business images northeast tennessee valley region: 2009

Production Line Prowess

Hundreds of manufacturers employ 70,000 workers

Here, There, Everywhere

Central location makes transportation a breeze

Ancient Hills, Modern Skills

BUSINESSTM

SPONSORED BY THE NORTHEAST TENNESSEE VALLEY REGIONAL INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION | 2009

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NORTHEAST TENNESSEE VALLEY REGION

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On the Cover PHOTO BY IAN CURCIO

Hills near Kingsport, Tenn., at sunrise

OVERVIEW 5

BUSINESS ALMANAC 6

BUSINESS CLIMATE

Industrial-Strength Assets 10Area leaders team up to promote development.

Success Stories 13

TRANSPORTATION

Here, There, Everywhere 14Location and infrastructure facilitate shipping.

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Ancient Hills, Modern Skills 16Preparing tomorrow’s workforce is today’s priority.

Collaboration Is Key 17

EDUCATION

Building Opportunities 18Region’s colleges cooperate for the greater good.

MANUFACTURING

Production Line Prowess 22Manufacturers employ about 70,000 people here.

Vat’s Up? 25

HEALTH

Doctors, Pharmacists & More 26ETSU students and graduates enhance care.

A Common Objective 28

LIVABILITY

The Eyes Have It 30Recreational and cultural opportunities abound.

Festive About Festivals 32

Two Towns, Two Andrews 33

ECONOMIC PROFILE 35

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N O R T H E A S T T E N N E S S E E VA L L E Y I M A G E S N E T N VA L L E Y. C O M 1

BUSINESS

contents

BUSINESS

NORTHEAST TENNESSEE VALLEY REGION

2009 EDITION, VOLUME 1

C U S TO M M A G A Z I N E M E D I A

MANAGING EDITOR MAURICE FLIESS

COPY EDITOR JOYCE CARUTHERS

ASSOCIATE EDITORS LISA BATTLES, JESSY YANCEY

ONLINE CONTENT MANAGER MATT BIGELOW

STAFF WRITERS CAROL COWAN, KEVIN LITWIN

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS SHARON H. FITZGERALD,

ANNE GILLEM, JOE MORRIS, JESSICA MOZO, AMY STUMPFL

DATA MANAGER RANETTA SMITH

REGIONAL SALES MANAGER CHARLES FITZGIBBON

SALES SUPPORT MANAGER SARA SARTIN

SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER BRIAN MCCORD

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS JEFF ADKINS, TODD BENNETT,

ANTONY BOSHIER, IAN CURCIO, J. KYLE KEENER

PHOTOGRAPHY ASSISTANT ANNE WHITLOW

CREATIVE DIRECTOR KEITH HARRIS

WEB DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR BRIAN SMITH

ASSOCIATE PRODUCTION DIRECTOR CHRISTINA CARDEN

PRODUCTION PROJECT MANAGERS

MELISSA BRACEWELL, KATIE MIDDENDORF, JILL WYATT

SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNERS LAURA GALLAGHER,

KRIS SEXTON, CANDICE SWEET, VIKKI WILLIAMS

LEAD DESIGNER ERICA HINES

GRAPHIC DESIGN ALISON HUNTER, JESSICA MANNER,

JANINE MARYLAND, AMY NELSON, MARCUS SNYDER

WEB PROJECT MANAGERS ANDY HARTLEY, YAMEL RUIZ

WEB DESIGN LEAD FRANCO SCARAMUZZA

WEB DESIGN RYAN DUNLAP, CARL SCHULZ

WEB PRODUCTION JENNIFER GRAVES

COLOR IMAGING TECHNICIAN TWILA ALLEN

AD TRAFFIC JESSICA CHILDS, MARCIA MILLAR,

PATRICIA MOISAN, RAVEN PETTY

CHAIRMAN GREG THURMAN

PRESIDENT/PUBLISHER BOB SCHWARTZMAN

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT RAY LANGEN

SR. V.P./CLIENT DEVELOPMENT JEFF HEEFNER

SR. V.P./SALES CARLA H. THURMAN

SR. V.P./OPERATIONS CASEY E. HESTER

V.P./SALES HERB HARPER

V.P./SALES TODD POTTER

V.P./VISUAL CONTENT MARK FORESTER

V.P./TRAVEL PUBLISHING SYBIL STEWART

V.P./EDITORIAL DIRECTOR TEREE CARUTHERS

MANAGING EDITOR/BUSINESS BILL McMEEKIN

MANAGING EDITOR/COMMUNITY KIM MADLOM

MANAGING EDITOR/CUSTOM KIM NEWSOM

MANAGING EDITOR/TRAVEL SUSAN CHAPPELL

PRODUCTION DIRECTOR NATASHA LORENS

PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR JEFFREY S. OTTO

CONTROLLER CHRIS DUDLEY

ACCOUNTING MORIAH DOMBY, DIANA GUZMAN,

MARIA MCFARLAND, LISA OWENS

RECRUITING/TRAINING DIRECTOR SUZY WALDRIP

DISTRIBUTION DIRECTOR GARY SMITH

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY DIRECTOR YANCEY TURTURICE

NETWORK ADMINISTRATOR JAMES SCOLLARD

IT SERVICE TECHNICIAN RYAN SWEENEY

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER PEGGY BLAKE

CUSTOM/TRAVEL SALES SUPPORT RACHAEL GOLDSBERRY

SALES/MARKETING COORDINATOR RACHEL MATHEIS

EXECUTIVE SECRETARY/SALES SUPPORT KRISTY DUNCAN

OFFICE MANAGER SHELLY GRISSOM

RECEPTIONIST LINDA BISHOP

Business Images Northeast Tennessee Valley Region is published annually by Journal Communications Inc. and is distributed through the Northeast Tennessee Valley Regional Industrial Development Association. For advertising information or to direct questions or comments about the magazine, contact Journal Communications Inc. at (615) 771-0080 or by e-mail at [email protected].

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:Northeast Tennessee Valley Regional Industrial Development Association2425 Highway 75, Building 102, Northeast State Technical Community College, P.O. Box 1022Blountville, TN 37617Phone: (423) 323-1203 • Fax: (423) 323-4016www.netvaly.org

VISIT BUSINESS IMAGES NORTHEAST TENNESSEE

VALLEY REGION ONLINE AT IMAGESNETNVALLEY.COM

©Copyright 2009 Journal Communications Inc., 725 Cool Springs Blvd., Suite 400, Franklin, TN 37067, (615) 771-0080. All rights reserved. No portion of this magazine may be reproduced in whole or in part without written consent.

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2 I M A G E S N E T N VA L L E Y. C O M N O R T H E A S T T E N N E S S E E VA L L E Y

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LifestyleA showcase for what drives the Northeast

Tennessee Valley region’s high quality of life

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editors and business insiders

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Meet the people setting the pace

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A by-the-numbers look at

doing business and living in the


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Links to a cross section

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See the VideoOur award-winning photographers give you

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WorkstyleA spotlight on innovative companies that call

the Northeast Tennessee Valley region home

244 Love St. Erwin, TN 37650 (423) 743-1820

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contents

Industry suitsour nature in

Hawkins County …

CONTACT:Hawkins County Industrial Development Board

All this – and more –in beautiful

East Tennessee!

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1. WORKFORCE. The region has more than 300,000

employees with manufacturing backgrounds and a

strong work ethic in right-to-work states.

2. TRAINING. Site selection consultants rank

Tennessee’s FastTrack Job Training as among

the 10 best nationally in training and effectiveness.

3. UTILITY COSTS. Tennessee Valley Authority

utility companies offer reliable power and rates

that are among the nation’s lowest.

4. LOCATION AND TRANSPORTATION. Our

strategic location offers one-day truck access to 76

percent of the nation’s population via Interstates 81,

40 and 26 as well as I-75 and I-77, with service from

55 interstate trucking companies; rail freight service

via Norfolk Southern and CSX; and commercial air,

charter and air freight service at Tri-Cities Airport.

5. QUALITY OF LIFE. The region offers

opportunities for a wide variety of outdoor

activities in beautiful surroundings; quality

education; affordable housing and low cost

of living; and friendly people.

6. INFRASTRUCTURE. Abundant supplies of natural

gas and water, advanced digital and fiber-optic

networks, and other amenities are available.

7. DEVELOPED SITES AND BUILDINGS. Updated

computerized site and community data – including

location, utilities, transportation, zoning and

demographic statistics – is readily available

by phone or Web site.

8. COST OF DOING BUSINESS. Costs are

among the nation’s lowest,

thanks to tax credits based

on investment and job

creation; no sales tax on

industrial machinery and

equipment, raw materials

or pollution-control

equipment; and

a pro-business attitude.

TOP 10 REASONS TO DO BUSINESS IN THE NORTHEAST TENNESSEE VALLEY REGION

SEE VIDEO ONLINE | Take a virtual tour of the Northeast Tennessee Valley region at imagesnetnvalley.com, courtesy of our award-winning photographers.

NORTH CAROLINA

VIRGINIA

TENNESSEE

9. TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES. Universities,

colleges, technical colleges and location in the

Tennessee Technology Corridor give companies

a competitive advantage.

10. DIVERSIFIED ECONOMY. Our economy

includes medical companies, educational

institutions, manufacturers, corporate

headquarters and distribution centers.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:Northeast Tennessee Valley Regional

Industrial Development Association

2425 Highway 75, Building 102

Northeast State Technical Community College

P.O. Box 1022, Tri-Cities Regional Airport

Blountville, TN 37617

Phone: (423) 323-1203

Fax: 423-323-4016

www.netvaly.org


overview

THE INN CROWDAndrew Jackson stayed there, and so did Andrew Johnson and

James K. Polk.

The Netherland Inn House Museum and Boatyard Complex was

constructed in the early 1800s on the Holston River in Kingsport, Tenn.

Today, the three-story building is a museum, and the inn is the nation’s

only registered historical site that was both a stagecoach stop and

a boatyard.

Now owned by the Netherland Inn Association, the building is

furnished to represent life in the frontier days of the 1800s. A first-floor

tavern, second-floor family quarters and third-floor guest rooms are

decorated with period pieces.

TUNNEL VISIONYes, Virginia, there is a

Natural Tunnel in your state.

The tunnel in Scott County

was long used by railroads,

beginning in the 1890s, and

20th century politician

William Jennings Bryan

called it the “Eighth Wonder

of the World.” The

commonwealth of Virginia

acquired the tunnel and 100

surrounding acres in 1967

and eventually established

Natural Tunnel State Park.

Today, trains don’t run

through the tunnel, and

pedestrians are welcome to

view the walls that show

evidence of prehistoric life.

‘WORLD’S FASTEST HALF MILE’Stock Car Racing might have said it best. The magazine listed Tennessee’s Bristol Motor Speedway as one of the Top 10 Tracks to Watch and Race On.

Bristol is known as the “world’s fastest half mile,” and NASCAR hosts Sprint Cup races there every March and August. Those races draw 160,000 spectators to each event, compared to 18,000 fans at the speedway’s inaugural race in 1961.

The concrete track features banking of up to 30 degrees in the corners.


CELEBRATING NEW AND OLDThere was plenty of hoopla when the Boys & Girls Club

of Greater Kingsport opened its spacious Eastman

Center on Aug. 28, 2008.

Bruce Pearl, head coach of the University of Tennessee

men’s basketball team, was the event’s keynote speaker.

He also cut the ceremonial ribbon and stayed for

a couple of hours to chat.

Another Boys & Girls Club in Northeast Tennessee

celebrated a milestone in 2008 when the one

in Morristown observed its 50th birthday.

WHEN BALD IS A GOOD THINGForty Angora goats enjoyed munching on a mountain from July through September 2008.

The animals were used primarily to eat thick Canada blackberry vegetation growth along the four “balds”

of Roan Mountain, Tenn. This helped to preserve the views for hikers along the Appalachian Trail.

Several individuals, groups and universities backed the effort. Officials with the Appalachian Trail

Conservancy say they appreciated the initiative because managing the grassy balds is difficult.

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SKIING IS BELIEVINGThere is plenty of schussing and

whooshing in Avery County, N.C.,

during the cold-weather months.

The county is home to Beech Mountain

and Sugar Mountain resorts, which are

popular destinations for downhill and

cross-country skiers. Avery County is

in the northwest mountains of North

Carolina, in a section known as the

High Country.

The county’s population is under 18,000,

and most of its cities and towns have

fewer than 1,000 residents. However,

it is fast becoming one of the most

desirable tourist destinations and

second-home communities in the

southeastern United States.

business almanac


YES, WE DIG ITNo bones about it. On second thought, there are many bones about it.

In 2000, a highway crew was moving earth for a road-widening project near Gray, Tenn., when workers innocently uncovered some fossils. Paleontologists were notified and have since found fossilized bones of a red panda, rhinos, a three-toed horse, saber-toothed cats, short-faced bears, tapirs and turtles.

The discoveries led to the establishment of the East Tennessee State University and General Shale Brick Natural History Museum. It is located at the Gray Fossil Site just off Interstate 26.

MOUNTAINS OF MEMORIESIf you really want to know

about Appalachia, head

to college.

The Center for Appalachian

Studies and Services at East

Tennessee State University

in Johnson City has a large

collection of artifacts,

photographs and historical

documents. It is open Monday

through Friday from 9 a.m.

to 4:30 p.m.

The collections go back as

early as the 1700s and proceed

to the present, providing

perspectives of people from

all walks of Appalachian life.

DAVY CROCKETT SLEPT HEREThe king of the wild frontier spent the first eight years of his life

in Greene County, Tenn.

The Davy Crockett Birthplace State Park near Limestone features

a replica of the log cabin where Crockett was born in 1786, along

the Nolichucky River.

His birthplace actually

consists of 105

partially wooded acres

preserved as a historic

site by the Tennessee

Department of

Environment and

Conservation.

A museum at the park

showcases different

aspects of Crockett’s

life as a hunter,

politician, businessman

and one of the

legendary fighters

killed defending the

Alamo in 1836.


business almanac

Local leaders team up to promote the area’s advantages

for business

A ll for one, one for all – that would be an appropriate motto of the Northeast Tennessee

Valley region. Business and government leaders

here represent multiple organizations, numerous cities, 15 counties, even three different states, but when it comes to economic development, they’ve teamed up for a unified approach that benefits everyone involved.

“The whole theory behind a regional organization is that you’re pulling people in,” says Alicia Summers, executive director of the Northeast Tennessee Valley Regional Industrial Development Association, a 19-year-old coalition of power distributors within the Tennessee Valley Authority service area.

“It’s impressive that [the organization has] stayed together this long with the same vision: recruiting industry and put-ting people to work and getting capital investment into our region,” she says.

NETVRIDA’s advisory council, made up of developers, promotes the area’s assets to target industries, ranging from the automotive, plastics and chemical industries to high-tech data centers. In 2008, developers traveled to Germany

for Automechanika Frankfurt – the world’s leading automotive trade show – and networked with site-selection consultants in Atlanta and Dallas.

“Our goal is to establish personal relationships,” Summers says, “so that [consultants] will feel comfortable call-ing us up and asking us demographic numbers or workforce numbers or if we

have a building that may meet their clients’ needs.”

EMPHASIS ON INFRASTRUCTURE

Similarly, the Duffield, Va.-based LENOW ISCO Pla n ni ng Dist r ic t Commission, which covers the Virginia counties of Lee, Scott and Wise as well as the city of Norton, focuses on the electronics, education and energy sectors in its drive to recruit industry. The region’s attractions are many, and “number one is infrastructure,” says LENOWISCO Executive Director Glen “Skip” Skinner.

For example, a communications net-work on par with those found in major cities – featuring redundant fiber-optic cable – has attracted several data-center operations. Among them is Holston Medical Group’s $3 million Advanced Technology and Application Center in Duffield, the only certified Tier III electronic medical records storage facil-ity in the United States. (Tier III is the highest designation of reliability as certified by the Uptime Institute.)

“Businesses can’t say they won’t come to Virginia because of a lack of bandwidth,” Skinner says.

Assets

Right: Economic development is occurring at a good clip in many parts of the region, especially the Tri-Cities. PHOTO BY IAN CURCIO

Industrial-

ScorecardNORTHEAST TENNESSEE

VALLEY REGION

15counties

3states (portions)

1.2 millionpopulation (trade area)

300,000+workforce

Strength



business climate

FORMULA FOR SUCCESSFurthermore, electricity rates through-

out the tri-state region are about 25 percent below the national average, and in 2007 – for the eighth year in a row – TVA delivered power with 99.999 percent reliability. In addition, redundant power service ensures crucial industrial proc-esses will not be interrupted.

Likewise, natural gas abounds, indus-trial chemicals and gases are at hand, and municipal water and sewer services are available to virtually all indus-trial sites in the region, NETVRIDA’s Summers notes.

Couple those advantages with an excel lent location, comprehensive transportation network, skilled and eager workforce, low tax rates and incentive packages, and you have a formula for success, she adds.

And with the successful attraction of new industry has come retail growth, says Susan Reid, executive director of the First Tennessee Development District, an association of local governments that acts as a resource for community services and economic development.

Reid says retail sales have increased steadily in the Tri-Cities area (Bristol-Johnson City-Kingsport), as well as in some smaller communities such as Greeneville and Morristown.

– Carol Cowan

Alicia Summers says the region’s leaders are pursuing a uniform goal: recruiting industry and securing capital investment.

IAN

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Executives find the region to be a fertile place to plant and grow a company

So, what prompted the head of a 40-year-old company with headquarters in California and a manufacturing plant in Michigan to move everything to Johnson City,

Tenn.? The place and the people, says Alex Borla, founder and chief executive officer of Borla Performance Industries Inc.

Borla Performance Industries manufactures high-tech, stainless-steel exhaust systems, emissions-control systems and mufflers for premier street, off-road and racing vehicles. The company purchased and moved into the 325,000-square-foot EPIC Technologies plant, hired about 200 workers and commenced full operations in late 2008.

“We did get incentives, and they were good,” Borla says, “but that’s not [the main reason] we chose this area. It was the quality of life and the quality of the people.”

Borla cites numerous automotive manufacturers in the southeastern United States and the proximity to the Bristol Motor Speedway as additional attractions.

In nearby Scott County, Va., 300-employee Tempur Production USA – a wholly owned subsidiary of Tempur-Pedic International Inc. – has been cranking out space-age mattresses

since it opened in 2001. Generous government incentives and the area’s strong manufacturing workforce figured highly in the Denmark-based company’s decision to establish its only U.S. factory in the town of Duffield.

“With the local workforce, everything we do here is a start-to-finish process,” says Ken Mitchell, vice president and plant manager of Tempur Production USA, referring to the way ideas can move through development and into production.

Also in Duffield, Tempur Production USA in spring 2007 opened a $3.5 million research and development division, where employees focus on primary materials, textile devel-opment, new designs and testing, Mitchell says. “We have a large (new) testing facility where we put our mattresses through the ringer.”

Other expanding companies in the Northeast Tennessee Valley region include Seaman Corp. in Bristol, Tenn., and DTR Tennessee Inc. in Claiborne County and Greene County, Tenn.

Seaman Corp., which makes high-performance fabrics for industrial and recreational applications, plans to invest $7 million over the next three years to develop state-of-the-art products and equipment.

DTR Tennessee, which supplies anti-vibration and hose products to automotive-industry customers such as Toyota and Nissan, recently invested $10 million to expand its Claiborne County plant by 88,000 square feet. With this latest expansion, the company’s employment is expected to reach 1,500, and its total investment in the state will exceed $200 million.

– Carol Cowan

Stories

The availablity of incentives and a manufacturing workforce helped lure Tempur Production USA Inc. to Scott County, Va.

Success

“It was the quality of life and

the quality of the people.”


business climate

Here,There,Everywhere

ScoreboardHERE, THERE, EVERYWHERE

76percent of U.S. population within a day’s drive

3interstate highways in the region (26, 40, 81), plus two others nearby (75, 77)

4commercial airlines serving Tri-Cities Regional Airport

Flights from Tri-Cities Regional Airport go to Atlanta, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Detroit, Memphis and Orlando. PHOTO BY IAN CURCIO


Getting there may be half the fun, but it’s also most of the challenge for manufacturers. Happily for those who’ve chosen to settle in the Northeast Tennessee

Valley, it’s a challenge that’s easily met.With three interstate corridors crisscrossing the area as

well as other federal and state highways, rail lines and a regional airport, moving raw materials in and finished product out is simple. Indeed, location is a prime selling point throughout the region, and the strong transportation infra-structure is usually one of the first positives mentioned by local economic development professionals.

“We’re in a great location in that we’re between Interstates 81 and 26, and that’s how we promote ourselves,” says Betty Martin, director of business development for NETWORKS-Sullivan Partnership, the economic development organization for Bluff City, Bristol, Kingsport and Sullivan County, Tenn. “And we’ve got between 60 and 70 transportation companies around here, so there’s no shortage of ways for people to get things moved.”

THE DISTRIBUTION CONNECTIONA major coup for NETWORKS – one that will benefit the

entire region – was landing an $8 million, 90,000-square-foot FedEx Ground distribution center in the Gateway Commons Park near the intersection of I-81 and I-26. That facility will anchor NETWORKS’ other development efforts. To that end, it’s snapping up large parcels near air and ground trans-portation hubs in a bid to prepare for the future.

“We’ve got several hundred acres under our NETWORKS’ responsibility,” Martin says. “We’ve got property by the airport, property in the cities, so we’ve covered all our bases as far as potential development (is concerned). The Bristol property is a rail site, and the airport site is well positioned for whatever comes along.”

Property adjacent to Tri-Cities Regional Airport in Blountville, Tenn., is made that much more attractive by the availability of more than two dozen commercial flights per day. The airport has eight hangars ranging from 8,000 square feet to 28,000 square feet of storage space, plus a 13,000-square-foot cargo facility. Designated a Foreign Trade Zone, the airport also offers full customs services.

FROM ROADWAYS TO RAILWAYSRailways round out the triad of convenient transportation

options in, around and through the valley. CSX Corp. and Norfolk Southern Corp. serve the region, connecting it to ports that include Charleston, S.C., and Norfolk, Va. And given the area’s strong business growth and the bright outlook

for more light industry and manufacturing, it’s no surprise that the railways are looking to expand their presence.

“We’re conducting a study to find a possible location for a new intermodal facility in Tennessee,” says Robby Klein, industrial development manager for Norfolk Southern’s Knoxville office. According to Klein, the eastern part of Tennessee is part of the railway’s Crescent Corridor project, which has as its initial goal the removal of 1 million truckloads of freight from interstate highways – and the placement of them on the rails.

“We’re studying ways to improve the rail route along that corridor through Tennessee, increasing its capacity and trying to get rid of some of the restraints we currently have,” he says. “We’re also very excited about the opportunity to serve the new Volkswagen plant in Chattanooga, and we’re going to compete aggressively for that business.”

– Joe Morris

BR

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CSX and Norfolk Southern provide access to Atlantic ports.

Central location and transportation options make travel here a breeze


transportation

Preparing tomorrow’s workforce is today’s priority in the region

W ith foresight, insight and unprecedented cooperation, educators, government offi-

cials, and leaders in business and industry are working to ensure economic vitality in the Northeast Tennessee Valley region for years to come.

The initiatives now under way were spurred by erosion of the historic man-ufacturing base here as some jobs moved overseas. Many of the remaining jobs demanded additional training or retraining of workers.

Addressing the issues head-on has resulted in new facilities and learning opportunities for companies as well as for residents.

EMPHASIS ON TRAININGEastman Chemical Co. has a large

presence in Kingsport, Tenn., both literally and figuratively. The firm was founded in 1920 by George Eastman to provide chemicals for his Eastman Kodak photography company. The chemical company split from Kodak in 1994 and now manufactures chemicals, fibers and plastics. It employs about 7,000 people in its headquarters city.

Eastman has long realized the impor-tance of keeping pace with changing needs.

“[In 2007], Eastman announced Project Reinvest, in which the firm will invest $1.3 billion in capital expansion in Kingsport,” says Karen Rowell, director of the Tennessee Operations Support Services Division. The project will include upgrades and retrofitting existing operations. The state of Tennessee has stepped in to lend a hand with funding, including $1 million for Northeast State Technical Community College in Blountville, which provides Eastman employee training as part of the Regional Center for Applied Technology in Kingsport.

The technology center, opened to stu-dents in 2002, is part of the downtown

Hills,

Eastman Chemical Co., which has its headquarters in Kingsport, Tenn., emphasizes up-to-date training.

SkillsModernAncient


Collaboration Is KeyEDUCATOR WORKS WITH OTHER LEADERS TO PREPARE A POOL OF QUALIFIED WORKERS

William W. Locke has been president of Nor t heast State Technica l Community College in Blountville, Tenn., for 13 years and has been involved with workforce development for a quarter century.

Northeast State is collaborating with government, business and industry leaders to help ensure the area has a prepared workforce for the present and future. About 5,300 students are enrolled at the college.

Dr. Locke took time out from his busy schedule to answer questions about workforce development.

Q How do you see Northeast State’s role

in workforce development?

A We feel that our college’s main major goal is to prepare a

qualified workforce. The goal is to do two things – allow existing businesses and industries here to expand, and to aid in the recruitment of new busi-nesses and industries.

Q How do you accomplish that goal?

A We don’t talk about all this so much as an educational envi-

ronment here at the college; we talk about it as a workforce-prep environ-ment, because that’s the one thing that people looking to expand a business or to locate somewhere want to know: “Do you have a qualified workforce? Can you get me one?” So all of our educa-tional programs are focused on developing a qualif ied workforce, which we talk about in economic development terms.

Q What are recent successes you can point to?

A The Regional Center for Applied Technology, or RCAT, (which

opened to students in 2002 and is part of Northeast State), is part of a huge endeavor going on in Kingsport, with three new buildings coming on line. We have RCAT, the Regional Center for Health Professions, which just opened [in August 2008], and we’re going to have a Center for Higher Education and a Regional Center for Advanced Manufacturing. It’s a big endeavor – no one in Tennessee is doing anything like it. We’re excited about it.

Q How have officials in your area been able to work

together to achieve your goal?

A We’ve had this goal since 1999. What has made the difference for

us is the thought that the one thing we needed to do to expand our economy was to make sure we could tell people that we had a qualified workforce. …We wanted to maintain and enhance our standard of living and quality of life. And the only way you do that is through economic growth.

– Anne Gillem

Dr. William W. Locke leads Northeast State Technical Community College.

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Kingsport Academic Village, which includes the Kingsport Center for Higher Education, the Regional Center for Advanced Manufacturing and the Regional Center for Health Professions. The health center houses Northeast State’s health and nursing programs and was built with funds from the city of Kingsport; it opened in August 2008. The other two centers are scheduled to open by fall 2009. (See story, page 18.)

“What we see happening is that manufacturing has gotten a black eye,” Rowell says. “People think there aren’t jobs in manufacturing left. There are jobs, but they are high-skill jobs. So the education requirements are greater. … We have an opportunity [at the manu-facturing center] to show people what it’s like to work in an advanced manu-facturing environment.”

CUSTOMIZED COURSESIn addition to the programs being

offered or on the horizon in Kingsport, community colleges and technology centers elsewhere are ramping up their workforce training for everything from computer programming to welding.

For example, at Mountain Empire Community College in Big Stone Gap, Va., which serves students in Lee, Scott and several other Virginia counties, the Center for Workforce Development customizes courses for business and industry.

MECC also offers dual enrollment, permitting high school students to get college credit while fulfilling the requirements for high school diplomas. “I believe … we’re motivating some students who might not otherwise do dual enrollment to discover they can do college-level work,” says Dr. Terrance Suarez, president.

At the Tennessee Technology Center in Elizabethton, Director Jerry Patton says his school can respond quickly to a call for help.

“If we have a request from business and industry to provide some kind of specialized training to help them meet their particular needs,” Patton says, “we’re able to create those programs within a very short period of time.”

– Anne Gillem


workforce development

OpportunitiesBuilding

Academic institutions cooperate to expand students’ choices


The Northeast Tennessee Valley’s array of educational options includes 11 colleges and univer-

sities. But what’s more impressive than their sheer number is the institutions’ sense of cooperation, as they often work together to meet the students’ ever-changing needs.

East Tennessee State University in Johnson City is the region’s largest academic community. As one of six universities governed by the Tennessee Board of Regents, ETSU boasts 125 degree programs and serves nearly 14,000 students.

“Our programs of study encompass a good mix of offerings,” says Dr. Paul E. Stanton Jr., university president since 1997. “And we are the only Board of

Regents institution that has, as part of its mission, a focus on health sciences.”

Stanton says the university also is a leader in distance/online education, conducting a wide variety of online courses and a growing number of online degree programs.

“About 46 percent of our students are 25 years or older,” Stanton adds. “The challenges for these students are differ-ent than for the typical residential student. Flexibility is key in terms of reaching out to adults and helping them continue their education.”

CONSORTIUM CREATES NEW CENTER

That call for f lexibility and conven-ience echoes throughout the region,

says Kingsport Mayor Dennis Phillips, who sees the forthcoming Kingsport Center for Higher Education as a prime solution. Scheduled to open in August 2009, the 54,000-square-foot center will accommodate about 800 students with two 60-seat lecture halls, other class-rooms, laboratory space, a media center and a 220-seat auditorium.

The $12.9 million project represents a consortium of Northeast State Technical Community College, King College, Lincoln Memorial University, Carson-Newman College and the University of Tennessee. Tusculum College and Milligan College also have expressed interest in joining.

Nearby Northeast State will operate the center, providing students their first

Northeast State Technical Community College (left) and East Tennessee State University (above) are among the 11 colleges and universities in the Northeast Tennessee Valley. Others are Carson-Newman College, King College, Lincoln Memorial University, Milligan College, Tusculum College and Walters State Community College; and, in Virginia, Emory & Henry College, Virginia Highlands Community College and Virginia Intermont College. There are also two Tennessee Technology Centers in the region.

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education

two years of core courses, Phillips says. Students then will have the opportunity to pursue a four-year degree in the same building by taking courses from partic-ipating universities.

“We know that having a well-educated workforce is important not only for our quality of life but also in terms of economic development. Our goal is to make education available to everyone,” the mayor says, noting that students living in his city or elsewhere in Sullivan County may receive two years of free tuition at Northeast State.

Dr. Patty Kraft, associate provost at Carson-Newman College, says response to the new education center has been extremely positive. “There’s a real sense of excitement,” she says. “Carson-Newman is all about reaching out to students who may not otherwise be able to pursue a degree, so this is a new way of doing that. All of the schools have been working very well together. I think we recognize how important this is for both students and the communities in which we live.”

ENTITIES FORM ACADEMIC VILLAGE

Kingsport City Manager John Campbell agrees, adding that the city already is reaping the benefits of the aptly named Kingsport Academic Vi l lage, which incorporates the Kingsport Center for Higher Education; the Regiona l Center for Hea lth Professions, which opened in August 2008; the Regional Center for Advanced Manufacturing, which broke ground in August 2008; and the Regional Center for Applied Technology, which opened in 2002.

“We’re seeing a real renaissance in the downtown, with several new restaurants and an incredible amount of interest in loft development,” Campbell says. “It’s an exciting time for students, businesses and the entire community.”

– Amy Stumpfl

The Kingsport Center for Higher Education is being built downtown.

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education

Production


Manufacturers bring thousands of jobs to the Northeast Tennessee Valley

The manufacturing sector in the Northeast Tennessee Valley is strong and getting stronger, with hundreds of companies

collectively employing about 70,000 workers. And if you want evidence, look no farther than Blountville, Tenn., home of the region’s commercial airport, Tri-Cities.

Blountville also is home of Leclerc Foods Inc., which moved its U.S. headquarters, manufac-turing facility, and research and development operations to Blountville’s Northeast Tennessee Business Park from Pennsylvania in 2008.

“It’s a $38 to $40 million investment for them initially, and they plan to build a distribution center on an adjacent 14 acres of land,” says Richard Venable, chief executive officer of NETWORKS-Sullivan Partnership, an economic development organization in Sullivan County. “They make all types of snack foods, including private labels for department stores such as Target, and they have a good number of national contracts.”

A 105-year-old company based in Quebec City, Canada, Leclerc began producing granola bars – including peanut-free varieties – at the new factory

in fall 2008. The company plans to add cookies to its product line in early 2009.

Leclerc executives chose Sullivan County because of its central location and because they had formed good relationships with economic developers in the area.

“They made a very quick decision that Northeast Tennessee and our workforce met their needs,” Venable says.

The company prides itself in adopting cut-ting-edge technology. “Their entire process is computerized, and they run a dark warehouse for storing and picking out the product,” Venable says. “They could turn off the lights – and the robots wouldn’t even know it.”

Elsewhere in Sullivan County, Edwards & Associates Inc. refurbishes helicopters and assembles new aircraft.

“We have two companies in Piney Flats,” says Carolyn Ferrell, vice president of administration for Edwards & Associates. “The other is Aeronautical Accessories Inc. Edwards & Associates services, sells and refurbishes helicopters, and Aeronautical Accessories manufactures the parts we use.”

ProwessLine

John Deere Power Products has been making lawn mowers in Greeneville, Tenn., for two decades. With plant expansions, production is now more than 300,000 units annually. PHOTO BY TODD BENNETT

A SAMPLING OF OTHER PRODUCTS FROM THE NORTHEAST TENNESSEE VALLEY

A.O. Smith Corp., Johnson City, Tenn. – water heaters

Berkline/Benchcraft LLC, Morristown, Tenn. – upholstery

Foliot Furniture Inc., Greeneville, Tenn. – furniture for college dormitories and motels

Sam Dong Co., Rogersville, Tenn. – specialty magnet wire products

U.S. Fence Inc., Bulls Gap, Tenn. – PVC and wood fencing

Vifan USA Inc., Morristown, Tenn. – polypropylene fi lm for food packaging

More InsightI


manufacturing

Greeneville Light & Power System

110 North College St.

Greeneville, TN 37743

(423) 636-6200

Your Local Public Power System

Serving Greeneville and Greene County Since 1945

RUNNING LIKE A DEEREGreeneville and surrounding Greene

County, Tenn., is another manufac-turing powerhouse, boasting more than 90 industrial employers.

At its Greeneville plant, John Deere Power Products Inc. manufactures seven models of riding lawnmowers – more than 300,000 annually – and a variety of attachments and baggers. The company employs between 500 and 1,000 people locally, depending upon the season and customer demand.

“We celebrated our 20th anniversary here in September (2008), so this is a great time for us,” says Dave Smith, factory manager. “We started here producing walk-behind mowers in a 50,000-square-foot facility. Over the years, we’ve transitioned into making riding lawn (mower) equipment and grown to more than 300,000 square feet.”

The company appreciates Greeneville for its central location, hard-working residents, and low tax base and cost of living. “There’s a very competent work-force here. Our employees come to work with a can-do attitude,” Smith says. “The tax base and cost of living in this region are attractive, and it’s a wonderful life-style. When I sit on my front porch, I look at mountains.”

In 2008, John Deere Power Products celebrated 10 million hours – nearly six years – of continuous production without a lost-time accident.

“We have an intense focus on work-place organization, and teamwork is in everything we do,” Smith says. “We watch out for each other. The spirit of this facility is, ‘I’ve got your back.’ We preach it and live it.”

– Jessica Mozo

This space provided as a public service. ©2004, The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

Sometimes winning a race is not about beating the other runners.

It’s about honoring survivors and those

who’ve lost the battle. It’s about raising

funds for research, education, screening

and treatment. The Komen Race for the

Cure® is about support, not competition.

Join us at komen.org or 1.800 I’M AWARE®.

Leclerc Foods Inc. relocated its U.S. headquarters, manufacturing and R&D to this Blountville, Tenn., location.

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Johnson City Power Board2600 Boones Creek Rd.Johnson City, TN 37615

www.jcpb.com

Northeast Tennessee... where bright

futures begin.

Vat’s Up?TURNING WASTE COOKING OIL INTO BIODIESEL FUEL, THAT’S WHAT

Some companies in the

Northeast Tennessee Valley

region are turning the energy

crisis into an economic

opportunity.

Nu-Energie LLC, with

headquarters in Blountville in

Sullivan County, Tenn., produces

biodiesel fuel from used cooking

oil. In 2008, Nu-Energie secured

an agreement to collect

5 million gallons of used

cooking oil from 20,000

restaurants annually, which

constitutes 5 percent of the

used cooking oil in the nation.

Hawkins County native

Brian Hullette founded the

company in early 2007, and

as of September 2008 it had

13 employees.

“I felt this was the right way

to help get our country back on

track so we can stop relying on

foreign oil,” Hullette says. “A lot

has happened in the short time

since the company began.”

Indeed, Nu-Energie recently

built a 12,500-square-foot

facility in Hawkins County’s

Phipps Bend Industrial Park

that will allow the company to

expand its annual processing

capacity in the future to 15

million gallons. Furthermore,

the company plans to add

10 facilities elsewhere in the

southeastern United States.

“We’ll be offering turnkey

facilities to people wanting to

start up a biodiesel company,”

Hullette says.

Similarly, from a

45,000-square-foot plant in

the Hickory Flats Industrial

Park in Lee County, Va., Synergy

Biofuels LLC planned to begin

producing biodiesel from waste

cooking oil by the end of 2008.

“We will offer a free service

to restaurants by collecting

their waste cooking oil for free,

and we’ll turn that oil into

biodiesel and sell it to fuel

distributors, power generators

and whoever wants to purchase

it in bulk quantities,” says Ankit

Patel, founder and chief executive

officer. “We hope to give back to

the local community by allowing

farmers and individuals to come

fill up in our parking lot once

or twice a week.”

As of September 2008,

Synergy Biofuels had six

employees.

Initially, the company plans

to produce about 3 million

gallons of biodiesel a year,

eventually ramping up to about

8 million gallons annually.

– Jessica Mozo


manufacturing

East Tennessee State University leads the

emergence of a health-care hub

When it comes to expecting and providing quality health care, “no” just isn’t in the vocabulary of Northeast Tennessee Valley residents.

In the 1970s, a shortage of rural physicians prompted a push for a public medical school at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City. Despite a bruising political battle, proponents prevailed, and in August 1978 the first class entered what is now named the James H. Quillen College of Medicine.

Fast-forward about three decades, when a shortage of pharmacists was the impetus for ETSU’s Bill Gatton College of Pharmacy, which admitted its first students in January 2007. The pharmacy school is unique in the country – the only privately funded college within a state institution.

“The community raised more than $5 million in donations and pledges in 58 days,” Pharmacy Dean Larry Calhoun says. “To date, we’ve had well over a 1,000 people and corporations donate money to the college. They realize the impact that the College of Medicine has had on this region, and they see a similar impact long-term that the College of Pharmacy will have.”

Studies indicate that the college, which has 220 students and 30 faculty members, eventually will bring $30 million annually to the local economy.

Calhoun says the region’s hospitals and pharmacies are training grounds for students. “They all realize that the pharmacist shortage is not only acute, but it’s going to be a long time before we actually meet the needs of the United States, especially in rural communities.”

The same is true for other health professions, and ETSU spokesman Joseph E. Smith says the College of Medicine has been “a revolutionary force,” swelling the numbers of physicians in the region.

About 240 medical students are enrolled at any one time, and they fan out across Southern Appalachia to learn with health-care professionals on the job while improving contem-

porary medical care. Community “preceptors” are physicians who aren’t faculty

members yet accept students into their practices. Also, because ETSU doesn’t have a medical center of its own, area hospitals fill that void.

“The hospitals, particularly, have been vital to our success. They have welcomed us with open arms,” Smith says.

Medicine and pharmacy fall under ETSU’s Division of Health Sciences, as do the colleges of Clinical and Rehabilitative Health Sciences, Public Health and Nursing.

FORGING COMMUNITY TIESAlso training nurses in the region is King College in

Bristol, Tenn., which offers a bachelor of science in nursing, a bachelor’s degree tailored to registered nurses and three options for a master’s degree – nurse educator, clinical nurse specialist or administrator.

In the administration specialty, students may elect to attend one extra semester in summer and receive a dual degree in nursing and business administration. The clinical nurse specialist is “the only program in the region that is an advanced-practice nursing degree that actually keeps nurses at the bedside,” says Carolyn Robinson, dean.

King College nursing students attend classes at several sites in the region. “One of our missions is to go where they are and to provide opportunities to enrich their academic achievement while maintaining their ties within their community,” Associate Dean Jane Castle says.

An example is King College instruction at the new Regional Center for Health Professions in downtown Kingsport, Tenn., where several institutions have joined forces to offer health-related studies at a central location. (See story, page 18.)

– Sharon H. Fitzgerald

MoreDoctors,

Pharmacistsand


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More Insight

James H. Quillen College of Medicine

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health

“For over 63 years we have been energizing the future of Carter County and the tradition of excellence continues today!”

Elizabethton Electric

www.eesonline.org

Thanks to two respected health

networks, Mountain States Health

Alliance and Wellmont Health

System, the Northeast Tennessee

Valley benefits from high-quality

medical facilities across the region.

Founded in 1998 when Johnson

City Medical Center purchased six

other medical facilities, Mountain

States today has 14 hospitals in

Tennessee and Virginia, with the

443-bed JCMC as its centerpiece.

Calling medical treatment for

children “the heart of health care,”

Dennis Vonderfecht, Mountain

States president and chief

executive officer, says the alliance’s

$36 million Niswonger Children’s

Hospital should open in March

2009 on the JCMC campus. A

testament to the region’s

support, the construction

project received $20 million

in private donations.

At Wellmont Health

System, which has 14

hospitals in Tennessee and

Virginia, the new emergency

department at Bristol

Regional Medical Center is

“absolutely state of the art,”

says Brad Lifford, media

relations coordinator.

Lifford says emergency-

patient volumes have grown

“exponentially,” prompting

the $13 million construction

and renovation project that

was finished in June 2008.

Under way at Holston

Valley Medical Center in

Kingsport is Project Platinum,

a $100 million expansion and

overhaul that includes a new

patient tower, emergency

and same-day surgery

expansions, additional

intensive-care beds, and

technology upgrades.


A Common ObjectiveMOUNTAIN STATES, WELLMONT NETWORKS OFFER QUALITY CARE

Dennis L. Vonderfecht presides over the 14-hospital network of Mountain States Health Alliance.

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health

The future of Crown

Laboratories is so bright, it just

might need to lather on some of

its signature product, Blue Lizard

Australian Suncream.

Crown is a shining example of

manufacturers of prescription and

over-the-counter products that are

finding the Northeast Tennessee

Valley an ideal locale.

“There’s no question that, as a

distribution center, this is probably

as good as it gets,” says Crown

Chief Executive Officer Jeff

Bedard, who consolidated all

operations into one Johnson

City, Tenn., facility in 2000.

Bedard says his company has

more than 40 employees and likely

will grow – in part because the

nonpartisan Environmental

Working Group in July 2008

ranked Blue Lizard as the

top sunscreen for safety and

performance. “We’re looking at

further expansion, further growth

in our brand, and continuing to

build a pharmaceutical

manufacturing presence as well.”

Under the Crown umbrella

are two divisions, Blue Lizard

and Del-Ray Dermatologicals,

offering therapeutic shampoos,

moisturizers, cleansers and

prescription steroid lotions.

With an emphasis on

neuroscience, hospital and

acutecare products, King

Pharmaceuticals Inc. is the

region’s giant in the industry.

Headquartered in Bristol, Tenn.,

and with manufacturing facilities

there and in four other cities,

King makes products to treat

such conditions as chronic pain,

hypothyroidism and insomnia.

Founded in 1994, King employs

about 2,000 people and reported

2007 revenue of about $2.1 billion.


Problem SolversPHARMACEUTICAL FIRMS INNOVATE

©2002 American Cancer Society, Inc.

questionsanswers

8 0 0 . A C S . 2 3 4 5 / c a n c e r . o r g


Living it up is easy in the Northeast Tennessee Valley, and the region continues to show up often on national livability lists.

For example, Walk! Magazine named Kingsport, Tenn., the 2008 Best City for Walkers, thanks to the city’s nine-mile Greenbelt as well as more than 25 miles of walking trails in Bays Mountain Park. Meanwhile, Golf Digest magazine ranked the Tri-Cities area of Kingsport, Johnson City and Bristol as the second-best place in the United States to live and golf.

“Golfing around the entire Northeast Tennessee Valley is pretty incredible,” says Tommy Olterman, who works for the Tennessee Valley Authority and has been an avid golfer since 1980. “In southwest Virginia, I especially enjoy Deerfield Golf Course in Damascus. Some of my favorite courses in northeast Tennessee are Dandridge Golf & Country Club, Cattails at Meadowview in Kingsport and Clinchview Golf & Country Club in Bean Station. There are more than 40 beautiful public and private courses in this part of the country.”

FROM SKIING TO NASCAR WATCHINGThe region that encompasses northeast Tennessee, south-

west Virginia and northwest North Carolina also draws rave reviews for its temperate, four-season climate. Typical scenery here includes green landscapes, hilly terrain and shimmering waterways.

“There is hiking, with mountains all around us, and the whitewater rafting and snow skiing opportunities are excellent,” says Alicia Summers, executive director of the Northeast Tennessee Valley Regional Industrial Development Association. “Meanwhile, Bristol Motor Speedway is the world’s fastest half-mile racetrack and is packed with 160,000 of our closest friends whenever NASCAR arrives here every March and August.”

The area also boasts several lakes for boating and numer-ous freshwater streams that are ideal for trout fishing.

“This region has been rated one of the premier spots for fishing in the United States by Fly Fisherman magazine,”

Lush hills of this beautiful region contain great venues for recreational and cultural pursuits

HaveTheEyesIt


More than 25 miles of trails – some offering lake views – draw hiking and biking enthusiasts to Kingsport’s Bays Mountain Park. The 3,500-acre nature preserve also features exhibits with deer, wolves, bobcats, raccoons, otters, snakes, turtles and hawks.

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Summers says. “And, of course, having the Great Smoky Mountains gracing our area makes the Northeast Tennessee Valley an incredible place to visit.”

PROMOTING MUSICAL HERITAGEThe performing arts also are well represented in the region,

with ballet companies, symphonies, unusual museums and theater groups. Examples of premier arts venues include the Paramount Center for the Arts on the Tennessee side of State Street in Bristol, the castle-like Rose Center in Morristown, Tenn., and the nationally recognized Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Va.

And now, a 24,000-square-foot Birthplace of Country Music Cultural Heritage Center is being developed in Bristol, Va., with a scheduled opening in 2011.

“We are an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution and will ultimately become a destination for visitors to learn about mountain music that originated in the local hills of Appalachia,” says Bill Hartley, executive director of the Birthplace of Country Music Alliance and board member for the Crooked Road Heritage Trail.

The trail is a roadway that stretches from the Virginia-Kentucky state line and goes 230 miles into Virginia. “Motorists can visit eight major music-related venues through 10 counties, and this can truly become an economic development tool that ties together the region’s musical heritage,” Hartley says. “Stops include Carter Family Country, the Ralph Stanley Museum, Blue Ridge Music Center, the Galax Fiddlers Convention, Floyd Country Store and the Tennessee Blue Ridge Institute.

“And once the Birthplace of Country Music Cultural Heritage Center opens, it will be added as a Crooked Road Heritage Trail destination,” he says.

Back at the Northeast Tennessee Valley Regional Industrial Development Association, Summers says the entire region can boast numerous big-city amenities, but on a smaller scale.

“Many people from the northern U.S. who retired to Florida are now moving halfway back to live in the valley,” she says. “A lot of developers are interested in this region, and plenty of nice homes are being built. It is really exciting and interesting around here these days.”

– Kevin Litwin

SEE VIDEO ONLINEVisit Kingsport’s parks at imagesnetnvalley.com.


livability

Fans of fun, rejoice.Feel free to dust off your kilt and head to Elizabethton,

Tenn., for the Sycamore Shoals Celtic Festival. And be sure to wear your clogging shoes when attending the Clinch Mountain MusicFest in Scott County, Va.

The Northeast Tennessee Valley region has dozens of festivals each year, with just about every month covered. Springtime events include the Iris Festival in Greeneville, Tenn., while summertime attractions include the Appalachian Fair in Gray, Tenn., each August. In the fall, there is the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tenn., and wintertime attractions include A Candlelight Christmas in Piney Flats, Tenn., as well as Speedway in Lights from November to January in Bristol, Tenn.

“In Northeast Tennessee, events are our specialty,” says Claudia Moody, chief executive officer of the Northeast Tennessee Tourism Association. “Live music performances are abundant at festivals, some of which include the nation’s finest Americana, old-time, country, bluegrass and gospel

music. After all, this is a land where country music was born and where mountain music thrives.”

One of the biggest annual attractions, Fun Fest, takes place in Kingsport, Tenn., over nine days. Activities include a Tour de Possum Creek bike ride, an 8K run, concerts, a f ilm festival, arts show, block parties and a Mardi Gras parade. “We actually schedule 100 events,” says coordinator Lucy Fleming. Fun Fest draws about 180,000 people annually.

Also in Tennessee, the Independence Day Celebration at Davy Crockett Birthplace State Park in Limestone extends to a second day. And the Rhythm & Roots Reunion is held on a weekend each September on both sides of the Tennessee-Virginia state line in Bristol.

Other annual events of note include, in Tennessee, the Blue Plum Festival in Johnson City, the Unicoi County Apple Festival in Erwin and Heritage Days in Rogersville; and, in Virginia, the Mountain Treasures Festival in Dungannon, Nickelsville Days and Duffield Daze.

– Kevin Litwin

The nine-day Fun Fest draws about 180,000 people to Kingsport, Tenn., each year for concerts and many other kinds of events.

Celebrations are year-round magnets in the Northeast Tennessee Valley

Festive AboutFestivals


Ranked in the Top 10 Metros of Best Places for Business and Careers in the Country– Forbes Magazine, May 2006 and 2007

AVAILABLE BUILDING:

Located on 8.9 acres

Reinforced concrete floors

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Located 2.2 miles from Interstate 26

Snap-On tools building – 64,550 sq. ft. Other buildings available up to 296,000 sq. ft.

Johnson City/Jonesborough and Washington County Economic Development Board 603 E. Market St., Ste. 200 Johnson City, TN 37601 (423) 975-2380 www.jcedb.org

Two Towns, Two AndrewsHISTORIC TOWNS OF JONESBOROUGH AND GREENEVILLE HAVE BEEN HOME TO PRESIDENTS JACKSON AND JOHNSON

Andrew Jackson practiced

law as a young man in

Jonesborough, Tenn., during

the late 1780s. Andrew Johnson

moved to nearby Greeneville

in 1826 to work as a tailor.

Both eventual U.S. presidents

are honored in their respective

towns, especially since both

Jonesborough and Greeneville

enjoy showcasing history.

“Andrew Jackson, the

nation’s seventh president,

actually stayed for an extended

period at the Chester Inn

on Main Street during his

law-practicing days, and

that inn still exists today,” says

Melissa Cloyd, marketing and

advertising manager for the

Historic Jonesborough Visitors

Center/Department of Tourism.

“In fact, the bottom floor of the

old inn was transformed into

the Jonesborough Museum

in the fall of 2008. That is

very exciting for the 5,000

residents who live here.”

Jonesborough is the oldest

town in Tennessee, having been

founded in 1779. Today, it is a

magnet for tourists attracted

to its architecture, quaint shops

and restaurants.

“If you are a history buff,

Jonesborough is a must-visit

place,” Cloyd says. “We publish

a Jonesborough strolling-tour

brochure that describes an

amazing 40 sites here that are

listed on the National Register of

Historic Places. All are within easy

walking distance of one other.”

As for Greeneville, it is

Tennessee’s next-oldest town,

established in 1783. As vice

president, Johnson ascended

to the presidency following the

assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

The nation’s 17th president, he

subsequently was impeached

– and acquitted – and after

leaving the White House in 1869

went home to Greeneville.

Johnson later returned to

Washington to serve in the U.S.

Senate, but his longtime home

and burial place are in Greeneville.

In addition, the President

Andrew Johnson Museum is

on the campus of Tusculum

College in Greeneville.

“I know that Greeneville

promotes its interesting history,

and so do we,” Cloyd says.

“Truly, it is history that brings

most people to our community

each year.” – Kevin Litwin

Jonesborough, founded in 1779, is the oldest town in Tennessee.

SEE VIDEO ONLINEVisit downtown Jonesborough

at imagesnetnvalley.com.


livability

ECONOMIC PROFILE

BUSINESS CLIMATE

Strong training and workforce development programs that produce

skilled, educated workers – combined with low utility costs and low

tax rates – make the Northeast Tennessee Valley region an attractive

location for doing business.

SCOTT COUNTY, VIRGINIA“We’re a Natural …”

For Your Next Business Location

TRANSPORTATION

Centered around the

Tennessee/Virginia Tri-Cities

metropolitan area of Bristol,

Kingsport and Johnson City,

the Northeast Tennessee Valley

region offers convenient access

to Interstate 81, I-40 and I-26 as

well as nearby I-75 and I-77.

Fifty-five interstate trucking

companies serve the region,

providing access to more

than 70 percent of the U.S.

population within one

day’s truck delivery.

Tri-Cities Regional Airport

in Blountville, Tenn., is a full-

service facility for passenger

and cargo traffic.

Freight also moves in and out of

the region via CSX and Norfolk

Southern rail lines.

TENNESSEE

CARTER COUNTYPopulation 59,157Elizabethton/Carter County Chamber of CommerceP.O. Box 190500 Veterans Memorial ParkwayElizabethton, TN 37644(423) 547-3851 or (423) 547-3859www.elizabethtonchamber.com

CLAIBORNE COUNTYPopulation 31,347

Claiborne County Chamber of Commerce3222 Highway 25-E, Suite 1Tazewell, TN 37879(423) 626-4149 or (800) 332-8164www.claibornecounty.com

GREENE COUNTYPopulation 65,945Greene County Partnership115 Academy St.Greeneville, TN 37743(423) 638-4111, www.greenecountypartnership.com

HAMBLEN COUNTYPopulation 61,026

Morristown Area Chamber of CommerceP.O. Box 9825 W. First North St.Morristown, TN 37815(423) 586-6382www.morristownchamber.com

HANCOCK COUNTYPopulation 6,713Sneedville/Hancock Community Partners & Hancock County Chamber of CommerceP.O. Box 277Sneedville, TN 37869(423) 733-4466www.hancockcountytn.com


visit ouradvertisersBristol Chamber of Commerce www.bristolchamber.org

Bristol Tennessee Essential Services www.btes.net

Bristol Virginia Utilities www.bvub.com

Eastman Chemical Company www.eastman.com

Economic Development Board www.jcedb.org

Elizabethton Electric Department www.cityofelizabethton.org

Erwin Utilities www.erwinutilities.com

First Tennessee Bank www.firsttennessee.com

Goins Rash Cain Inc. www.grcinc.com

Greeneville Light & Power System www.glps.net

Holston Electric/Hawkins County www.holstenelectric.com

J.A. Street & Associates www.jastreet.com

Johnson City Power Board www.jcpb.com

King College www.king.edu

Morristown Utility Systems www.musfiber.net

NETWORKS-Sullivan Partnership www.networkstn.com

Northeast State Technical Community College www.northeaststate.edu

Northeast Tennessee Valley Regional Industrial Development Association www.netvaly.org

Scott County Economic Development Authority www.scottcountyva.org

Sleep Inn – Inn & Suites www.sleepinn.com/hotel/tn288

TCI Group – Jerry Petzoldt Agency www.tcigroup.com

Tri-Cities Regional Airport www.triflight.com

HAWKINS COUNTYPopulation 56,850

Hawkins County Industrial

Development Board

403 E. Main St.

Rogersville, TN 37857

(423) 272-7668

www.hawkinscounty.org

JEFFERSON COUNTYPopulation 49,372

Jefferson County

Chamber of Commerce

P.O. Box 890,

Dandridge, TN 37725

(865) 397-9642

www.jefferson-tn-chamber.org

JOHNSON COUNTYPopulation 18,043

Town of Mountain City

210 S. Church St.

Mountain City, TN 37683

www.mountaincityonline.com

SULLIVAN COUNTYPopulation 153,239

Bristol Chamber

of Commerce

20 Volunteer Parkway

Bristol, TN 37620

(423) 989-4850

www.bristolchamber.org

Kingsport Chamber

of Commerce

P.O. Box 1403

151 Main St.

Kingsport, TN 37662

(423) 392-8800

www.kingsportchamber.org

UNICOI COUNTY Population 17,663

Unicoi County

Chamber of Commerce

P.O. Box 713

100 S. Main Ave.

Erwin, TN 37650

(423) 743-3000

www.unicoicounty.org

WASHINGTON COUNTYPopulation 114,316

The Chamber of

Commerce serving

Johnson City-Jonesborough-

Washington County

603 E. Market St.

Johnson City, TN 37601

(423) 461-8000

www.johnsoncitytnchamber.com

NORTH CAROLINA

AVERY COUNTYPopulation: 17,674

Avery County

Chamber of Commerce

4501 Tynecastle Highway

Unit 2

Banner Elk, NC 28604

(828) 898-5605 or

(800) 972-2183

www.averycounty.com

VIRGINIA

LEE COUNTY Population, 23,787

Lee County Industrial

Development Authority

P.O. Box 912

Jonesville, VA 24263

(276) 346-7766

www.leecountyida.com

SCOTT COUNTYPopulation 22,882

Scott County Economic

Development Authority

180 W. Jackson St.

Gate City, VA 24251

(276) 386-2525

www.scottcountyva.org

WASHINGTON COUNTYPopulation 51,984

Washington County

Chamber of Commerce

179 E. Main St.

Abingdon, VA 24210

(276) 628-8141

www.washingtonvachamber.org

Note: Population figures are 2006 U.S. Census Bureau estimates

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Northeast Tennessee

Valley Regional Industrial

Development Association

2425 Highway 75

Building 102

Northeast State Technical

Community College

P.O. Box 1022

Tri-Cities Regional Airport

Blountville, TN 37617

Phone: (423) 323-1203

Fax: (423) 323-4016

www.netvaly.org


economic profile

Ad Index 35 BRISTOL CHAMBER

OF COMMERCE

4 BRISTOL TENNESSEE

ESSENTIAL SERVICES

29 BRISTOL VIRGINIA UTILITIES

8 EASTMAN

CHEMICAL COMPANY

33 ECONOMIC

DEVELOPMENT BOARD

28 ELIZABETHTON

ELECTRIC DEPARTMENT

3 ERWIN UTILITIES

C2 FIRST TENNESSEE BANK

2 GOINS RASH CAIN INC .

24 GREENEVILLE LIGHT & POWER SYSTEM

4 HOLSTON ELECTRIC/ HAWKINS COUNTY

34 J .A . STREET & ASSOCIATES INC .

25 JOHNSON CITY POWER BOARD

34 KING COLLEGE

12 MORRISTOWN UTILITY SYSTEMS

8 NETWORKS-SULLIVAN PARTNERSHIP

©2002 American Cancer Society, Inc.

questions

answers

8 0 0 . A C S . 2 3 4 5 / c a n c e r . o r g

Ad Index (cont’d) 20 NORTHEAST STATE TECHNICAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE

C4 NORTHEAST TENNESSEE VALLEY REGIONAL INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION

35 SCOTT COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

C3 SLEEP INN – INN & SUITES

34 TCI GROUP – JERRY PETZOLDT AGENCY

21 TRI-CITIES REGIONAL AIRPORT

The Sleep Inn & Suites® hotel in Kingsport is conveniently located off Interstate 81, just one mile from the Tri-Cities Regional Airport. This Kingsport, Tennessee hotel is minutes from area points of interest like the Fort Henry Mall, East Tennessee State University and Bays Mountain Park. The Bristol Motor Speedway is also nearby.

The Allandale Mansion, Bristol Caverns, Historic Jonesborough and Johnson City are all only minutes away. Several shops are nearby. A variety of restaurants are located in the area. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store and restaurant is within walking distance.

Full-service amenities and features include:Free airport shuttle serviceFree continental breakfastFree wireless high-speed

Internet accessFree USA TodayFree local calls

200 Hospitality Place Kingsport, TN 37663 (423) 279-1811 www.sleepinn.com/hotel/tn288

business images northeast tennessee valley region: 2009

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