area two years ago, and General Motors Corp.'s decision this year to reopen the former Saturn plant in Spring Hill to build a new Chevrolet crossover utility vehicle.
While there is some concern that the state could be investing too heavily in a single industry — incentives for the VW plant alone are approaching $300 million by conservative estimates — state officials and economists insist that there is room for more auto expansion in Tennessee and that the jobs will be good ones.
"Certainly we want a balanced economy, but no one is going to turn down more automotive if it happens," said Bill Fox, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Tennessee. "It's not really unbalanced now, as we have more than 60,000 jobs statewide in the transportation-equipment industry, and not all of that is automobiles.
"Even as important as it is, it's still a small portion of Tennessee's economy, and we can expand it without being unduly weighted in a particular industry."
There's no 'blank check'
Some estimates are that state and local incentives to attract Volkswagen will reach
$300 million or more, the bulk of which would come from abatements of taxes over many years. That compares with $197 million pledged to Nissan for its headquarters relocation from California.
$300 million or more, the bulk of which would come from abatements of taxes over many years. That compares with $197 million pledged to Nissan for its headquarters relocation from California.
"The incentives look pretty big, but they're calculated over 30 years, so it's a long timeline," said Sujit Canagaretna, senior fiscal analyst for the Council of State Governments in Atlanta and an expert on the growth of the auto industry in the South.
"Looking at the example of Mercedes-Benz locating in Alabama in 1993, a relatively small investment resulted in tens of billions of dollars in payback," he said. "As for Volks wagen in Tennessee, what the state will gain shows this is a very positive thing. Tax abatements are a big part of it, and that money wouldn't have come anyway if the company hadn't located in the area.
"When it's vacant land, it's not generating any revenue," Canagaretna said.
The incentives are tied to job creation and capital investment, said Matt Kisber, state commissioner of economic and community development. One of the key elements in the Volkswagen deal, for instance, is a training allowance of $12,000 per worker, which would total $24 million for 2,000 employees. Additionally, the state would spend $6 million to build a training center near the plant, officials said.
The state has spent $1.25 million for grading at the plant site, and will pay for more site-preparation work and development of infrastructure to support the facility, although an exact dollar figure won't be available until Volkswagen finalizes the site plan, Kisber said.
"But there will be a limit," he said. "We have not given them a blank check."
At the local level, Chattanooga and Hamilton County will give Volkswagen the 1,350-acre plant site in the Enterprise South Industrial Park, valued at $60,000 an acre for a total of $81 million, said Tom Edd Wilson, president and chief executive of the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce.
There will be provisions written into the deal that would protect the city and county if Volks wagen were to close the plant prematurely. The land would revert back to the city and county, which co-developed it on the site of the former Volunteer Army Ammunition Plant.
Jobs spread statewide
Gov. Phil Bredesen, a key player in attracting Nissan's new headquarters to Nashville and bringing Volkswagen to Chattanooga, said the state is ready to attract more auto investment, but also will continue to seek other industries.
The auto industry is king in Tennessee now, though, as far as manufacturing jobs go, said U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, who as governor in the 1980s was instrumental in persuading Nissan and General Motors to build assembly plants here.
Nissan was first, with a compact-pickup plant in Smyrna in 1983, followed by GM's Saturn subsidiary in Spring Hill in 1989. Nissan since has built an engine plant in Decherd, off Interstate 24 about an hour east of the Smyrna plant.
"Thirty years ago, we were one of the three poorest states in the nation," Alexander said. "Fast forward 30 years, and family incomes have increased substantially because of the auto jobs we have attracted."
The auto jobs explosion created by the assembly plants has spread throughout the state, Alexander said, because the suppliers don't necessarily have to be close to the main plant, and many have chosen smaller communities where there is little or no competition for the available manufacturing work force. "You can go to almost any county in Tennessee and find auto jobs," Alexander said.
"With auto, it's a big deal when you get an assembly plant because you get not only production jobs, but supplier jobs spread out over a broader region," UT's Fox said. "A number of other communities benefit. That's why an auto-assembly operation is one of the bigger hits you can get."
The supplier network is less stable than the assembly plants themselves, primarily because the suppliers are dependent on generally short-term contracts from the automakers. They rise or fall on the sales success of a particular vehicle for which the parts are made.
"The trick will be to attract suppliers for the auto companies that are diversified enough to make products for other industries as well," said economist David Penn of Middle Tennessee State University.
As one supplier closes, another seems to take its place, so even with the churn, the supplier business continues to provide jobs.
Union status is a plus
One big plus in Tennessee's recruiting efforts among auto makers and suppliers is that it is a right-to-work state, Alexander said. That means workers do not have to be union members to hold a particular job, as is the case in Michigan, where the United Auto Workers union historically held sway over the auto industry.
Tennessee isn't immune to auto labor problems, though. While the Nissan assembly plant in Smyrna and engine plant in Decherd are nonunion, the GM plant in Spring Hill works under a UAW contract.
UAW efforts to unionize one of the suppliers for the new Chevrolet Traverse, Johnson Controls Inc. in Columbia, has resulted in a strike against that company that threatens to delay startup of Traverse production this fall.
The Johnson Controls plant has a contract with GM to make seats and interior consoles for the Traverse. But most of the company's 170 workers, who were still in training, walked out July 16 over Johnson Controls' refusal to recognize their decision to join the UAW, the union said.
The fact that it probably won't have to deal with unions in Chattanooga probably was a key factor in Volkswagen's decision to choose Tennessee over a site it was considering in Michigan, analysts have said. Alabama also was in the running for the VW facility.
Whether or not the Volks wagen plant attracts more auto-industry expansion to Tennessee, the move should help the state recruit other industries, MTSU's Penn said.
"It is important to diversify," he said. "And when you look at the Nashville area, we do have a diversified employment base. Higher education and health care, transportation, wholesaling, entertainment and warehousing also are big parts of our economy.
"But success breeds success, so when a company like Volks wagen decides that Tennessee is a good place to do business, that is recognized by other companies around the world. There are 49 other states that would love to have the success this state has had in the past 25 years."
Project Aimed at Making Communities ‘Resilient’ in Disasters
November 19, 2007
A researcher working to help communities recover faster from destructive hurricanes and other catastrophic events told a homeland security conference that owners of destroyed homes typically are not back to normal for eight years.
M. John Plodinec, Savannah River National Laboratory's science adviser, said a "resilient home initiative" he is heading aims to reduce the time that homeowners are displaced by half, to four years, and help communities survive.
Speaking at a meeting of the Tennessee Valley Corridor, an economic initiative started 12 years ago, Plodinec said homeowners in some Mississippi Gulf Coast communities wiped out by Hurricane Katrina appear to be "slightly ahead" of that timetable. He said the pace in New Orleans is slower.
Plodinec was among speakers at a conference on homeland security "regional resiliency." He said he is working to develop an overall recovery process for displaced homeowners.
Robin K. White, a Meridian Institute senior fellow with a background in national security, said three cities - Charleston, S.C.; Memphis, Tenn.; and Gulfport, Miss. - are developing resilience assessments as part of an initiative that will eventually be expanded to other communities.
She said Gulfport is recovering from Hurricane Katrina, Shelby County and Memphis are located on the New Madrid fault that increases the chance of earthquake and Charleston has had hurricanes and an earthquake.
Phil May, southeastern regional director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said the agency and region are better prepared for a catastrophe than before Hurricane Katrina in August 2005.
"DHS has spent hundreds of millions of dollars equipping counties," he said.
May said coastal states have been working on evacuation routes and disaster planning.
He said Southern states seem to be more prepared, possibly due in some cases to communities having backgrounds with nuclear power plants.
Tennessee Valley Corridor: http://www.tennvalleycorridor.org/
Upstate Fuels Transportation Discussion at TVC Southeast Partnership Event
Business, Government Discuss Hydrogen, 'Grassoline'
GSA Business
November 27, 2007
Will corn-based ethanol save us from the economic and national security instability brought on by rising fuel prices? Or will it be “grassoline” – a fuel made from switchgrass that is currently being researched in Tennessee?
Or maybe hydrogen fuel cells – such as the kind being researched in Columbia – will save the day. Or perhaps the secret lies in internal-combustion hydrogen engines, like the kind BMW AG is already rolling off the assembly line.
It may take a few years before America’s reliance on oil subsides, but not for a lack of potential options, based on a recent Upstate forum that attracted businesses, researchers, educators and elected officials from around the Southeast.
“It is neat that our free enterprise system is leading us to these new developments,” says U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp (R-Tenn.).
Wamp is one of the organizers of the Tennessee Valley Corridor, which attempts to leverage job creation through the scientific and technology assets of a region that runs from southwestern Virginia to northern Alabama. The nonprofit organization recently stepped outside its boundaries a bit for a daylong event in Greenville.
“We felt like great things were happening over here,” Wamp says.
The two-part event discussed homeland security at Embassy Suites before the group of more than 250 attendees crossed over Interstate 85 for an afternoon session on advanced transportation at Clemson University’s International Center for Automotive Research.
It was the first official event inside the Carroll A. Campbell Jr. Graduate Engineering Center on the research campus. Clemson had hoped to use the building’s 300-seat auditorium, but the facility is not yet finished.
So in order to host a group already in tune with just-in-time auto manufacturing, Clemson had to ask the city of Greenville for a just-in-time occupancy permit. Chairs and a dais were set up in open lab space, allowing guests to poke their heads inside adjacent rooms where a truck and an engine were already set up for testing.
“For our inaugural event in the building, I don’t think we could have brought in a better audience,” says Dr. Chris Przirembel, Clemson’s vice president for research and economic development.
Speakers represented national laboratories at Oak Ridge, Tenn., and in Aiken. U.S. Sens. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) and Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) participated as well.
So far, there is more money flowing into alternative fuels research than there are business opportunities flowing out.
“It depends a lot on the price of gasoline as to when this technology moves from science project to market-driven technology,” says U.S. Rep. Bob Inglis (R-S.C.)
Clemson’s automotive engineering researchers could play a role in that transition.
“CU-ICAR is there to take the basic research and integrate it,” Przirembel says. “The whole object is not to write papers on it, it’s to move it into the marketplace.”
Wamp, DeMint and others say it will take regional cooperation throughout the Southeast to lead to breakthrough technologies in alternative fuels. And as that happens, new specialists will be needed in professions ranging from accounting to insurance to deal with everything from fuel tax incentives to liability coverage for ethanol facilities.
“It’s just a matter of time,” says Dr. Shannon Baxter-Clemmons, executive director of the S.C. Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Alliance. “Being a new technology, there’s a lot of unknowns about it.”
For now, oil continues to flow through the U.S. economy’s veins. A number of different fuel substitutes are in various stages of research, however, creating a race that may have more than one winner.
“What we need to seek is a balance,” says Tom Baloga, vice president of U.S. engineering for BMW. “Keep pushing for all the different forms of energy that allow us to adjust to technology.”
There is concern that one renewable energy type will eventually be declared king by either the marketplace or the government, making losers out of all the businesses and universities that bet their research dollars on other fuels. Inglis sees a parallel to decades of breakthroughs in recording technology, however.
“Somebody invented the eight-track, and they made money off of that,” he says. “Somebody invented the cassette tape, and they made money off of that.”
Later, similar successes were found with compact discs, then digital files.
“All of them made money,” Inglis says. “All of them have been helpful advances in technology.”
The same, step-by-step progression could be in store for the energy industry.
“The marketplace will drive that,” Inglis says.
Partnership in Southeast Focuses on Future of Fuel: Tennessee Valley Corridor Auto Session Yields Ideas
November 23, 2007
With a growing stake in automobiles and the research to make them run cleaner and cheaper, the South isn't taking sides in the ethanol vs. hydrogen fuel cells debate.
The future of fuel dominated the agenda at a meeting this week that signaled a new automotive power partnership between South Carolina and the Tennessee Valley Corridor, an economic development initiative for Tennessee, northern Alabama, southern Kentucky, and southwest Virginia.
Speaking alongside promoters of hydrogen and fuel cell research and a top BMW engineer who described models already using some hydrogen power, University of Tennessee President John Petersen made a pitch for plans to grow switchgrass as a replacement for gasoline.
No one booed. Although the approaches to alternative fuels differ, the theme of the Monday meeting was working together instead of competing.
The Tennessee Valley Corridor automotive sessions were hosted by the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research. The still unfinished campus, in the same region as a BMW Manufacturing Co. plant at Greer, already offers master's and doctorate programs in automotive engineering.
U.S. Rep. Bob Inglis, R-S.C., said he wants to see "plenty of collaboration between the Savannah River National Lab and the Oak Ridge National Lab."
Other members of Congress from Tennessee and South Carolina detailed efforts to get federal dollars for the region's efforts to find alternatives to fossil fuels.
Gasoline to grassoline
Petersen described the university's role in developing a $40 million pilot plant for making cellulosic ethanol — grassoline — from switchgrass by the summer of 2009.
Proponents maintain the venture could eventually create 4,000 jobs in rural communities, generate $100 million in new farm revenue and help switchgrass supplant corn as the best and cheapest source for the ethanol industry.
"Tennessee happens to be an ideal climate for switchgrass," Petersen said.
A Joint Institute for Biological Sciences at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory will research new processes for processing switchgrass.
BMW looks to fuel cells
Tom Baloga, BMW of North America's vice president of engineering in the U.S., predicted that some balance between hydrogen and batteries will replace gasoline.
"We think the answer is hydrogen," Baloga said.
The technology combines hydrogen with oxygen in the vehicle's fuel-cell stack, and energy from the reaction is converted into electricity that powers the vehicle. The vehicle's only emission is water.
In recent decades, Japanese, German and Korean auto makers have built assembly plants across the South and in stark contrast to Detroit, employees at those plants have not unionized. Nissan North America Inc. last year moved its corporate headquarters from California to Tennessee, where it is finishing construction on a building in the Nashville suburb of Franklin.
Peter Brown, associate publisher and editorial director of Automotive News, told the meeting that "the American South is a place on the way up in the automotive world," and fuel economy is the industry's overriding issue.
Knoxville-Oak Ridge Innovation Valley Biotech Startup Earns Prestigious R&D 100 Award
July 20, 2007
Phenotype Screening Corporation, a three-person Knoxville-Oak Ridge Innovation Valley biotech startup, has won an internationally prestigious “R & D 100” award for its groundbreaking work in crop and tree diagnostics. Their work helps scientists improve yields in a wide range of crops, including biomass for alternative fuel production.
Called the “Oscars of Innovation” by the Chicago Tribune, the research and development awards go to the top 100 most technologically significant products new to the marketplace each year.
Phenotype Screening’s non-invasive methods of studying plant root systems enable scientists to develop stronger, more pest- and drought-resistant crops. The new techniques can also help improve production of switchgrass, willows, poplars and other plants used as feedstock in biofuels.
The company uses a proprietary substrate, or soil, and special plant containers that allow low energy spectrum X-ray imaging of plant root systems at various stages of development. That could have major implications for food production and greater energy independence through alternative fuel production.
Innovation Valley researchers have won numerous R & D 100 Awards over the years. But usually, the awards go to large research institutes such as nearby Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). This year, for example, six individual projects at ORNL won the award. That puts ORNL in the lead of all Department of Energy (DOE) labs with 134 R & D 100 awards.
Phenotype Screening, like many Innovation Valley high-tech companies, is part of a tightly-knit research community that includes ORNL and the University of Tennessee (UT), which has its flagship campus in Knoxville. UT partners with Battelle to manage the national lab.
“UT and ORNL have been tremendous assets to us,” said Ron Michaels, Phenotype Screening’s technical director. “They have opened up opportunities for our company.”
The 16-county Innovation Valley has become an international hotspot of bioenergy research and bioproduction on several fronts:
-Scientists at ORNL and UT’s Institute for Agriculture have produced ethanol from switchgrass.
-ORNL just won a $125 million Department of Energy project to construct a world-class bioenergy center.
-Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen’s budget plan calls for a total of $61.6 million funding for bioenergy, a commitment he says will "position Tennessee to be a national leader in the production of biomass ethanol and related research."
-ORNL just won a $125 million Department of Energy project to construct a world-class bioenergy center.
-Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen’s budget plan calls for a total of $61.6 million funding for bioenergy, a commitment he says will "position Tennessee to be a national leader in the production of biomass ethanol and related research."
-Bredesen’s budget includes $8.4 million biofuels pilot production facility on the UT campus, capital equipment for UT/ORNL’s Joint Institute of Biological Sciences and an incentives package to encourage farmers to grow switchgrass.
-At its new $100 million plant in Loudon, in the southwest corner of the Innovation Valley, DuPont, in partnership with Tate & Lyle, converts corn into bio-PDO, a benign liquid used in carpets and clothes. It is one of the world’s largest bioproduction facilities.
-In Wartburg, Tennessee, Northington Energy is now building the Innovation Valley’s first biodiesel plant.
AEDC- Right for CBAT, Right for the Air Force
February 06, 2007
From the Manhattan Project to TVA to the Apollo project to the Spallation Neutron Source and so much more – the Tennessee Valley Corridor and its key institutions, communities, businesses and Congressional leaders have always exemplified the phrase “National Leadership through Regional Cooperation.”
With the new global War on Terror before us, key leaders in our region continue to support our nation by working to enhance and advance the Corridor’s key science, technology and national security assets.
One of the big new challenges in the War on Terror is adequate training for our combat troops. Afghanistan and Iraq have placed, for instance, a heavy new demand on the Airmen of our U.S. Air Force for needed ground-based combat support. These increased demands include prison guard duty, combat convoy support, and significantly expanded security force duty. With these additional responsibilities the Air Force has acknowledged its Airmen are lacking in the ground combat skills necessary to meet today’s demands.
To address this need, the Air Force has proposed, as former Air Force Secretary Roche has described it, a new program to “bring together our Battlefield Airmen under a common training and organization structure to strengthen the combat power they bring to the fight.”
Weapons training, tactical field operations, land navigation training, basic combat skills, physical fitness training, and basic medical training will be part of the core curriculum provided by a new Common Battlefield Airman Training (CBAT) program. Implemented in three phases, a total of 14,410 Airmen are to be trained annually through CBAT.
The proposed location for this new Common Battlefield Airman Training program has now been narrowed down to three potential sites. These three finalists are Arnold Air Force Base near Tullahoma and Manchester, TN; Moody Air Force Base in Valdosta, GA; and Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City, LA. Roughly 800 jobs will be created in the community selected to host this new training facility.
Key leaders in the Tennessee Valley Corridor and I are convinced that establishing CBAT at Arnold Air Force Base would be the best course of action and an exceptional investment for the Air Force and the nation.
Arnold Air Force Base and the Arnold Engineering Development Center are already home to the world’s premier flight simulation testing facility and continue to be vital national resources in the development of many of the nation’s top priority aerospace and national defense programs.
Arnold, with its history of extensive combat training during World War II, has abundant land available for CBAT training with a dedicated 200 acre campus, small arms firing range, and 9,000 acres for other required training.
In short, Middle Tennessee and the Tennessee Valley Corridor have a world class facility ready and willing to house this important new training operation.
The Coffee County community, the Middle Tennessee/North Alabama region, and indeed, the entire Tennessee Valley Corridor, strongly support our nation’s armed forces and their training needs as they continue to serve and defend our nation. A better trained corps of Airmen will not only give them the ability to operate more effectively in a combat zone and a better chance of survival, but will also help them better defend the United States in our post-9/11 world.
I strongly support, and encourage all others to support, Arnold Air Force Base’s pursuit of this new CBAT program.
U.S. Representative Lincoln Davis represents Tennessee’s Fourth Congressional District in the U.S House of Representatives and is an active supporter and partner in the Tennessee Valley Science and Technology Corridor.
The Tennessee Valley Corridor - Leading the Way in Nuclear Power
April 19, 2007
The Tennessee Valley Corridor has a long history of serving our country by deploying this region’s leading science, technology and national security assets to help solve important national challenges.
It was the Tennessee Valley Corridor that led the way when the men and women in Oak Ridge helped develop the technology that won World War II, and when the men and women in Huntsville developed, tested and built the Saturn V rocket to help place the first man on the Moon.
Today, the Tennessee Valley Corridor again has the opportunity to demonstrate “National Leadership through Regional Cooperation” on the important issue of energy security.
One of the clearest ways to help reduce our country’s dependency on foreign sources of energy is the reestablishment and expansion of our domestic nuclear power capabilities.
Safe, environmentally-friendly nuclear power was first developed in the United States, and it now supplies more than 20 percent of the electricity used here. But in other countries (e.g. France and Japan), nuclear power is used to a far greater extent. Not only has it helped with their energy security, but it has also helped protect their environments. The key is that nuclear power plants do not emit greenhouse gases like fossil fuel plants, nor are they dependent on unstable or hostile regions of the world for their fuel supply; two obvious and very important benefits for the United States.
As one of the nation’s premier science and technology centers, the Tennessee Valley Corridor is once again well positioned to help lead the way as we seek to meet the nation’s rising needs for safe, clean, abundant energy.
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is leading America’s utility industry to a future with more electricity from clean and safe nuclear power. TVA’s restart of Unit 1 at Browns Ferry Nuclear Plant next month demonstrates that the industry can meet both schedule and cost expectations. Once it is up and running, this plant will produce enough electricity to power 650,000 Valley homes. TVA is also considering completing the construction of Unit 2 at Watts Bar Nuclear Plant near Spring City, TN, and partnering with NuStart to gain a license for an advanced nuclear plant at the Bellefonte site near Scottsboro, AL.
The Y-12 National Security Complex, part of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), continues to play an integral role in strengthening national security by creating, safeguarding, and safely disposing of nuclear materials. Y-12 was recently acknowledged as the “Uranium Center of Excellence” for the NNSA, recognizing Y-12’s key position supporting national defense, nuclear non-proliferation and other skills related to handling and protecting uranium. Y-12 is actively preparing to support domestic nuclear power needs by modernizing the site and its workforce.
Additionally, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), one of the lead Department of Energy laboratories for civilian nuclear energy research, has been heavily involved in a variety of nuclear projects, including efforts to develop breeder reactors (which produce more fissile fuel than they consume) and the development of advanced materials suitable for use in future nuclear systems. ORNL has state-of-the-art nuclear research facilities, including the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR), the Irradiated Materials and Fuels Laboratories, and the Radio Chemical Engineering Development Center. All of these facilities are heavily used by the U.S. and international nuclear communities.
Recently, ORNL and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville were tasked to assist in the design and potential development of affordable fission surface power systems for providing a safe, power-rich environment on the surface of the moon and Mars. The Early Flight Fission Test Facility (EFF-TF) at MSFC provides a unique capability to affordably complete high fidelity development testing. MSFC has extensive capability that could be used to design, develop, and qualify fission surface power and nuclear thermal propulsion systems for missions to the moon, Mars, or beyond. Such work related to nuclear systems in space will not only benefit space exploration, but will provide direct benefits to all of us in the future.
The future is bright for the Tennessee Valley Corridor. Strengthening our leadership role in civilian nuclear technology and the construction of next generation nuclear power plants is yet another way the Tennessee Valley Corridor is playing a leadership role in this country.
For more information on the Tennessee Valley Corridor, please visit www.tennvalleycorridor.org
Mickey Crutcher is President of Maximum Technology Corporation (MTC) in Huntsville, Alabama and is a member of the Tennessee Valley Corridor Board of Directors and one of the many partners involved in building the Tennessee Valley Nuclear Energy Coalition.
Tennessee Valley Corridor’s “NEW-STEM” Initiative to Leverage Nation’s Military Expertise for High-Tech Workforce
Region-Wide Workshops in Oak Ridge and Huntsville to Put Plans in Place to Recruit Technically-Trained, but Retiring Military Personnel to the Tennessee Valley
Tennessee Valley Corridor News Release
May 01, 2007
The Tennessee Valley Corridor is partnering with the Southern Growth Policies Board, area universities and local chambers of commerce to develop a new pilot project for the nation to provide more technically-trained, but soon-to-be retiring military Non-Commissioner Officers (NCOs) the chance to earn a fast-track college degree while helping fill the region’s science and technology workforce needs.
Dozens of interested military, academia and industry partners in the Tennessee Valley Corridor will convene in NEW-STEM Workshops at Technology 2020 in Oak Ridge, Tenn. from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. ET on May 2, and in Huntsville, Ala. on May 16 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. CT at the Huntsville Area Association of Realtors. “NEW-STEM” is the Corridor’s acronym for “NCO Enhanced Workforce in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.”
The workshops will provide a forum for interested partners to brainstorm strategies for engaging more NCOs directly into the Corridor’s technical workforce while also exploring opportunities to help fill critical math and science needs in the K-12 teacher pipeline.
“Over the next five years, thousands of Non-Commissioned Officers (NCOs) will be retiring from the U.S. military. These men and women are highly trained and skilled, yet many lack four-year degrees,” said Dr. Edward Kraft, chief technologist at the U.S. Air Force Arnold Engineering Development Center in Tullahoma and co-director of the Corridor’s NCO Initiative. “This unique NEW-STEM program will not only fill a gap in our region’s education system and technical workforce, it will also provide a new means of financial support for our troops and their families as they complete their dedicated service to our country.”
Several national studies have sounded the alarm that the number of new scientists, engineers and technically-trained technicians emerging from U.S. universities is significantly declining, while the number of scientists and engineers in countries who compete with the U.S., both economically and militarily, is rapidly increasing.
Because of their maturity, technical training and hands-on experience, the Corridor believes retiring military NCOs provide an excellent near term source of potential engineers and high-skilled technicians to help keep our nation technically competitive and the Corridor’s high-tech public and private sector employers growing and succeeding.
“I am thrilled that the Tennessee Valley Corridor is undertaking such an important endeavor to advance our regional competitiveness,” said Susan Reid, chair of the Tennessee Valley Corridor. “It is our hope that this NEW-STEM Initiative will not only benefit our region, but will eventually be adopted by others and expanded to benefit our nation as a whole.”
Building on such regional assets as NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, the U.S. Army's Redstone Arsenal, the U.S. Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Center, the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the National Transportation Research Center, the Center for Rural Development, the National Safe Skies Alliance, several world-class research universities and dozens of corporate leaders in science and technology, the Tennessee Valley Corridor is a non-profit regional economic development organization that has helped showcase the region's superior quality of life and the people, business, natural and scientific resources needed for high-tech research, development, business and investment in the 21st Century.
For more information on the NEW-STEM initiative and the workshops, please contact Rachel Donahue, who is helping coordinate the workshops, at 615-329-9525.
For more information about the Tennessee Valley Corridor, please visit www.tennvalleycorridor.org.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Technology 2020 and the Tennessee Valley Corridor Hosts National Science Foundation Event
April 20, 2007
Today Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the Tennessee Valley Corridor and Technology 2020 hosted an invitation-only luncheon and forum featuring Dr. Arden Bement, Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) and a group of CEOs and Chief Technology Officers from a number of technology-based companies from within the Tennessee Valley Corridor.
The meeting, which took place at ORNL, served as a platform for leaders within the Corridor to exchange information in a “give and take” session with top officials from the National Science Foundation about America’s research needs and priorities. The NSF is the funding source for approximately 20 percent of all federally-supported basic research conducted by America’s colleges and universities.
“The business leaders in attendance at this forum were presented with a unique and rare opportunity to exchange ideas and information with top decision-makers from the NSF who wanted to hear from established technology leaders and entrepreneurs in the Tennessee Valley Corridor about how federal dollars can be better directed to help propel new discovery, invention and commercial application.” said Tom Ballard, Director of Economic Development and Partnerships, Oak Ridge National Laboratory. “The first of these regional gatherings was held in San Diego, so we are very pleased that Dr. Bement and his colleagues from the NSF selected our high-tech Corridor as the next place to hear from business leaders.”
Today’s gathering included business executives from North Alabama, Chattanooga, Nashville, Knoxville, Oak Ridge and the Tri-Cities, TN/VA.
The National Science Foundation is an independent federal agency that supports fundamental research and education across all fields of science and engineering, with an annual budget of $5.91 billion. The NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 1,700 universities and institutions.
“We are honored to have hosted the National Science Foundation in their efforts to both share with and learn from our technology and research-driven companies and leaders in the Tennessee Valley Corridor,” said Tom Rogers, President and CEO of Technology 2020. “Their interest in holding such a meeting in the Tennessee Valley is very indicative of the momentum and reputation we have created in the Corridor and throughout East Tennessee’s Innovation Valley for new high-tech business development.”
Building on such regional assets as East Tennessee State University’s Quillen College of Medicine, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, the U.S. Army's Redstone Arsenal, the U.S. Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Center, the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the National Transportation Research Center, the Center for Rural Development, the National Safe Skies Alliance, several world-class research universities and dozens of corporate leaders in science and technology, the Tennessee Valley Corridor has helped showcase the region’s superior quality of life and the people, business, natural and scientific resources needed for high-tech research, development, business and investment in the 21st Century.
In 2004, the Tennessee Valley Corridor was recognized by the U.S. Department of Commerce as one of the top two regional economic development organizations in the country. The Corridor tied with the famed Research Triangle Partnership in North Carolina as the nation’s most outstanding organization’s for enhancing regional competitiveness.
Since it was first formed in 1995, the Tennessee Valley Corridor has built a strong alliance of community, business, education and government leaders through a series of regular regional economic summits led by the Corridor's bipartisan and multi-state Congressional delegation and a blue-ribbon board of regional leaders. These events have strategically linked the technology-rich Tennessee Valley Corridor -- from North Alabama through Tennessee into Southwest Virginia and Southern and Eastern Kentucky. The upcoming Summit, to be held in Kingsport on May 29-30 at the MeadowView Conference Resort and Convention Center, will be the 17th in a series of regular economic development Summits the Corridor has organized since 1995.
For complete information on the Tennessee Valley Corridor or to register to attend the upcoming National Summit in Kingsport, please visit www.tennvalleycorridor.org.
Don't Miss the Latest Corridor Enews.
Nano Nexus 2007, April 2-4 at ORNL
April 02, 2007
Nano Nexus 2007
April 2-4, 2007
Nano Nexus 2007 is a new nanotechnology event with an emphasis on education for all the critical players in nanotechnology commercialization universities, government, industry and the investment community.
How is it different from all the other nano events that exist? Most existing nano conferences have a one-way information download. What's missing is true dialogue on how industry, universities and government can learn from each other, work together to spur innovation and more quickly and effectively commercialize nanotechnologies. This learning is especially important for the next generation of entrepreneurs emerging from our universities, who will be participating in the event.
Nano Nexus 2007 will be hosted by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), a world-leader in nanotechnology research, located in
It’s a perfect setting for Nano Nexus 2007, where the entire commercialization process from scientific discovery through starting new businesses can be explored.
Regional Representatives Travel to Tullahoma, Tenn. for Tennessee Valley Corridor Board Meeting
November 15, 2006
On November 14th key leaders from the North Alabama region traveled to the University of Tennessee Space Institute (UTSI) in Tullahoma, Tenn., for the Tennessee Valley Corridor’s (TVC) quarterly board meeting.
TVC Board Members who attended the meeting were:
From North Alabama: Sharon Morgan, Congressman Bud Cramer’s representative to the TVC board; Mike McFalls, Test and Evaluation Manager in the Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center at the U.S. Army’s Redstone Arsenal; and Mickey Crutcher, President and CEO of Maximum Technology Corporation.
From Southeast Kentucky: Jerry Rickett, President and CEO of Kentucky Highland Investment Corporation; and Ewell Balltrip, Executive Director and CEO of The National Institute for Hometown Security.
From Southeast Tennessee: Dr. Edward Kraft, Technical Advisor for the U.S. Air Force’s Arnold Engineering Development Center; Wayne Cropp, Executive Director of The Enterprise Center; and Dr. Dave Whitfield, Associate Dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science and Director of the Graduate School of Computational Engineering, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
From Southwest Virginia: Tom Taylor, former Executive Director of Mount Rogers Planning District Commission.
From the Tri-Cities: Dr. Jim Hales, Dean Emeritus and Special Assistant to the President, East Tennessee State University; Susan Reid, Executive Director of the First Tennessee Development District; and David Stout, Director of Business Health Services for Mountain States Health Alliance.
From Knoxville/Oak Ridge: Tom Ballard, Director of Economic Development and Partnerships at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Gary Hensley, former City Manger for the City of Maryville; Tom Jensen, Board Chairman and CEO of the National Safe Skies Alliance; Jeff Cornett, President and COO of National Safe Skies Alliance; Mike Arms, Knox County Deputy Mayor; Bob Morris, Vice President of Valley Relations, Tennessee Valley Authority; Larry Clark, Assistant Manager of Nuclear Fuel Supply DOE-Oak Ridge Operations; Susan Cange, Team Leader for Reindustrialization and Technical Assistance Team of DOE-Oak Ridge Office; and Robin Spradlen, Program Director with the DOE National Nuclear Security Administration in Oak Ridge.
The TVC board of directors received several updates at the meeting, including special updates from Don Daniel, UTSI Associate Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, and Colonel Harold Arata with the U.S. Air Force’s Arnold Engineering Development Center (AEDC) near Tullahoma.
“It was exciting to be in Tullahoma and have the opportunity to hear from our partners at UTSI and AEDC,” said Susan Reid, chairman of the Tennessee Valley Corridor board of directors. “We always look forward to visiting our regional partners throughout the Corridor because it gives us an opportunity to become familiar with their world-class facilities and the amazing work they are doing in science and technology.”
During the meeting, the Corridor board also discussed plans for the 2007 National Summit, which will be held May 29-30 in Kingsport, Tenn., at the MeadowView Conference Resort and Convention Center.
The TVC board members also participated in a joint lunch with the Arnold Community Council. The Arnold Community Council was established in 2000 to promote, protect and preserve AEDC and to facilitate interaction and cooperation between the center and surrounding communities. The Council’s board of directors represents 10 Southern Middle Tennessee counties. This was the first joint gathering between the two organizations.
The TVC board of directors, composed of representatives from eight contiguous Congressional districts in Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia, meets quarterly at a different Corridor location each time, to plan and discuss ongoing activities to help advance the Corridor as one of the nation's leading science and technology regions.
Building on such regional assets as NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, the U.S. Army's Redstone Arsenal, the U.S. Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Center, the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the National Transportation Research Center, the Center for Rural Development, the National Safe Skies Alliance, several world-class research universities and dozens of corporate leaders in science and technology, the Corridor has helped showcase the Tennessee Valley's superior quality of life and the people, business, natural and scientific resources needed for high-tech research, development, business and investment in the 21st Century.
For more information about the Corridor, please visit http://www.tennvalleycorridor.org/.
The Tennessee Valley Corridor Board of Directors Lends Support to Secure Common Battlefield Airman Training Facility at Arnold Air Force Base
November 15, 2006
The Tennessee Valley Corridor (TVC) Board of Directors, which works year-round to promote the Corridor as one of the nation's premier science and technology regions, recently announced its support of Arnold Air Force Base's and Arnold Engineering Development Center's efforts to secure a Common Battlefield Airman Training (CBAT) Facility.
At a recent quarterly meeting, the TVC Board voted to strongly endorse the action to establish the CBAT facility at Arnold AFB in Tullahoma, Tenn. Arnold Air Force Base is among several military bases being considered as a possible site for the location of CBAT. When fully operational, more than 10,000 Airmen would be trained each year by active-duty military personnel at the facility. The facility would provide a curriculum to enhance ground combat skills and give all Airmen a universal skill set to help them better defend America.
"The Tennessee Valley Corridor was created to help expand and advance key assets, facilities and federal missions in the Corridor, and we feel that the addition of the CBAT facility in Tullahoma will be a positive step in adding an important new mission to AEDC," said Susan Reid, chair of the TVC Board of Directors. "We also feel that the addition of this new facility is one of the most positive ways the Corridor can support our country's armed forces and their training needs as they continue to serve and defend our nation."
Securing the CBAT facility could provide as many as 800 potential jobs and significantly expand upon Arnold Air Force Base's annual economic impact, already in excess of $675 million, in the Tennessee Valley.
The Tennessee Valley Corridor, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(6) organization that is led by a blue-ribbon regional board of directors, and dedicated to promoting the Tennessee Valley Corridor as one of the nation's premier science and technology centers, and to leveraging the Corridor's world-class research institutions and technology assets for maximum regional economic development and new job creation.
Building on such regional assets as NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, the U.S. Army's Redstone Arsenal, the U.S. Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Center, the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the National Transportation Research Center, the Center for Rural Development, the National Safe Skies Alliance, several world-class research universities and dozens of corporate leaders in science and technology, the Corridor has helped showcase the Tennessee Valley's superior quality of life and the people, business, natural and scientific resources needed for high-tech research, development, business and investment in the 21st Century.
For more information on the Corridor, please visit www.tennvalleycorridor.org.
Could the Tennessee Valley Corridor Hold Some Answers to U.S. Competitiveness
October 02, 2006
Is the U.S. gradually losing “its privileged position” as the world’s leader in science, technology and engineering?
Based upon the recent findings of a 20-member panel of experts (convened by the National Academy of Sciences, the nation’s leading science advisory group and reporting at the request of a bi-partisan group in Congress), the answer is unfortunately YES!!
The facts below help illustrate the point:
Ø In 2004, China graduated over 600,000 new engineers, India - 350,000, but in the U.S., only 70,000.
Ø In the U.S., only 5 percent of all bachelors degrees awarded are in engineering. In China, it is 40 percent.
Ø For the cost of hiring one engineer in the U.S., a company can hire about 11 engineers in India or 5 chemists in
China.
China.
Ø In 2001, U.S. industry spent more dollars on tort litigation than on new research and development.
Ø Our schools are struggling, too. Fewer than one-third of the 4th and 8th grade students in the U.S. now perform
at or above the desired proficiency level in math.
at or above the desired proficiency level in math.
Ø While improving, in recent years, only 41% of the U.S. 8th grade students received instruction from a math
teacher who was specifically schooled in math, considerably lower than the international average of 71%.
teacher who was specifically schooled in math, considerably lower than the international average of 71%.
Norman R. Augustine, retired chairman of Lockheed Martin, who chaired the expert panel said, "America must act now to preserve its strategic and economic security. The building blocks of our economic leadership are wearing away. The challenges that America faces are immense."
So what and where are the answers?
Well, some of them could be found right here in the Tennessee Valley Corridor.
Stop and think about the prominent role that key Corridor institutions, companies and communities have played in the history of our country. From the Manhattan project to TVA to the Apollo project to the Spallation Neutron Source and so much more – the Tennessee Valley Corridor has been key in offering what Congressman Zach Wamp calls “national leadership through regional cooperation..”
So, despite the gloomy trends portrayed in this new national competitiveness report, the Tennessee Valley Corridor is once again poised to help lead the nation in addressing and protecting America’s “privileged position” in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)
One new idea that key leaders of the Tennessee Valley Corridor is exploring is how best to “turn swords into plowshares” by capitalizing on upcoming reductions in force in the U.S. Defense Department.
The cost of the war on terror in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the need for the military to recapitalize and reorganize, has placed tremendous stress on the budget of the Department of Defense. One of the by-products of this stress and the resulting reorganization are some significant planned reductions in force.
In fact, the Air Force plans to reduce staffing by 40,000 people in the next five years, including officers, non-commissioned officers (NCOs), civilians, and support contractors. The Army and Navy plan similar, albeit smaller, reductions in their forces as well.
The coinciding timing of America’s shortage of new scientists and engineers and this potential in-flux of highly-skilled military personnel, particularly among career NCOs, offers an important opportunity to provide a near term supply of scientists and engineers as we wait for our K-12 system and universities to attract and supply more students in the study of science and engineering.
NCO’s, namely technical and master sergeants, are universally recognized as the “go-to” people in the military. Most have a high degree of hands-on technical training as well technical education at the associate degree level. They work daily with some of the most complex engineering systems in the world (e.g., these are the folks that can break down and rebuild a jet engine in the harsh environment of the Iraqi desert.)
While many of these departing NCOs can go directly into industry as highly trained technicians, many are also capable, if given the right opportunity, to go back to school to quickly achieve full degrees in science and engineering.
Because of their maturity, their technical training, and their hands-on experiences, the NCOs separating from the military in the next five years provide an excellent near term source of new engineers in our country. They could help fill in the gaps to keep the nation technically competitive while being given the opportunity to increase their own financial security. All of this presents an important win/win/win opportunity for the nation, for our regional institutions and for the individuals involved, if we can figure out a way to capitalize on it.
That’s why an important education action team from the Tennessee Valley Corridor (TVC) is exploring, along with the Southern Growth Policies Board and some of the Corridor’s key universities and institutions, some quick ways to organize ourselves to help the Corridor and the nation capitalize on this near term opportunity – to both educate and employ these experienced professionals.
We are blessed that Tennessee Senator Lamar Alexander, Congressman Bart Gordon and our entire Corridor congressional delegation are at the forefront on many of these issues on the national scene.
Now is the time for the Tennessee Valley Corridor to step forward. By working together, the Tennessee Valley Corridor can once again help lead the way in protecting America’s preeminent role in science and technology.
###
Susan Reid is the Chairperson of the Tennessee Valley Corridor, Inc. Board of Directors Ed Kraft is Chief Technologist at the Arnold Engineering Development Center and a member of the Corridor’s Education Action Team.
Seventh Annual Business Opportunities Conference
October 03, 2006
Seventh Annual Business Opportunities Conference
October 31 – November 2, 2006
Knoxville Marriott
Business Opportunities, hosted annually by ETEBA, is one of the most exciting conferences in the Southeast. Representatives from various government agencies present their latest information about upcoming procurements and how to do business with them.
Last year more than three hundred people attended the conference, with 69 exhibits. The 2006 Conference will be held at the Marriott Knoxville, which will accommodate more than 80 exhibits.
The ETEBA Business Opportunities Conference is constantly growing, and you won’t want to miss this year’s event!
For more information or to register for the conference, please visit http://www.eteba.org/2006Conference/Index.htm.
Entrepreneur Magazine Ranks the Tennessee Valley Corridor as a Top Hot Spot for Entrepreneurs
September 08, 2006
According to Entrepreneur Magazine, the Tennessee Valley Corridor is one of America's hottest spots for entrepreneurs -- with three Corridor states ranked among the nation's top 10 states for those looking to start or grow a new company.
Virginia is ranked #2, followed by Alabama at #3, and Tennessee at #8 as ideal locations for entrepreneurs, in the September issue of the national magazine.
Two leading Corridor communities were also ranked on the top 10 cities lists, with Knoxville/Oak Ridge, TN ranked #9 among all of America's mid-size cities - and Huntsville, Ala. #5 among the nation's small cities. Decatur and Florence, Ala., Chattanooga, TN and Tri-Cities, TN/VA were also listed in the magazine's top city lists.
The rankings were compiled for the magazine by the National Policy Research Council (NPRC) who uses an Entrepreneurial Activity Index to measure the best places to start and grow a company. The index is made up of two parts, each dedicated to measuring a key aspect of entrepreneurship: business formation and business growth.
"We are pleased that the nation is taking notice that the Tennessee Valley Corridor has become one of America's top ten hot spots for science, technology and new business growth," said Susan Reid, chair of the Tennessee Valley Corridor, Inc.
"Entrepreneurs are finding the unique partnerships we've created among our key institutions, universities and private sector partners can help give them a big leg up over other locations. Combine that with our low costs of doing business and great quality of life, and it's no wonder our region is ranked as high as it is."
The Entrepreneur Magazine rankings come out annually, and this year's complete listing of cities and states can be viewed at http://www.entrepreneur.com/bestcities/index.html.
The Tennessee Valley Corridor was formed in 1995 by Congressman Zach Wamp to help leverage the Tennessee Valley's abundant research and technology assets and institutions for maximum regional economic development and new job creation.
The Tennessee Valley Corridor was formed in 1995 by Congressman Zach Wamp to help leverage the Tennessee Valley's abundant research and technology assets and institutions for maximum regional economic development and new job creation.
Today, the Corridor includes eight congressional districts and is comprised of key community, business, education and government leaders from Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky and Virginia.
Building on such regional assets as NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, the U.S. Army's Redstone Arsenal, the U.S. Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Center, the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the National Transportation Research Center, the Center for Rural Development, the National Safe Skies Alliance, several world-class research universities, and dozens of corporate leaders in science and technology, the Corridor has helped showcase the Tennessee Valley a premier location for new business and technology investment in the 21st Century.
In 2004, the Tennessee Valley Corridor was recognized by the U.S. Department of Commerce as one of the top two regional economic development organizations in the country. The Corridor tied with the famed Research Triangle in North Carolina as America's top region for "enhancing regional competitiveness."
For more information about the Tennessee Valley Corridor, please visit http://www.tennvalleycorridor.org/.
In 2004, the Tennessee Valley Corridor was recognized by the U.S. Department of Commerce as one of the top two regional economic development organizations in the country. The Corridor tied with the famed Research Triangle in North Carolina as America's top region for "enhancing regional competitiveness."
For more information about the Tennessee Valley Corridor, please visit http://www.tennvalleycorridor.org/.
2007 Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit to be Held in Tri-Cities, TN/VA
Corridor Board Members Return from Kingsport Planning Meeting
Tennessee Valley Corridor News Release
July 27, 2006
Kingsport, Tenn. - The Tennessee Valley Corridor has selected Kingsport, Tenn. as the location for the Corridor's 2007 National Technology Summit.
The Tennessee Valley Corridor Board of Directors convened recently at Kingsport's Eastman Lodge for their quarterly meeting. Among the business discussed at the meeting was the location for the Corridor's 2007 National Summit. The Corridor board chose Tri-Cities, TN/VA as the host region for next year's event. The event will be held at Kingsport's MeadowView Conference Resort and Convention Center, May 29-30, 2007.
"We in the Tri-Cities are delighted to host the 2007 TVC National Summit," said Susan Reid, Chair of the TVC Board of Directors and Executive Director of the Johnson City-based First Tennessee Development District. "Building on the success of the last Summit held in Kingsport in 1998 and on the momentum of a very successful 2006 Summit in Chattanooga earlier this summer, we expect next year's Summit to be one of our best events yet."
TVC Board Members attending the meeting were:
From North Alabama: Sharon Morgan, representative of Congressman Bud Cramer to the TVC Board; and Mickey Crutcher, President and CEO of Maximum Technology Association.
From Southeast Kentucky: Jerry Rickett, President and CEO of Kentucky Highland Investment Corporation.
From Knoxville/Oak Ridge, Tennessee: Dale Ditmanson, Superintendent, Great Smoky Mountains National Park; Tom Rogers, President and CEO of Technology 2020; Jim Reafsnyder, Director, Department of Energy/Oak Ridge Operations, Office of Partnerships and Program Development; Tom Ballard, Director of Economic Development and Partnerships for Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Dr. Fred Tompkins, President of the University of Tennessee Research Foundation; Larry Clark, Assistant Manager of Nuclear Fuel Supply, Department of Energy/Oak Ridge Operations; Robin Spradlen, Program Development Manager, Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration; Mike Arms, Chief of Staff, Knox County Mayor's Office; Bob Morris, Vice President of Valley Relations, Tennessee Valley Authority; and Tom Jensen, President and CEO, National Safe Skies Alliance.
From Southeast Tennessee: Wayne Cropp, CEO of Aquaterra Engineering, from Chattanooga; and Dr. Edward Kraft, Technical Advisor for the Arnold Engineering Development Center in Tullahoma.
From the Tri-Cities, Tennessee: Dr. Jim Hales, Dean Emeritus and Special Assistant to the President, East Tennessee State University; Susan Reid, Executive Director of the First Tennessee Development District; Paul Montgomery, Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs for Eastman Chemical Company; and David Stout, Director of Business Health Services for Mountain States Health Alliance.
From Southwest Virginia: John O'Neil, from Floyd, Va., who is Program Director at Oak Ridge National Laboratory; and Tom Taylor, former Executive Director of Mount Rogers Planning District Commission.
Other topics discussed at the quarterly meeting were ways to continue to foster the year-round initiatives of the Corridor, including: education, innovation, job creation and modernization. In addition, the Board is working on organizing a regional Homeland Security Conference this Fall. Details on both the Fall conference and the 2007 National Summit will be available soon on the Corridor web site.
The TVC Board of Directors, composed of representatives from eight contiguous Congressional districts in Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia, meets quarterly at a different Corridor location each time, to plan and discuss ongoing activities to help advance the Corridor as one of the nation's leading science and technology regions in the U.S.
Building on such regional assets as NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, the U.S. Army's Redstone Arsenal, the U.S. Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Center, the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the National Transportation Research Center, the Center for Rural Development, the National Safe Skies Alliance, several world-class research universities and dozens of corporate leaders in science and technology, the Corridor has helped showcase the Tennessee Valley's superior quality of life and the people, business, natural and scientific resources needed for high-tech research, development, business and investment in the 21st Century.
For more information on the Corridor, please visit http://www.tennvalleycorridor.org/.
Sixteen Companies Selected to Present at the 10th Annual Tennessee Valley Venture Forum
August 20, 2006
Register Now to Connect with
Fast-Growing Corridor Companies at the
Tennessee Valley Venture Forum
September 27-28, 2006
Knoxville Convention Center
Sixteen Companies Selected to Present at the
10th Annual Tennessee Valley Venture Forum
Technology 2020 announced last week that 16 companies have been selected to present their business plans at the 10th Annual Tennessee Valley Venture Forum, which is scheduled for September 27-28 at the Knoxville Convention Center. The Annual Venture Forum is one of several efforts supported by the Tennessee Valley Corridor to attract more venture capital support and new business investment to the Corridor region.
"We are very pleased by the caliber of the companies presenting at this year's Venture Forum," said Tech 2020 President and CEO Tom Rogers. "They are a very diverse group of companies from five southeastern states, including companies from all of Tennessee's grand divisions. The presenting companies are involved in information technology, biotechnology and energy, and also represent many stages of development, seeking funding from Series A through Series C. We are also pleased to have three companies from North Carolina presenting for the first time in the conference's history."
The Tennessee Valley Venture Forum offers both institutional and individual investors the opportunity to hear 16 business plans over the course of two days. The conference begins Wednesday afternoon, September 27th and concludes by noon on Thursday, September 28th. Presenters will have exhibit booths to display their products and services as well as to answer questions and make connections with the conference attendees. In the past several years, approximately one-third of the presenting companies have closed investments as a result of their participation in the conference.
The companies selected to participate this year are:
BBR Wireless Management Louisville, KY
The Documentary Channel Nashville, TN
Epic Secure Solutions, Inc. Bristol, TN
Filekeeper, Inc. Knoxville, TN
InRAD, LLC Knoxville, TN
Jenkin Biosciences, Inc. Research Triangle, NC
LiveCargo Greensboro, NC
Pathfinder Therapeutics Nashville, TN
PetroGreen Athens, TN
Piedmont Pharmaceuticals Greensboro, NC
SemiSouth Starkville, MS
Signal Mountain Networks Alpharetta, GA
Sunlight Direct Oak Ridge, TN
Telesensors Knoxville, TN
Tier 1 Performance Solutions Covington, KY
Vanick Group Memphis, TN
The 10th Annual Tennessee Valley Venture Forum is co-hosted by Tech 2020, the City of Knoxville and Knox County.
For more information or to register on-line to attend the Tennessee Valley Venture Forum, please visit www.tvvf.biz.
For more information, contact:
Tom Rogers
President and CEO
Technology 2020
865-220-2020
rogers@tech2020.org
Building an Innovation Economy
The Tennessee Valley Corridor explores "Keys to Innovation" in collaboration with the University of Tennessee and the Southern Growth Policies Board
Tennessee Valley Corridor News Release
April 19, 2006
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - In collaboration with the Southern Growth Policies Board (SGPB), the Southern Technology Council, the University of Tennessee and many others, the Tennessee Valley Corridor, Inc. helped host several Innovation and Technology Discussion Forums throughout the Corridor during the first quarter of 2006.
The forums were held in Somerset, KY., Huntsville, Ala., Decatur, Ala., Cookeville, Tenn., Morristown, Tenn., Jackson, Tenn., Cleveland, Tenn., Tullahoma, Tenn., Oak Ridge, Tenn., Blountville, Tenn., and Clarksville, Tenn.
These community discussions were designed to stimulate local thinking and community action on how each community and its leaders can better leverage the Corridor's science, technology and higher education assets for new job creation and regional economic development.
These community discussions were designed to stimulate local thinking and community action on how each community and its leaders can better leverage the Corridor's science, technology and higher education assets for new job creation and regional economic development.
"Innovation is important to each of our communities, but each community uses and views it differently," said Susan Reid, chair of the Tennessee Valley Corridor Board of Directors. "These forums provided us with important information about how we can work smarter and collaborate more effectively to build a stronger innovation economy in our region."
Some of the findings and conclusions varied from location to location. In the Corridor's more recognized high-tech communities, the community members viewed innovation and entrepreneurialism as absolutely necessary to continue to grow and advance the regional economy, and failure from taking a gamble on innovation is nothing to be ashamed of and was a normal by-product of an aggressive entrepreneurial environment.
However, in some of the more rural areas of the Corridor and across Tennessee, community members struggled in finding their place in the innovation economy and saw innovation and entrepreneurialism as too big of a gamble and were much more comfortable sticking with what had supported their economy for years, i.e., farming and more traditional manufacturing.
"These discussions spawned several insightful viewpoints specific to the different regions within the Corridor. However, there were several shared conclusions that are equally as interesting and valuable," said Dr. Mary Taylor, assistant vice president for the University of Tennessee's Institute for Public Service. "For example, all of the communities believed education is pertinent to continuing innovation, as are public awareness of and investment in infrastructure. The majority of the communities also understood the need to utilize the many forms of technology available to us while maintaining personal contacts and relationships."
Feedback from all of the Corridor's innovation forums has been shared with the Southern Growth Policies Board, governors and state economic development officials from Southern states, legislative and business leaders from across the South, and with key leaders and institutions within the Tennessee Valley Corridor. The information will also be used to help build and will be included in SGPB's 2006 Report on the Future in the South that will be unveiled at its Southern Innovation Summit in New Orleans, June 4-6, 2006.
"The 2006 Report on the Future in the South will feature regional statistics, program profiles and recommendations for increasing innovation as a part of the South's economic growth policies," said Jim Clinton, executive director of the Southern Growth Policies Board. "The Innovation Forums provided us with citizen input. That feedback is a critical component of our research and we use the information to help shape the recommendations that will be a part of the 2006 report."
Building on such regional assets as NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, the U.S. Army's Redstone Arsenal, the U.S. Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Center, the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 national security complex, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the National Transportation Research Center, the Center for Rural Development, the National Safe Skies Alliance, our world-class research universities and dozens of corporate leaders in science and technology, the Corridor has helped showcase the Tennessee Valley's superior quality of life and the people, business, natural and scientific resources needed for high-tech research, development, business and investment in the 21st Century.
For more information on the Tennessee Valley Corridor, please visit http://www.tennvalleycorridor.org/. For more information on SGPB's Southern Innovation Summit, please visit http://www.southern.org/.
The Tennessee Valley Corridor Board of Directors Lends Enthusiastic Support to Two Vital Initiatives in the Region
March 24, 2006
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee Valley Corridor (TVC) Board of Directors, which works year-round to promote the Corridor as one of the nation's premier science and technology regions, recently announced its support for two upcoming projects aimed at accomplishing these same goals within the region.
At a recent quarterly meeting, the TVC Board voted to strongly endorse the joint Kentucky/Tennessee bid to attract a new U.S. Department of Homeland Security National Bio and Agro-Defense laboratory in Pulaski County, Ky.
"The addition of the biological research laboratory in Southern and Eastern Kentucky is a logical step in continuing our efforts to expand economic development in our region, while at the same time, developing the technologies needed to better protect our nation," said Susan Reid, chair of the TVC Board of Directors. "There are already several other venues in the Corridor, which like the proposed Kentucky lab, host high-security installations important to the nation's defense. We feel our region's experience with such high-security facilities, coupled with the outstanding safety records of our laboratories, similar to the one proposed for Pulaski County, make the Corridor a prime location for this new national Homeland Security lab."
Billed as an exemplary model of regional collaboration, the Kentucky/Tennessee coalition bid has received strong support from the Corridor's Congressional delegation, from both Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher and Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen, and several key institutions. With its close proximity to the University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Pulaski County is being touted as an ideal location for maximizing the regional collaboration needed for a successful biocontainment laboratory.
The second project formally backed by the TVC board addresses the region's continued support for environmental cleanup initiatives at key federal facilities in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
"The cleanup and closure of the East Tennessee Technology Park and the Melton Valley Watershed, along with off-reservation sites, are slated for completion in 2009," said Reid. "However, the job of cleaning up legacy waste on the Oak Ridge Reservation will not be finished until the central campus of ORNL and the central valley at the Y-12 are similarly cleaned up and excess buildings decommissioned and decontaminated."
Current contamination issues at ORNL and Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12) prevent mission readiness, increase risks to the environment and jeopardize worker safety. In addition to addressing these issues, the proposed modernization efforts at the two facilities are expected to save hundreds of millions of dollars in long-term surveillance and maintenance costs, while allowing the two facilities to continue to expand their missions.
The Tennessee Valley Corridor, Inc., is a non-profit 501(c)(6) organization that is led by a blue-ribbon regional board of directors, and dedicated to promoting the Tennessee Valley Corridor as one of the nation's premier science and technology centers, and to leveraging the Corridor's world-class research institutions and technology assets for maximum regional economic development and new job creation.
Building on such regional assets as NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, the U.S. Army's Redstone Arsenal, the U.S. Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Center, the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the National Transportation Research Center, the Center for Rural Development, the National Safe Skies Alliance, several world-class research universities and dozens of corporate leaders in science and technology, the Corridor has helped showcase the Tennessee Valley's superior quality of life and the people, business, natural and scientific resources needed for high-tech research, development, business and investment in the 21st Century.
For more information on the Corridor, please visit http://www.tennvalleycorridor.org/
Southwest Virginia Representatives Travel to Huntsville, Ala. for Joint Tennessee Valley Corridor Meetings with the Southern Technology Council
March 01, 2006
Huntsville, Ala. - On February 27th and 28th the Tennessee Valley Corridor (TVC) Board of Directors convened for an historic quarterly board meeting at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. It was historic because the TVC was joined by the Southern Technology Council, creating the first ever joint collaboration between the two groups.
The Southern Technology Council is the advisory council on innovation and technology policy issues for the Southern Growth Policies Board. The Council which is appointed by the Governor's of 13 Southern states is comprised of a diverse group of professionals in the science, technology and economic development fields.
The Council's principal mission is strengthening the Southern economy through the use of technology and innovation. It is chaired this year by Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue.
The Council's principal mission is strengthening the Southern economy through the use of technology and innovation. It is chaired this year by Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue.
TVC Board Members from Southwest Virginia attending the meeting were: John O'Neil, from Floyd, Va., who is Program Director at Oak Ridge National Laboratory; and Tom Taylor, former Executive Director of Mount Rogers Planning District Commission.
The two groups were also joined briefly by Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer, who welcomed the groups to Huntsville and offered her excitement about the opportunity to be a part of such a collaborative effort, as well as her support for the two groups' to fully explore and take advantage of North Alabama's many science, research and technology assets.
"This Huntsville meeting was particularly exciting because of this first-time, very unique collaboration between two very influential leadership groups in the South," said Susan Reid, chair of the Tennessee Valley Corridor Board of Directors. "Not only were we able to address our quarterly TVC board business during the meetings, but we were also able to brainstorm and collaborate with the Southern Technology Council on ways we can continue to strengthen the Corridor through several joint technology and innovation initiatives."
In addition to the joint discussion between the two groups, the TVC board of directors also continued discussion and planning for the Corridor's 2006 National Summit, May 31-June 1, in Chattanooga, and discussed ways to continue to implement and advance several initiatives within the Corridor on education, innovation, job creation and modernization of federal facilities.
During the two-day event, the two groups were fortunate enough to tour some of North Alabama's most valuable assets, including the National Center for Advanced Manufacturing (NCAM) at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command's Prototype Integration Facility (PIF) and Cummings Research Park (CRP).
The TVC board of directors, composed of representatives from eight contiguous Congressional districts in Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia, meets quarterly at a different Corridor location each time, to plan and discuss ongoing activities to help advance the Corridor as one of the nation's leading science and technology regions in the U.S.
Building on such regional assets as NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, the U.S. Army's Redstone Arsenal, the U.S. Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Center, the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the National Transportation Research Center, the Center for Rural Development, the National Safe Skies Alliance, several world-class research universities and dozens of corporate leaders in science and technology, the Corridor has helped showcase the Tennessee Valley's superior quality of life and the people, business, natural and scientific resources needed for high-tech research, development, business and investment in the 21st Century.
For more information on the Corridor, please visit http://www.tennvalleycorridor.org/
Tri-Cities Representatives Travel to Huntsville, Ala. for Joint Tennessee Valley Corridor Meetings with the Southern Technology Council
March 01, 2006
Huntsville, Ala. - On February 27th and 28th the Tennessee Valley Corridor (TVC) Board of Directors convened for an historic quarterly board meeting at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. It was historic because the TVC was joined by the Southern Technology Council, creating the first ever joint collaboration between the two groups.
The Southern Technology Council is the advisory council on innovation and technology policy issues for the Southern Growth Policies Board. The Council which is appointed by the Governor's of 13 Southern states is comprised of a diverse group of professionals in the science, technology and economic development fields.
The Council's principal mission is strengthening the Southern economy through the use of technology and innovation. It is chaired this year by Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue.
The Council's principal mission is strengthening the Southern economy through the use of technology and innovation. It is chaired this year by Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue.
TVC Board Members from the Tri-Cities attending the meeting were: Paul Montgomery, Director of Communications and Public Affairs for Eastman Chemical Company; Susan Reid, Executive Director of the First Tennessee Development District; David Stout, Director of Business Health Services for Mountain States Health Alliance; and Dr. Jim Hales, Dean Emeritus and Special Assistant to the President of East Tennessee State University.
The two groups were also joined briefly by Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer, who welcomed the groups to Huntsville and offered her excitement about the opportunity to be a part of such a collaborative effort, as well as her support for the two groups' to fully explore and take advantage of North Alabama's many science, research and technology assets.
"This Huntsville meeting was particularly exciting because of this first-time, very unique collaboration between two very influential leadership groups in the South," said Susan Reid, chair of the Tennessee Valley Corridor Board of Directors. "Not only were we able to address our quarterly TVC board business during the meetings, but we were also able to brainstorm and collaborate with the Southern Technology Council on ways we can continue to strengthen the Corridor through several joint technology and innovation initiatives."
In addition to the joint discussion between the two groups, the TVC board of directors also continued discussion and planning for the Corridor's 2006 National Summit, May 31-June 1, in Chattanooga, and discussed ways to continue to implement and advance several initiatives within the Corridor on education, innovation, job creation and modernization of federal facilities.
During the two-day event, the two groups were fortunate enough to tour some of North Alabama's most valuable assets, including the National Center for Advanced Manufacturing (NCAM) at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command's Prototype Integration Facility (PIF) and Cummings Research Park (CRP).
The TVC board of directors, composed of representatives from eight contiguous Congressional districts in Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia, meets quarterly at a different Corridor location each time, to plan and discuss ongoing activities to help advance the Corridor as one of the nation's leading science and technology regions in the U.S.
Building on such regional assets as NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, the U.S. Army's Redstone Arsenal, the U.S. Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Center, the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the National Transportation Research Center, the Center for Rural Development, the National Safe Skies Alliance, several world-class research universities and dozens of corporate leaders in science and technology, the Corridor has helped showcase the Tennessee Valley's superior quality of life and the people, business, natural and scientific resources needed for high-tech research, development, business and investment in the 21st Century.
For more information on the Corridor, please visit http://www.tennvalleycorridor.org/
Southeast Tennessee Representatives Travel to Huntsville for Joint Tennessee Valley Corridor Meetings with the Southern Technology Council
March 01, 2006
Huntsville, Ala. - On February 27th and 28th the Tennessee Valley Corridor (TVC) Board of Directors convened for an historic quarterly board meeting at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. It was historic because the TVC was joined by the Southern Technology Council, creating the first ever joint collaboration between the two groups.
The Southern Technology Council is the advisory council on innovation and technology policy issues for the Southern Growth Policies Board. The Council which is appointed by the Governor's of 13 Southern states is comprised of a diverse group of professionals in the science, technology and economic development fields.
The Council's principal mission is strengthening the Southern economy through the use of technology and innovation. It is chaired this year by Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue.
The Council's principal mission is strengthening the Southern economy through the use of technology and innovation. It is chaired this year by Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue.
TVC Board Members from Southeast Tennessee attending the meeting were: Steve Cope, Director of Business Development for Avion, Inc., from Tullahoma; Wayne Cropp, CEO of Aquaterra Engineering, from Chattanooga; and Dr. Edward Kraft, Technical Advisor for the Arnold Engineering Development Center in Tullahoma.
The two groups were also joined briefly by Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer, who welcomed the groups to Huntsville and offered her excitement about the opportunity to be a part of such a collaborative effort, as well as her support for the two groups' to fully explore and take advantage of North Alabama's many science, research and technology assets.
"This Huntsville meeting was particularly exciting because of this first-time, very unique collaboration between two very influential leadership groups in the South," said Susan Reid, chair of the Tennessee Valley Corridor Board of Directors. "Not only were we able to address our quarterly TVC board business during the meetings, but we were also able to brainstorm and collaborate with the Southern Technology Council on ways we can continue to strengthen the Corridor through several joint technology and innovation initiatives."
In addition to the joint discussion between the two groups, the TVC board of directors also continued discussion and planning for the Corridor's 2006 National Summit, May 31-June 1, in Chattanooga, and discussed ways to continue to implement and advance several initiatives within the Corridor on education, innovation, job creation and modernization of federal facilities.
During the two-day event, the two groups were fortunate enough to tour some of North Alabama's most valuable assets, including the National Center for Advanced Manufacturing (NCAM) at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command's Prototype Integration Facility (PIF) and Cummings Research Park (CRP).
The TVC board of directors, composed of representatives from eight contiguous Congressional districts in Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia, meets quarterly at a different Corridor location each time, to plan and discuss ongoing activities to help advance the Corridor as one of the nation's leading science and technology regions in the U.S.
Building on such regional assets as NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, the U.S. Army's Redstone Arsenal, the U.S. Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Center, the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the National Transportation Research Center, the Center for Rural Development, the National Safe Skies Alliance, several world-class research universities and dozens of corporate leaders in science and technology, the Corridor has helped showcase the Tennessee Valley's superior quality of life and the people, business, natural and scientific resources needed for high-tech research, development, business and investment in the 21st Century.
For more information on the Corridor, please visit http://www.tennvalleycorridor.org/
Knoxville/Oak Ridge Area Representatives Travel to Huntsville for Joint Tennessee Valley Corridor Meetings with the Southern Technology Council
March 01, 2006
Huntsville, Ala. - On February 27th and 28th the Tennessee Valley Corridor (TVC) Board of Directors convened for an historic quarterly board meeting at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. It was historic because the TVC was joined by the Southern Technology Council, creating the first ever joint collaboration between the two groups.
The Southern Technology Council is the advisory council on innovation and technology policy issues for the Southern Growth Policies Board. The Council which is appointed by the Governor's of 13 Southern states is comprised of a diverse group of professionals in the science, technology and economic development fields.
The Council's principal mission is strengthening the Southern economy through the use of technology and innovation. It is chaired this year by Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue.
The Council's principal mission is strengthening the Southern economy through the use of technology and innovation. It is chaired this year by Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue.
Attendees from the Knoxville/Oak Ridge area attending the meeting were: Tom Ballard, Director, Economic Development & Partnerships at ORNL; Gary Hensley, City Manager of the City of Maryville; Tom Rogers, President and CEO of Technology 2020; Larry Clark, DOE-Oak Ridge Operations; Bob Morris, Vice President of Valley Relations at Tennessee Valley Authority; Jim Reafsnyder, Director of the Office of Partnerships & Program Development, DOE-Oak Ridge Operations; Dr. Fred Tompkins, President of the University of Tennessee Research Foundation; Jeff Cornett, National Safe Skies Alliance; Jim Campbell, President of East Tennessee Economic Council; Randy Spickard, Director of National Security Programs at BWXT-Y12; Mark Kauchak, Director of Government Business and Customer Support for Northrop Grumman, Remotec, Inc.; and Robin Spradlen, Program Development Manager with DOE National Nuclear Security Administration.
The two groups were also joined briefly by Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer, who welcomed the groups to Huntsville and offered her excitement about the opportunity to be a part of such a collaborative effort, as well as her support for the two groups' to fully explore and take advantage of North Alabama's many science, research and technology assets.
"This Huntsville meeting was particularly exciting because of this first-time, very unique collaboration between two very influential leadership groups in the South," said Susan Reid, chair of the Tennessee Valley Corridor Board of Directors. "Not only were we able to address our quarterly TVC board business during the meetings, but we were also able to brainstorm and collaborate with the Southern Technology Council on ways we can continue to strengthen the Corridor through several joint technology and innovation initiatives."
In addition to the joint discussion between the two groups, the TVC board of directors also continued discussion and planning for the Corridor's 2006 National Summit, May 31-June 1, in Chattanooga, and discussed ways to continue to implement and advance several initiatives within the Corridor on education, innovation, job creation and modernization of federal facilities.
During the two-day event, the two groups were fortunate enough to tour some of North Alabama's most valuable assets, including the National Center for Advanced Manufacturing (NCAM) at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command's Prototype Integration Facility (PIF) and Cummings Research Park (CRP).
The TVC board of directors, composed of representatives from eight contiguous Congressional districts in Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia, meets quarterly at a different Corridor location each time, to plan and discuss ongoing activities to help advance the Corridor as one of the nation's leading science and technology regions in the U.S.
Building on such regional assets as NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, the U.S. Army's Redstone Arsenal, the U.S. Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Center, the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the National Transportation Research Center, the Center for Rural Development, the National Safe Skies Alliance, several world-class research universities and dozens of corporate leaders in science and technology, the Corridor has helped showcase the Tennessee Valley's superior quality of life and the people, business, natural and scientific resources needed for high-tech research, development, business and investment in the 21st Century.
For more information on the Corridor, please visit http://www.tennvalleycorridor.org/.
Southeast Kentucky Representative Travels to Huntsville, Ala. for Joint Tennessee Valley Corridor Meetings with the Southern Technology Council
March 01, 2006
Huntsville, Ala. - On February 27th and 28th the Tennessee Valley Corridor (TVC) Board of Directors convened for an historic quarterly board meeting at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. It was historic because the TVC was joined by the Southern Technology Council, creating the first ever joint collaboration between the two groups.
The Southern Technology Council is the advisory council on innovation and technology policy issues for the Southern Growth Policies Board. The Council which is appointed by the Governor's of 13 Southern states is comprised of a diverse group of professionals in the science, technology and economic development fields.
The Council's principal mission is strengthening the Southern economy through the use of technology and innovation. It is chaired this year by Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue.
The Council's principal mission is strengthening the Southern economy through the use of technology and innovation. It is chaired this year by Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue.
The TVC Board Member from Southeast Kentucky attending the meeting was Jerry Rickett, President and CEO of Kentucky Highland Investment Corporation.
The two groups were also joined briefly by Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer, who welcomed the groups to Huntsville and offered her excitement about the opportunity to be a part of such a collaborative effort, as well as her support for the two groups' to fully explore and take advantage of North Alabama's many science, research and technology assets.
"This Huntsville meeting was particularly exciting because of this first-time, very unique collaboration between two very influential leadership groups in the South," said Susan Reid, chair of the Tennessee Valley Corridor Board of Directors. "Not only were we able to address our quarterly TVC board business during the meetings, but we were also able to brainstorm and collaborate with the Southern Technology Council on ways we can continue to strengthen the Corridor through several joint technology and innovation initiatives."
In addition to the joint discussion between the two groups, the TVC board of directors also continued discussion and planning for the Corridor's 2006 National Summit, May 31-June 1, in Chattanooga, and discussed ways to continue to implement and advance several initiatives within the Corridor on education, innovation, job creation and modernization of federal facilities.
During the two-day event, the two groups were fortunate enough to tour some of North Alabama's most valuable assets, including the National Center for Advanced Manufacturing (NCAM) at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command's Prototype Integration Facility (PIF) and Cummings Research Park (CRP).
The TVC board of directors, composed of representatives from eight contiguous Congressional districts in Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia, meets quarterly at a different Corridor location each time, to plan and discuss ongoing activities to help advance the Corridor as one of the nation's leading science and technology regions in the U.S.
Building on such regional assets as NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, the U.S. Army's Redstone Arsenal, the U.S. Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Center, the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the National Transportation Research Center, the Center for Rural Development, the National Safe Skies Alliance, several world-class research universities and dozens of corporate leaders in science and technology, the Corridor has helped showcase the Tennessee Valley's superior quality of life and the people, business, natural and scientific resources needed for high-tech research, development, business and investment in the 21st Century.
For more information on the Corridor, please visit http://www.tennvalleycorridor.org/
Tennessee Valley Corridor Board of Directors and the Southern Technology Council Come Together for Joint Meetings in Hunstville
Mayor Loretta Spencer Joins the Discussion
Tennessee Valley Corridor News Release
March 01, 2006
Huntsville, Ala. - On February 27th and 28th the Tennessee Valley Corridor (TVC) Board of Directors convened for an historic quarterly board meeting at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. It was historic because the TVC was joined by the Southern Technology Council, creating the first ever joint collaboration between the two groups.
The Southern Technology Council is the advisory council on innovation and technology policy issues for the Southern Growth Policies Board. The Council which is appointed by the Governor's of 13 Southern states is comprised of a diverse group of professionals in the science, technology and economic development fields.
The Council's principal mission is strengthening the Southern economy through the use of technology and innovation. It is chaired this year by Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue.
The Council's principal mission is strengthening the Southern economy through the use of technology and innovation. It is chaired this year by Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue.
TVC Board of Directors members from North Alabama attending the meeting were: Sharon Morgan, representative of Congressman Bud Cramer to the TVC Board; Michael McFalls, Test and Evaluation Manager in the Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center at the U.S. Army's Redstone Arsenal; Craig Seabrook, Business Development Director at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center; Shar Hendrick, Director of Government and Community Relations for NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center; and Wally Terry, Executive Vice President of First American Bank.
The two groups were also joined briefly by Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer, who welcomed the groups to Huntsville and offered her excitement about the opportunity to be a part of such a collaborative effort, as well as her support for the two groups' to fully explore and take advantage of North Alabama's many science, research and technology assets.
"This Huntsville meeting was particularly exciting because of this first-time, very unique collaboration between two very influential leadership groups in the South," said Susan Reid, chair of the Tennessee Valley Corridor Board of Directors. "Not only were we able to address our quarterly TVC board business during the meetings, but we were also able to brainstorm and collaborate with the Southern Technology Council on ways we can continue to strengthen the Corridor through several joint technology and innovation initiatives."
In addition to the joint discussion between the two groups, the TVC board of directors also continued discussion and planning for the Corridor's 2006 National Summit, May 31-June 1, in Chattanooga, and discussed ways to continue to implement and advance several initiatives within the Corridor on education, innovation, job creation and modernization of federal facilities.
During the two-day event, the two groups were fortunate enough to tour some of North Alabama's most valuable assets, including the National Center for Advanced Manufacturing (NCAM) at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command's Prototype Integration Facility (PIF) and Cummings Research Park (CRP).
The TVC board of directors, composed of representatives from eight contiguous Congressional districts in Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia, meets quarterly at a different Corridor location each time, to plan and discuss ongoing activities to help advance the Corridor as one of the nation's leading science and technology regions in the U.S.
Building on such regional assets as NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, the U.S. Army's Redstone Arsenal, the U.S. Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Center, the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the National Transportation Research Center, the Center for Rural Development, the National Safe Skies Alliance, several world-class research universities and dozens of corporate leaders in science and technology, the Corridor has helped showcase the Tennessee Valley's superior quality of life and the people, business, natural and scientific resources needed for high-tech research, development, business and investment in the 21st Century.
For more information on the Corridor, please visit http://www.tennvalleycorridor.org/
Rep. Wamp: Tennessee Valley Corridor's National Summit Review
July 15, 2005
Column Submission
By Congressman Zach Wamp (R-TN)
While promoting a regional approach to economic development and working throughout the year, the board members, sponsors and activists engaged in the process of the Tennessee Valley Technology Corridor are providing a great service to our region, our nation and the free world.
Last week, nearly 500 leaders gathered for another “Summit” on technology in Washington, D.C.. We commenced our series of conferences and programs that push forward an agenda of growing a new economy that is centered in manufacturing and research from energy, space and transportation and responds to nationwide challenges such as energy independence, national security and homeland security.
For more than a decade, institutions of education and industry, government leaders and economic development professionals have worked together to land new missions, expand research and build a “hot bed of technology” throughout this Technology Corridor, which received the top Department of Commerce Award given for Regional Economic Development in 2004. The Tennessee Valley Corridor begins in Huntsville, Alabama, north through East Tennessee, and stretches yet further into southeast Kentucky and southwest Virginia.
This year’s gathering lived up to its billing and without question goes down in the history of these conferences as one of the very best.
Six year Corridor Board Chairman Tom Ballard was presented the Corridor Champion Award for outstanding leadership as he turned over the organization’s leadership reins to Susan Reid of the First Economic Development District at the opening dinner.
Presentations were made by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman on how to use the Tennessee Valley Corridor’s technology assets to secure our homeland and decrease our energy dependence on foreign oil. Excellent panel discussions were held featuring national and regional leaders in manufacturing and job creation such as Deborah Wince-Smith of the Council on Competitiveness and Southern Growth Policies Board’s Jim Clinton.
Manufacturing technologies represent one of the strongest assets inside the Tennessee Valley, and Wince-Smith praised the Corridor for developing strong alliances between job training centers and economic development boards.
Jim Clinton with the Southern Growth Policies Board emphasized the necessity of committing ourselves to lifelong learning for every community. Education for manufacturing and technology is rapidly and constantly changing. We must be ahead of the curve as we work to recruit businesses to our region by maximizing our resources and supporting our current employees with the training they need.
While it is difficult to precisely measure what the net impact is today or will be in the future from this extraordinary regional cooperation, I am absolutely positive the impacts are making a significant difference in the economic vitality, employment potential and quality of life throughout the Tennessee Valley.
The challenges America faces in this new century are immense. At no time in the “post Cold War” era has the technology growth, mission strength or economic future of the Valley looked brighter. We cannot rest on our laurels or grow weary from our work. Regions that build on their strengths and set goals in the spirit of cooperation will thrive in the future. Certainly, the top leaders of the U.S. government witnessed our collective capabilities in Washington, D.C. this past week.
Congratulations to all for an outstanding event as we look forward to our work together over the next year and the 2006 Corridor Summit event in Chattanooga.
By Congressman Zach Wamp (R-TN)
While promoting a regional approach to economic development and working throughout the year, the board members, sponsors and activists engaged in the process of the Tennessee Valley Technology Corridor are providing a great service to our region, our nation and the free world.
Last week, nearly 500 leaders gathered for another “Summit” on technology in Washington, D.C.. We commenced our series of conferences and programs that push forward an agenda of growing a new economy that is centered in manufacturing and research from energy, space and transportation and responds to nationwide challenges such as energy independence, national security and homeland security.
For more than a decade, institutions of education and industry, government leaders and economic development professionals have worked together to land new missions, expand research and build a “hot bed of technology” throughout this Technology Corridor, which received the top Department of Commerce Award given for Regional Economic Development in 2004. The Tennessee Valley Corridor begins in Huntsville, Alabama, north through East Tennessee, and stretches yet further into southeast Kentucky and southwest Virginia.
This year’s gathering lived up to its billing and without question goes down in the history of these conferences as one of the very best.
Six year Corridor Board Chairman Tom Ballard was presented the Corridor Champion Award for outstanding leadership as he turned over the organization’s leadership reins to Susan Reid of the First Economic Development District at the opening dinner.
Presentations were made by Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman on how to use the Tennessee Valley Corridor’s technology assets to secure our homeland and decrease our energy dependence on foreign oil. Excellent panel discussions were held featuring national and regional leaders in manufacturing and job creation such as Deborah Wince-Smith of the Council on Competitiveness and Southern Growth Policies Board’s Jim Clinton.
Manufacturing technologies represent one of the strongest assets inside the Tennessee Valley, and Wince-Smith praised the Corridor for developing strong alliances between job training centers and economic development boards.
Jim Clinton with the Southern Growth Policies Board emphasized the necessity of committing ourselves to lifelong learning for every community. Education for manufacturing and technology is rapidly and constantly changing. We must be ahead of the curve as we work to recruit businesses to our region by maximizing our resources and supporting our current employees with the training they need.
While it is difficult to precisely measure what the net impact is today or will be in the future from this extraordinary regional cooperation, I am absolutely positive the impacts are making a significant difference in the economic vitality, employment potential and quality of life throughout the Tennessee Valley.
The challenges America faces in this new century are immense. At no time in the “post Cold War” era has the technology growth, mission strength or economic future of the Valley looked brighter. We cannot rest on our laurels or grow weary from our work. Regions that build on their strengths and set goals in the spirit of cooperation will thrive in the future. Certainly, the top leaders of the U.S. government witnessed our collective capabilities in Washington, D.C. this past week.
Congratulations to all for an outstanding event as we look forward to our work together over the next year and the 2006 Corridor Summit event in Chattanooga.
Seventeen Companies Selected to Present at the 9th Annual Tennessee Valley Venture Forum
October 07, 2005
Contact:
Jenn Wade
615-329-9525
Technology 2020 is pleased to announce that seventeen companies
from four southeastern states have been selected to present their
business plans at the 9th Annual Tennessee Valley Venture Forum, which
is scheduled for October 6-7 at the Knoxville Convention Center. For
more information or to register on-line by September 23rd to attend the
Tennessee Valley Venture Forum, please visit www.tvvf.biz.
“We are very pleased by the caliber of the companies presenting at
this year’s Venture Forum,” said Tech 2020 President and CEO Tom
Rogers. “They are primarily more mature companies than we’ve had in
past years, and even the earlier stage companies presenting are led by
seasoned entrepreneurs who have had previous successes. We are also
pleased to have companies from Kentucky and Mississippi presenting for
the first time in the conference’s history.”
The Tennessee Valley Venture Forum offers both institutional and
individual investors and professional service providers the opportunity
to hear 17 business plans in a very short time frame. The conference
begins Thursday afternoon, October 6th and concludes by noon on Friday,
October 7th. Presenters also have exhibit booths to display their
products and services and to answer questions and make connections with
the conference attendees. In the past several years, approximately
one-third of the presenting companies have closed investments as a
result of their participation in the conference.
The companies selected to participate this year are:
Accurate Automation Corporation (Chattanooga, TN) is engaged in research and development of unmanned systems (aircraft and boats) and plasma technology. www.accurate-automation.com
TapLogic (Murray, KY) has developed an innovative and
efficient precision agriculture record keeping system with supporting
hardware and software platforms. www.agforest.com
EcoSMART Technologies, Inc. (Franklin, TN) is the world
leader in patented botanical pest control products made from natural
plant oils that work as well as conventional chemicals. www.ecosmart.com
Eonstreams, Inc. (Knoxville, TN) provides proven streaming
media solutions for the broadcast, entertainment, and communication
markets with a focus on advertising insertion, e-commerce and extensive
reporting. www.eonstreams.com
FileKeeper, Inc. (Knoxville, TN) develops software to
provide continuous real-time backups of information stored on laptops,
desktops and servers to protect an organization's intellectual property
and provide disaster recovery. www.filekeeper.com
Garments Holding, LLC ® (Louisville, KY) enters
metropolitan areas and smaller towns one at a time using a
hub-and-spoke drycleaning concept and 24/7 automated tellers, a
revolutionary industry business model. www.mygarments.com
Multispectral Imaging,Inc. (Oak Ridge, TN) is
commercializing innovative infrared imaging arrays based on technology
exclusively licensed from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. www.multispectral.net
NuMarkets, LLC (Etowah, TN) is the pioneer of eBay drop-off
stores – just bring your items into us and we do the rest to sell and
ship your items worldwide. www.numarkets.com
PlayMotion! (Alpharetta, GA) creates magical human-scale
interactive products for the education, entertainment and healthcare
sectors. PlayMotion environments empower participants to dance, play,
laugh, learn and heal. www.playmotion.com
ScanTech Holdings – IBS (Atlanta, GA) acquires, develops and markets X-ray and E-beam technologies and applications for the Homeland Security market. www.scantechholdings.com
SemiSouth Laboratories, Inc. (Starkville, MS) is a leading
semiconductor developer and manufacturer of silicon carbide (SiC)
electronic components and material (epitaxy) for power electronic
applications. www.semisouth.com
Smart Furniture, Inc. (Chattanooga, TN) provides customized
store designs, workspaces, and tradeshow displays at mass production
prices by combining a multi-patented product line with its
award-winning web based platform at www.SmartFurniture.com.
Sunlight Direct, LLC (Oak Ridge, TN) is the exclusive
manufacturer of Hybrid Solar Lighting systems - a technology for
collecting and distributing sunlight, via optical fibers, for interior
building lighting. www.sunlight-direct.com
Telesensors, Inc. (Knoxville, TN) provides Smart Sensors
platforms combining sensing, wireless, and ASIC (Application Specific
Integrated Circuit) technologies for products in the homeland security
and medical markets. www.telesensors.com
TicketsXchange (Oxford, MS) is
a comprehensive ticketing and development platform that allows a ticket
office to administer all aspects of a ticket office from any computer
that has an internet connection. TicketsXchange also offers integrated
modules designed to meet the growing demands of ticket offices,
including on-line sales, print-at- home tickets, gift and donor
management, integrated scanning technologies, as well as e-commerce
tools. www.ticketsxchange.com
TradeWind Technologies (Knoxville, TN) develops and
manufactures flexible and advanced radio frequency identification
(RFID) systems for VARs and Systems Integrators to meet the demands of
emerging RFID markets. www.tradewindtek.com
Tricycle, Inc. (Chattanooga, TN) Tricycle enables
sustainable design in the interiors industry, keeping 50,000+ pounds of
carpet from landfill and saving manufacturers $4.7 million in the past
year. www.tricycleinc.com
The 9th Annual Tennessee Valley Venture Forum is co-hosted by Tech
2020, the City of Knoxville and Knox County. Platinum level conference
sponsors include the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, UT-Battelle, TVA,
The University of Tennessee, Jobs Now, and the Knoxville News Sentinel.
The Venture Forum, and other efforts by Tech 2020 to attract more
venture capital to the region, have been strongly endorsed as a top
regional initiative by the Tennessee Valley Corridor.
For more information, contact:
Tom Rogers
President and CEO
Technology 2020
865-220-2020
Site Selection Magazine Shows
January 01, 2005
Contact:
Rachel Donahue
615-329-9525
Knoxville, Tennessee—According to Site Selection
magazine’s newly-released 2005 national Business Climate rankings, all
four states that make up the Tennessee Valley Corridor are considered
“hot spots” for business by America’s top site selectors. In the
November issue of the magazine, Tennessee’s business climate is ranked
#5 in the nation, followed closely by Alabama at #7, Kentucky at #9,
and Virginia at #11.
“It’s good to have national validation for something we already
know to be true: that the Tennessee Valley Corridor is one of America’s
premier locations to live, work and do business,” said Susan Reid,
chairman of the Tennessee Valley Corridor board of directors. “It is
our hope that these new rankings will help businesses outside our
region to see the value of moving some of their operations to the
Corridor.”
The Site Selection magazine rankings are determined from a
blend of objective data, including actual new or expansion project
announcements and subjective input from corporate site seekers who
indicated their top states in an online survey in August 2005. Survey
questions were based on such factors as lack of red tape, financial
assistance and cooperation from government officials. For a complete
listing of the rankings or for more information on the survey, visit
www.siteselection.com.
Reid said the Tennessee Valley Corridor’s top rankings are in many
ways a direct reflection of the growing technology capabilities and
ventures taking place in the region.
Building on such regional assets as NASA’s Marshall Space Flight
Center, the U.S. Army’s Redstone Arsenal, the U.S. Air Force’s Arnold
Engineering Development Center, the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge
National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex, the Tennessee
Valley Authority, the National Transportation Research Center, the
Center for Rural Development, the National Safe Skies Alliance, several
world-class research universities and dozens of corporate leaders in
science and technology, the Corridor has helped showcase the Tennessee
Valley a premier location for new technology investment in the 21st Century.
The Tennessee Valley Corridor was formed in 1995 by Congressman
Zach Wamp to leverage the Tennessee Valley’s abundant research and
technology assets and institutions for maximum regional economic
development and new job creation. Today, the Corridor’s blue-ribbon
board of directors is comprised of key community, business, education
and government leaders from Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky and Virginia.
In 2004, the Tennessee Valley Corridor was recognized by the U.S.
Department of Commerce as one of the top two regional economic
development organizations in the country. The Corridor tied with the
famed Research Triangle in North Carolina as America’s top region for
“enhancing regional competitiveness.”
For more information about the Tennessee Valley Corridor, please visit www.tennvalleycorridor.org.
North Alabama Representatives Travel to Virginia Tech For Tennessee Valley Corridor Board Meeting
Virginia Tech and University of Tennessee Presidents Join the Discussion
Tennessee Valley Corridor Press Release
November 09, 2005
Contact:
Jenn Wade or Rachel Donahue
615-329-9525
Knoxville, Tenn.— On November 9th and 10th
the Tennessee Valley Corridor (TVC) Board of Directors convened for
their quarterly board meeting on the campus of Virginia Tech University
(VPI) in Blacksburg, VA.
Representatives from North Alabama attending the Corridor meeting
were Sharon Morgan, CEO of Morgan Research Corporation; Michael
McFalls, Test and Evaluation Manager in the Aviation and Missile
Research Development and Engineering Center at the U.S. Army’s Redstone
Arsenal; Joey Ceci, President of Main Street Strategies; and Craig
Seabrook, Business Development Director at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight
Center.
During the two-day gathering, the attendees from throughout the
Corridor were joined by University of Tennessee President Dr. John
Petersen, Virginia Tech University President Dr. Charles Steger and Dr.
David Millhorn, UT’s new Vice President for Research, who each shared
their excitement and insight about the Tennessee Valley Corridor and
the numerous science, technology and business opportunities the
corridor offers.
“One of my favorite things about holding our board meetings in
different locations throughout the Corridor each time we meet is the
opportunity to tour and become familiar with all of the amazing science
and technology facilities available to us here in the Corridor,” said
Susan Reid, chairman of the Tennessee Valley Corridor board of
directors. “We were also pleased to hear both Dr. Petersen and Dr.
Steger outline the assets and opportunities within this region that can
lead to new job creation.”
In addition to discussing plans for the Corridor’s 2006 National
Summit, May 31-June 1, in Chattanooga, the board discussed such
important challenges as attracting more students into the study of math
and science, and the advancement of common interests among the various
Corridor regions and institutions.
During the event, the board of directors also toured the campus of
Virginia Tech University, including its one-of-a-kind Virginia Tech
Transportation Institute (VTTI) and its Smart Road—a state-of-the-art,
2.2 mile stretch of private, closed roadway used by the Transportation
Institute to test everything from how weather conditions, lighting
conditions and other outside factors affect drivers and their vehicles.
With the ability to create up to four inches of snow per hour
and fill the air with fog or rain in minutes, the “Smart Road” is used
for research and testing by leading automotive companies such as
General Motors.
The Corridor Board also got an overview about Virginia Tech’s
research capabilities from Dr. Tim Pickering, Coordinator of Research
at Virginia Tech, and visited the Virginia Tech Corporate Research
Center, which is home to over 100 companies engaged with Virginia Tech
in various research missions.
The TVC board of directors, composed of representatives from eight
contiguous Congressional districts in Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee and
Virginia, meets quarterly at a different Corridor location to plan and
discuss ongoing activities to help advance the Corridor as one of the
leading science and technology regions in the U.S.
Building on such regional assets as NASA's Marshall Space Flight
Center, the U.S. Army's Redstone Arsenal, the U.S. Air Force's Arnold
Engineering Development Center, the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge
National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex, the Tennessee
Valley Authority, the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education,
the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the National Transportation
Research Center, the Center for Rural Development, the National Safe
Skies Alliance, several world-class research universities and dozens of
corporate leaders in science and technology, the Corridor has helped
showcase the Tennessee Valley's superior quality of life and the
people, business, natural and scientific resources needed for high-tech
research, development, business and investment in the 21st Century.
For more information on the Corridor, please visit www.tennvalleycorridor.org.
Knoxville/Oak Ridge Area Representatives Travel to Virginia Tech For Tennessee Valley Corridor Board Meeting
Virginia Tech and University of Tennessee Presidents Join the Discussion
Tennessee Valley Corridor Press Release
November 09, 2005
Contact:
Jenn Wade or Rachel Donahue
615-329-9525
Knoxville, Tenn.— On November 9th and 10th the Tennessee Valley Corridor (TVC) Board of Directors convened for their quarterly board meeting on the Virginia Tech University (VPI) campus in Blacksburg, VA.
Representatives from the greater Knoxville/Oak Ridge area attending the Corridor meeting were Tom Ballard, Director of Economic Development and Partnerships at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Dale Ditmanson, Superintendent of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park; Gary Hensley, City Manger for the City of Maryville; Tom Jensen, President and CEO of the National Safe Skies Alliance; Jim Reafsnyder, Director of the Office of Partnerships & Program Development for the Department of Energy-Oak Ridge Operations; Dr. Fred Tompkins, President of the University of Tennessee Research Foundation; Jim Campbell, President of the East Tennessee Economic Council; Jeff Cornett, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the National Safe Skies Alliance; and Robin Spradlen, Program Director with the DOE National Nuclear Security Administration in Oak Ridge.
During the two-day gathering, the attendees from throughout the Corridor were joined by University of Tennessee President Dr. John Petersen, Virginia Tech University President Dr. Charles Steger and Dr. David Millhorn, UT’s new Vice President for Research, who each shared their excitement and insight about the Tennessee Valley Corridor and the numerous science, technology and business opportunities the corridor offers.
“One of my favorite things about holding our board meetings in different locations throughout the Corridor each time we meet is the opportunity to tour and become familiar with all of the amazing science and technology facilities available to us here in the Corridor,” said Susan Reid, chairman of the Tennessee Valley Corridor board of directors. “We were also pleased to hear both Dr. Petersen and Dr. Steger outline the assets and opportunities within this region that can lead to new job creation.”
In addition to discussing plans for the Corridor’s 2006 National Summit, May 31-June 1, in Chattanooga, the board discussed such important challenges as attracting more students into the study of math and science, and the advancement of common interests among the various Corridor regions and institutions.
During the event, the board of directors also toured the campus of Virginia Tech University, including its one-of-a-kind Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) and its Smart Road—a state-of-the-art, 2.2 mile stretch of private, closed roadway used by the Transportation Institute to test everything from how weather conditions, lighting conditions and other outside factors affect drivers and their vehicles. With the ability to create up to four inches of snow per hour and fill the air with fog or rain in minutes, the “Smart Road” is used for research and testing by leading automotive companies such as General Motors.
The Corridor Board also got an overview about Virginia Tech’s research capabilities from Dr. Tim Pickering, Coordinator of Research at Virginia Tech, and visited the Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center, which is home to over 100 companies engaged with Virginia Tech in various research missions.
The TVC board of directors, composed of representatives from eight contiguous Congressional districts in Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee and Virginia, meets quarterly at a different Corridor location to plan and discuss ongoing activities to help advance the Corridor as one of the leading science and technology regions in the U.S.
Building on such regional assets as NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, the U.S. Army's Redstone Arsenal, the U.S. Air Force's Arnold Engineering Development Center, the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex, the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the National Transportation Research Center, the Center for Rural Development, the National Safe Skies Alliance, several world-class research universities and dozens of corporate leaders in science and technology, the Corridor has helped showcase the Tennessee Valley's superior quality of life and the people, business, natural and scientific resources needed for high-tech research, development, business and investment in the 21st Century.
For more information on the Corridor, please visit www.tennvalleycorridor.org.
Southern and Eastern Kentucky Representatives Travel to Virginia Tech for Tennessee Valley Corridor Board Meeting
Virginia Tech and University of Tennessee Presidents Join the Discussion
Tennessee Valley Corridor Press Release
November 09, 2005
Contact:
Jenn Wade or Rachel Donahue
615-329-9525
Knoxville, Tenn.— On November 9th and 10th
the Tennessee Valley Corridor (TVC) Board of Directors convened for
their quarterly board meeting on the Virginia Tech University (VPI)
campus in Blacksburg, VA.
Representing Southern and Eastern Kentucky at the Corridor meeting
was Jerry Rickett, President and CEO of Kentucky Highland Investment
Corporation.
During the two-day gathering, the attendees from throughout the
Corridor were joined by University of Tennessee President Dr. John
Petersen, Virginia Tech University President Dr. Charles Steger and Dr.
David Millhorn, UT’s new Vice President for Research, who each shared
their excitement and insight about the Tennessee Valley Corridor and
the numerous science, technology and business opportunities the
corridor offers.
“One of my favorite things about holding our board meetings in
different locations throughout the Corridor each time we meet is the
opportunity to tour and become familiar with all of the amazing science
and technology facilities available to us here in the Corridor,” said
Susan Reid, chairman of the Tennessee Valley Corridor board of
directors. “We were also pleased to hear both Dr. Petersen and Dr.
Steger outline the assets and opportunities within this region that can
lead to new job creation.”
In addition to discussing plans for the Corridor’s 2006 National
Summit, May 31-June 1, in Chattanooga, the board discussed such
important challenges as attracting more students into the study of math
and science, and the advancement of common interests among the various
Corridor regions and institutions.
During the event, the board of directors also toured the campus of
Virginia Tech University, including its one-of-a-kind Virginia Tech
Transportation Institute (VTTI) and its Smart Road—a state-of-the-art,
2.2 mile stretch of private, closed roadway used by the Transportation
Institute to test everything from how weather conditions, lighting
conditions and other outside factors affect drivers and their vehicles.
With the ability to create up to four inches of snow per hour
and fill the air with fog or rain in minutes, the “Smart Road” is used
for research and testing by leading automotive companies such as
General Motors.
The Corridor Board also got an overview about Virginia Tech’s
research capabilities from Dr. Tim Pickering, Coordinator of Research
at Virginia Tech, and visited the Virginia Tech Corporate Research
Center, which is home to over 100 companies engaged with Virginia Tech
in various research missions.
The TVC board of directors, composed of representatives from eight
contiguous Congressional districts in Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee and
Virginia, meets quarterly at a different Corridor location to plan and
discuss ongoing activities to help advance the Corridor as one of the
leading science and technology regions in the U.S.
Building on such regional assets as NASA's Marshall Space Flight
Center, the U.S. Army's Redstone Arsenal, the U.S. Air Force's Arnold
Engineering Development Center, the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge
National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex, the Tennessee
Valley Authority, the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education,
the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the National Transportation
Research Center, the Center for Rural Development, the National Safe
Skies Alliance, several world-class research universities and dozens of
corporate leaders in science and technology, the Corridor has helped
showcase the Tennessee Valley's superior quality of life and the
people, business, natural and scientific resources needed for high-tech
research, development, business and investment in the 21st Century.
For more information on the Corridor, please visit www.tennvalleycorridor.org.
Tri-Cities Representatives Travel to Virginia Tech For Tennessee Valley Corridor Board Meeting
Virginia Tech and University of Tennessee Presidents Join the Discussion
Tennessee Valley Corridor Press Release
November 09, 2005
Contact:
Jenn Wade or Rachel Donahue
615-329-9525
Knoxville, Tenn.— On November 9th and 10th
the Tennessee Valley Corridor (TVC) Board of Directors convened for
their quarterly board meeting on the Virginia Tech University (VPI)
campus in Blacksburg, VA.
Representatives from the Tri-Cities attending the Corridor meeting
were Jim Hales, Dean Emeritus and Special Assistant to the President of
East Tennessee State University; and Susan Reid, Executive Director of
the First Tennessee Development District.
During the two-day gathering, the attendees from throughout the
Corridor were joined by University of Tennessee President Dr. John
Petersen, Virginia Tech University President Dr. Charles Steger and Dr.
David Millhorn, UT’s new Vice President for Research, who each shared
their excitement and insight about the Tennessee Valley Corridor and
the numerous science, technology and business opportunities the
corridor offers.
“One of my favorite things about holding our board meetings in
different locations throughout the Corridor each time we meet is the
opportunity to tour and become familiar with all of the amazing science
and technology facilities available to us here in the Corridor,” said
Susan Reid, chairman of the Tennessee Valley Corridor board of
directors. “We were also pleased to hear both Dr. Petersen and Dr.
Steger outline the assets and opportunities within this region that can
lead to new job creation.”
In addition to discussing plans for the Corridor’s 2006 National
Summit, May 31-June 1, in Chattanooga, the board discussed such
important challenges as attracting more students into the study of math
and science, and the advancement of common interests among the various
Corridor regions and institutions.
During the event, the board of directors also toured the campus of
Virginia Tech University, including its one-of-a-kind Virginia Tech
Transportation Institute (VTTI) and its Smart Road—a state-of-the-art,
2.2 mile stretch of private, closed roadway used by the Transportation
Institute to test everything from how weather conditions, lighting
conditions and other outside factors affect drivers and their vehicles.
With the ability to create up to four inches of snow per hour
and fill the air with fog or rain in minutes, the “Smart Road” is used
for research and testing by leading automotive companies such as
General Motors.
The Corridor Board also got an overview about Virginia Tech’s
research capabilities from Dr. Tim Pickering, Coordinator of Research
at Virginia Tech, and visited the Virginia Tech Corporate Research
Center, which is home to over 100 companies engaged with Virginia Tech
in various research missions.
The TVC board of directors, composed of representatives from eight
contiguous Congressional districts in Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee and
Virginia, meets quarterly at a different Corridor location to plan and
discuss ongoing activities to help advance the Corridor as one of the
leading science and technology regions in the U.S.
Building on such regional assets as NASA's Marshall Space Flight
Center, the U.S. Army's Redstone Arsenal, the U.S. Air Force's Arnold
Engineering Development Center, the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge
National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex, the Tennessee
Valley Authority, the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education,
the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the National Transportation
Research Center, the Center for Rural Development, the National Safe
Skies Alliance, several world-class research universities and dozens of
corporate leaders in science and technology, the Corridor has helped
showcase the Tennessee Valley's superior quality of life and the
people, business, natural and scientific resources needed for high-tech
research, development, business and investment in the 21st Century.
For more information on the Corridor, please visit www.tennvalleycorridor.org.
Southeast Tennessee Representatives Travel to Virginia Tech for Tennessee Valley Corridor Board Meeting
Virginia Tech and University of Tennessee Presidents Join the Discussion
Tennessee Valley Corridor Press Release
November 09, 2005
Contact:
Jenn Wade or Rachel Donahue
615-329-9525
Knoxville, Tenn.— On November 9th and 10th
the Tennessee Valley Corridor (TVC) Board of Directors convened for
their quarterly board meeting on the Virginia Tech University (VPI)
campus in Blacksburg, VA.
Representatives from Southeast Tennessee attending the Corridor
meeting were Dr. Ron Bailey, Dean of the College of Engineering and
Computer Science at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga; Dr. David
Jerome, Executive Director of the U.S. Air Force’s Arnold Engineering
Development Center; and Dr. Edward Kraft, Technical Advisor for the
U.S. Air Force’s Arnold Engineering Development Center.
During the two-day gathering, the attendees from throughout the
Corridor were joined by University of Tennessee President Dr. John
Petersen, Virginia Tech University President Dr. Charles Steger and Dr.
David Millhorn, UT’s new Vice President for Research, who each shared
their excitement and insight about the Tennessee Valley Corridor and
the numerous science, technology and business opportunities the
corridor offers.
“One of my favorite things about holding our board meetings in
different locations throughout the Corridor each time we meet is the
opportunity to tour and become familiar with all of the amazing science
and technology facilities available to us here in the Corridor,” said
Susan Reid, chairman of the Tennessee Valley Corridor board of
directors. “We were also pleased to hear both Dr. Petersen and Dr.
Steger outline the assets and opportunities within this region that can
lead to new job creation.”
In addition to discussing plans for the Corridor’s 2006 National
Summit, May 31-June 1, in Chattanooga, the board discussed such
important challenges as attracting more students into the study of math
and science, and the advancement of common interests among the various
Corridor regions and institutions.
During the event, the board of directors also toured the campus of
Virginia Tech University, including its one-of-a-kind Virginia Tech
Transportation Institute (VTTI) and its Smart Road—a state-of-the-art,
2.2 mile stretch of private, closed roadway used by the Transportation
Institute to test everything from how weather conditions, lighting
conditions and other outside factors affect drivers and their vehicles.
With the ability to create up to four inches of snow per hour
and fill the air with fog or rain in minutes, the “Smart Road” is used
for research and testing by leading automotive companies such as
General Motors.
The Corridor Board also got an overview about Virginia Tech’s
research capabilities from Dr. Tim Pickering, Coordinator of Research
at Virginia Tech, and visited the Virginia Tech Corporate Research
Center, which is home to over 100 companies engaged with Virginia Tech
in various research missions.
The TVC board of directors, composed of representatives from eight
contiguous Congressional districts in Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee and
Virginia, meets quarterly at a different Corridor location to plan and
discuss ongoing activities to help advance the Corridor as one of the
leading science and technology regions in the U.S.
Building on such regional assets as NASA's Marshall Space Flight
Center, the U.S. Army's Redstone Arsenal, the U.S. Air Force's Arnold
Engineering Development Center, the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge
National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex, the Tennessee
Valley Authority, the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education,
the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the National Transportation
Research Center, the Center for Rural Development, the National Safe
Skies Alliance, several world-class research universities and dozens of
corporate leaders in science and technology, the Corridor has helped
showcase the Tennessee Valley's superior quality of life and the
people, business, natural and scientific resources needed for high-tech
research, development, business and investment in the 21st Century.
For more information on the Corridor, please visit www.tennvalleycorridor.org.
Southwest Virginia Hosts Tennessee Valley Corridor Board of Directors Quarterly Meeting at Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech and University of Tennessee Presidents Join the Discussion
Tennessee Valley Corridor Press Release
November 09, 2005
Contact:
Jenn Wade or Rachel Donahue
615-329-9525
Knoxville, Tenn.— On November 9th and 10th
the Tennessee Valley Corridor (TVC) Board of Directors convened for
their quarterly board meeting on the Virginia Tech University (VPI)
campus in Blacksburg, VA.
Representatives from Southwest Virginia attending the Corridor
meeting were John O’Neil, Program Director for the Oak Ridge National
Laboratory; and Tom Taylor, former Executive Director of the Mount
Rogers Planning District Commission.
During the two-day gathering, the attendees from throughout the
Corridor were joined by University of Tennessee President Dr. John
Petersen, Virginia Tech University President Dr. Charles Steger and Dr.
David Millhorn, UT’s new Vice President for Research, who each shared
their excitement and insight about the Tennessee Valley Corridor and
the numerous science, technology and business opportunities the
corridor offers.
“One of my favorite things about holding our board meetings in
different locations throughout the Corridor each time we meet is the
opportunity to tour and become familiar with all of the amazing science
and technology facilities available to us here in the Corridor,” said
Susan Reid, chairman of the Tennessee Valley Corridor board of
directors. “We were also pleased to hear both Dr. Petersen and Dr.
Steger outline the assets and opportunities within this region that can
lead to new job creation.”
In addition to discussing plans for the Corridor’s 2006 National
Summit, May 31-June 1, in Chattanooga, the board discussed such
important challenges as attracting more students into the study of math
and science, and the advancement of common interests among the various
Corridor regions and institutions.
During the event, the board of directors also toured the campus of
Virginia Tech University, including its one-of-a-kind Virginia Tech
Transportation Institute (VTTI) and its Smart Road—a state-of-the-art,
2.2 mile stretch of private, closed roadway used by the Transportation
Institute to test everything from how weather conditions, lighting
conditions and other outside factors affect drivers and their vehicles.
With the ability to create up to four inches of snow per hour
and fill the air with fog or rain in minutes, the “Smart Road” is used
for research and testing by leading automotive companies such as
General Motors.
The Corridor Board also got an overview about Virginia Tech’s
research capabilities from Dr. Tim Pickering, Coordinator of Research
at Virginia Tech, and visited the Virginia Tech Corporate Research
Center, which is home to over 100 companies engaged with Virginia Tech
in various research missions.
The TVC board of directors, composed of representatives from eight
contiguous Congressional districts in Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee and
Virginia, meets quarterly at a different Corridor location to plan and
discuss ongoing activities to help advance the Corridor as one of the
leading science and technology regions in the U.S.
Building on such regional assets as NASA's Marshall Space Flight
Center, the U.S. Army's Redstone Arsenal, the U.S. Air Force's Arnold
Engineering Development Center, the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge
National Laboratory and Y-12 National Security Complex, the Tennessee
Valley Authority, the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education,
the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the National Transportation
Research Center, the Center for Rural Development, the National Safe
Skies Alliance, several world-class research universities and dozens of
corporate leaders in science and technology, the Corridor has helped
showcase the Tennessee Valley's superior quality of life and the
people, business, natural and scientific resources needed for high-tech
research, development, business and investment in the 21st Century.
For more information on the Corridor, please visit www.tennvalleycorridor.org.
Two Corridor Organizations Named Top Quality Award Winners
January 17, 2006
Contact:
Rachel Donahue
615-329-9525
Knoxville, Tennessee—Two leading corporations
in the Tennessee Valley Corridor recently won the top awards in their
respective states for quality and excellence.
Mountain States Health Alliance (MSHA) of Johnson City , TN was
recently awarded the 2005 Tennessee Excellence Award for management
excellence through their practices and achievements. The largest
not-for profit healthcare system in the Tri-Cities region, MSHA serves
a 24-county area in Northeast Tennessee, Southwest Virginia, Northwest
North Carolina and Southeast Kentucky.
The Boeing Company of Huntsville, AL was awarded the 2005 Alabama
Top Quality Award based on their “use of effective productivity and
quality improvement strategies, techniques or practices, which can be
shared with other organizations to help contribute to the overall
economic well-being in the state.” Boeing is the largest aerospace
company in Alabama and continually leads the way in key space and
defense programs.
“Organizations in the Tennessee Valley Corridor continue to set
the pace for quality and excellence,” said Susan Reid, chairman of the
Tennessee Valley Corridor board of directors. “We are so pleased that
two of the Corridor’s most active supporters, Mountain States Health
Alliance and The Boeing Company, have been recognized with Tennessee
and Alabama’s top quality performance awards.”
Other Tennessee Valley Corridor-based organizations recognized
during 2005 by the two states for outstanding quality and performance
excellence in various categories include:
Tennessee:
-
BAE Systems/Ordnance Systems, Inc. of Kingsport
-
The City of Kingsport
-
Lincoln County Literacy Council of Fayetteville
-
Maytag Cooking Products of Cleveland
-
Bachman Academy of Chattanooga
-
Bella Bellagio of Chattanooga
-
Carter County Adult Education of Elizabethton
-
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s Center for Community Career Education
-
Northeast Tennessee Career Center of Johnson City
-
Sofix Corporation of Chattanooga
-
Southeast Tennessee Career Center at Chattanooga
-
Southeast Tennessee Career Center at Athens
-
St. Mary’s Medical Center of Knoxville
-
Sullivan County Health Department of Blountville
-
Tennessee Career Center at University Avenue of Knoxville
-
University of Tennessee at Knoxville’s Department of Industrial and Information Engineering
Alabama:
-
Huntsville Hospital
-
Teledyne Solutions, Inc. of Huntsville
-
The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Future Warfare Center’s Defense Studies and Analysis Campaign Plan Quality Team
-
Decatur General Hospital’s Primary Stroke Center Team
The Tennessee Valley Corridor was formed in 1995 by Congressman
Zach Wamp to leverage the Tennessee Valley’s abundant research and
technology assets and institutions for maximum regional economic
development and new job creation. Today, the Corridor’s blue-ribbon
board of directors is comprised of key community, business, education
and government leaders from Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky and Virginia.
In 2004, the Tennessee Valley Corridor was recognized by the U.S.
Department of Commerce as one of the top two regional economic
development organizations in the country. The Corridor tied with the
famed Research Triangle in North Carolina as America’s top region for
“enhancing regional competitiveness.”
For more information about the Tennessee Valley Corridor, please visit www.tennvalleycorridor.org. For more information about the Tennessee Excellence Award, please visit www.tncpe.org. For more information about the Alabama Top Quality Award, please visit www.alabamaexcellence.com.
Building an Innovation Economy
The Tennessee Valley Corridor Invites Public Participation in Regional Innovation and Technology Discussions
Tennessee Valley Corridor Press Release
January 18, 2006
The Tennessee Valley Corridor Invites Public Participation In Regional Innovation and Technology Discussions
In collaboration with the Southern Growth Policies Board, the Southern Technology Council, the University of Tennessee and many others, the Tennessee Valley Corridor, Inc. is inviting community leaders to attend one in a series of Innovation and Technology Discussion Forums being convened across the Tennessee Valley.
The discussions are designed to stimulate local thinking and community action on how each community and its leaders can better leverage their specific science and technology assets for new job creation and regional economic development.
“Building an Innovation Economy is key to the economic future of all of our local communities and our economies,” said Susan Reid, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Valley Corridor, Inc. “That is why we are so pleased to be joining with the Southern Growth Policies Board, the University of Tennessee and many others to convene local discussions about how we can work smarter at working together in growing the jobs of the future. We hope anyone interested in joining one of these discussions will make plans to attend and participate.”
Feedback from the sessions will be shared with the Southern Growth Policies Board, governors and state economic development officials from Southern states, legislative and business leaders from across the South, and with the Tennessee Valley Corridor.
To register for a Tennessee forum, visit www.cis.utk.edu and select the “Register Now – Online” option under the Training Courses heading on the left side of the home page. Once there, select Economic Development Courses and then choose the “Innovation & Technology: Making Choices for Your Community” session that best fits your calendar. To register, you will need to click on the Register button at the right of the screen and follow the directions as they appear. To register by fax, please download the course registration form by navigating to www.cis.utk.edu, selecting the “Mail or Fax Registration Form” option, complete the information, print the form and then fax the completed form to 615-253-6346.
To register for a Kentucky forum, please e-mail Nicole Novak at nnovak@akinscrisp.com with your name and contact information.
To register for an Alabama forum, please e-mail Doug White at dwhite@akinscrisp.com with your name and contact information.
In collaboration with the Southern Growth Policies Board, the Southern Technology Council, the University of Tennessee and many others, the Tennessee Valley Corridor, Inc. is inviting community leaders to attend one in a series of Innovation and Technology Discussion Forums being convened across the Tennessee Valley.
The discussions are designed to stimulate local thinking and community action on how each community and its leaders can better leverage their specific science and technology assets for new job creation and regional economic development.
“Building an Innovation Economy is key to the economic future of all of our local communities and our economies,” said Susan Reid, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Valley Corridor, Inc. “That is why we are so pleased to be joining with the Southern Growth Policies Board, the University of Tennessee and many others to convene local discussions about how we can work smarter at working together in growing the jobs of the future. We hope anyone interested in joining one of these discussions will make plans to attend and participate.”
Feedback from the sessions will be shared with the Southern Growth Policies Board, governors and state economic development officials from Southern states, legislative and business leaders from across the South, and with the Tennessee Valley Corridor.
To register for a Tennessee forum, visit www.cis.utk.edu and select the “Register Now – Online” option under the Training Courses heading on the left side of the home page. Once there, select Economic Development Courses and then choose the “Innovation & Technology: Making Choices for Your Community” session that best fits your calendar. To register, you will need to click on the Register button at the right of the screen and follow the directions as they appear. To register by fax, please download the course registration form by navigating to www.cis.utk.edu, selecting the “Mail or Fax Registration Form” option, complete the information, print the form and then fax the completed form to 615-253-6346.
To register for a Kentucky forum, please e-mail Nicole Novak at nnovak@akinscrisp.com with your name and contact information.
To register for an Alabama forum, please e-mail Doug White at dwhite@akinscrisp.com with your name and contact information.