Success Stories / Testimonials
Fleetwood Home
Fleetwood Plant is Up and Running
(Excepts from the Macon County Times, January
10, 2008)
Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, the more than year-long idled Fleetwood plant reopened Monday, December 17, 2007. The move from the Gallatin [Tennessee] plant, which is closing, began the previous week.
"All of the employees at the Gallatin plant were offered the opportunity to move to the Lafayette location, and more than 90% of them came," said Bill Graves, general manager of the plant.
The number of people currently employed at Fleetwood is 170, including staff and management employees.
The California-based company decided to close its Gallatin factory and move its entire Middle Tennessee production capability to Lafayette last November. The modern lay-out of the Lafayette factory, built in the late 1990's, and the good, reliable local workforce were said to be factors in the move.
Nestlé Waters North
America, Macon County Bottling Plant
| "On behalf of Nestlé
Waters North America, let me express my company’s continuing delight
with having one of our water manufacturing plants located in Macon
County. From the time we first arrived in this community back in
2001, and especially after we finished construction of our plant and
began production a few years back, we have been impressed with the
quality of the workforce and overall wonderful quality of life here.
And, of course, the great natural beauty of this part of the country
speaks for itself.
Macon County has been a great place for Nestlé Waters to be, and we especially value our employees here." Mark Smidebush |
Nestlé Waters North America opens Plant in Macon County
Beginning in the early 2000s, the Perrier Group [since purchased by Nestlé] began looking into setting up a bottling plant in Red Boiling Springs, Tennessee. Construction on the US$!00 million plant began in 2002 and was completed in 2003.
Nestlé worked with the City of Red Boiling Springs, Macon County, the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, and the State of Tennessee to facilitate the project.
Nestlé bottles waters found locally and also transports water in tanker trucks from other Tennessee locations for bottling in Red Boiling Springs. In addition to this water, Nestlé had a major need for additional, city water for use in cleaning the facilities, etc. The State of Tennessee was able to provide a US$4 million grant to run a pipeline from Lafayette, the county seat of Macon County. This is just one example of how the local and state governments were able to fit the new bottling plant with the resources it needed.
Tri-County Electric, Macon County's local energy company, quickly met all of Nestlé's energy needs, and North Central Telephone Cooperative was able to run advanced fiber-optic lines to the new bottling plant to meet Nestlé's specialized communications needs.
Today, Nestlé Waters North America employs over 150 people and ships over 140 tractor-trailers per day from its Macon County bottling plant. The water is bottled under the Nestlé Pure Life brand.
Red Barn Winery in Lafayette
Mentioned as Tennessee Success Story by Governor Bredesen
(See highlighted text below)
It’s a pleasure and a privilege to be with all of you today. I’d also
like to say, up front, how pleased I am to meet the representatives of the
companies receiving the Governor’s Award for Trade Excellence.
As someone who has worked for a company that conducted business
internationally…and having spent time in Europe at the beginning of my
career … I know that it can sometimes be intimidating to reach out to
customers in foreign countries … especially for small firms.
I’m pleased to see these Tennessee companies have made that leap of faith
… and that they are finding success in doing so. Congratulations to all of
you.
I also know that in business, winning new customers is important … but
it’s equally important to take care of the customers you have … for many
Tennessee companies, Canada is one of those customers, and we’re pleased
to have Deputy consul General Steven Gawreletz (GAR-litz) with us today.
He is an expert on the subject of trade policy … and I’m sure that, like
me, he knows that the ties that bind the U.S. and Canada are stronger than
the differences we may have from time to time … Steven, thank you for
joining us today.
Many of you were here with me at this conference a year ago… the theme of
my remarks then was “Next Steps” – in an election year, I was looking
ahead, and I took the opportunity to lay out some of the areas I’d like to
focus on if given the privilege of a second term.
Today, I’d like to look back at the progress we’ve made since that day, as
well as take a look ahead to the future. I am happy to be speaking to you
after a year of great economic growth. We can truly say that we’ve covered
a lot of ground, and that the future looks brighter than ever.
And I am so pleased with the partnerships that have allowed this to
happen, and can’t stress their importance enough.
But I’ll cut right to the chase … I know what the big question is on many
people’s minds: What can we do to spur economic growth in our rural
communities?
Yes, Tennessee is enjoying economic growth … the progress we’ve made in
the past few years has truly been great … we’ve had revenue surpluses
fueled largely by the Franchise and Excise tax … due mostly to the success
we’ve had in attracting new companies to our state, as well as helping
Tennessee companies expand.
But the reality is that this growth is limited – we’ve discovered that the
increase in those tax collections come from 12 or so counties, mostly
around Nashville, Knoxville, Memphis, Chattanooga.
We all know that Tennessee is a largely rural state, and that we need to
keep these areas well in mind when it comes to planning for economic
development. Our rural counties present more of a challenge in this regard
than our more urban areas, but we are ready to meet that challenge
head-on.
We’re working with members of the General Assembly to approach the problem
systematically, and we’ve got a lot of plans in the works, which I will be
pleased to share with you in detail in a few minutes.
But first, looking back over the year that has passed since we last met, I
want to say how much I appreciate the vote of confidence last November on
what we achieved on the economic front during our first term, and I want
to re-state something I’ve said before: we’re not coasting through the
second term.
We in government realize what a truly limited amount of time we have to
positively affect the lives of our citizens. My approach to Tennessee’s
economic growth is straightforward: I intend to leave our state better off
then when I took office.
As I’ve said from day one … to do that will require a partnership … both
the state and local communities have to work together. To share the
benefits, we must share the responsibilities.
This brings us back to our rural communities, and the need to partner to
find ways to spur economic growth all over the state. Last year, one of
the things I discussed with you was the need to create higher-skilled,
better paying jobs in our rural communities…the reality is, there’s a lot
of people in our state who don’t live near one of our major cities … or in
a suburban area … and these are the people who we need to ensure have the
opportunity for a well-paying, secure job.
In many of our rural counties, unemployment and poverty remain
persistently high … and these are places where prospects for attracting
new industry face significant challenges.
Working with committed legislators like State Representative Craig
Fitzhugh from Ripley … we’ve used data from the University of Tennessee to
outline a series of tiered Jobs Tax Credit enhancements for these
counties.
I’m talking specifically about places like the upper Cumberland Plateau
… rural parts of the Tennessee River Valley stretching from Kentucky to
the Alabama and Mississippi state lines … large stretches of our state
that simply can’t be left behind or ignored when it comes to talk of
economic development.
So what are we doing to ensure this?
I’ll start with taxes. We want to aggressively utilize the expanded Jobs
Tax Credit in those rural counties to spur job growth … and we’re
marketing that effort in a program called the Rural Opportunity
Initiative, or R-O-I. We’ve made a map available here today which shows
which counties will receive the enhanced tax credits under R-O-I … I hope
you’ll have the chance to take a look and see if this new incentive can
benefit your community.
Speaking of new incentives … we have lots of them. But they’re only
effective if people take advantage of them. So the vital next step is in
your hands: education – that is, we want you to educate yourselves on our
new incentives … so you can in turn get the word out to your communities.
In your conference material, you’ll find a booklet called “The Tennessee
Toolkit” which outlines the programs and incentives now available to
communities.
I hope you’ll get a sense of the sheer size and scope of the changes we’ve
made to Tennessee’s package of incentives, and spend some time
familiarizing yourselves with which ones might work in your community.
Remember the essential need for partnership … we need your help … these
programs are useless unless people know about them. You are the vital key
in getting the word out and setting things in motion.
I’m also very pleased to report on the progress of the Rural Opportunity
Fund.
Working with the General Assembly and private lenders, we’ve created a new
pool of venture capital, specifically for businesses in rural areas. We’ve
already appropriated more than a million dollars in funds through ECD to
start the fund … ultimately leveraging more than $10 million in private
investment.
Those dollars will be loaned to businesses in our rural areas … small and
independent businesses that have already gotten off the ground, and need
help in growing and expanding. Private fundraising has already begun … and
private lenders are embracing the concept because they can receive credits
against their franchise and excise tax liability.
The Rural Opportunity Fund is a truly innovative partnership, and I’m
excited about the opportunities that will arise from this new source of
capital for small and independent business growth here in Tennessee.
A year ago, I also spoke about the need to broaden the range of projects
that can qualify for our FastTrack Infrastructure Development Program to
include more speculative projects.
The idea is that it’s very difficult for communities in rural areas to
garner the attention of business unless there’s a ready-made site or
existing building the company can move into. Our goal is to help rural
communities, even though they may not have a “bird-in-hand” project at
that moment.
I’m pleased to say this program is up and running … and you’ll be able to
learn more about it here today.
Another idea that’s garnered a lot of attention this past year is the
“Orange Carpet Tour.”
Why Orange Carpet? Chambers in our biggest cities customarily bring site
selection consultants in for what’s called “Red Carpet Tours” … a day or
two of briefings … and tours of sites capable for development.
We’re now ready to begin scheduling similar tours in our rural communities
… the Orange Carpet Tours.
The big difference, however, is that the rural communities will receive
feedback.
Communities will make their best pitch to consultants … and the
consultants will give them written reports about the viability of what
they’ve seen and heard.
I believe it’s a win-win situation: the consultants learn about what a
community has to offer … and the community gets an assessment of their
strengths and weaknesses from an objective economic development
professional.
One note, though, to communities interested in hosting an Orange Carpet
Tour: You’ve got to do your homework. I can’t emphasize that enough.
I’ve asked ECD to focus this program on rural communities that have done
the basic blocking-and-tackling necessary to position themselves for
economic development.
If a community hasn’t done its homework … hasn’t done the self analysis …
or developed a five year plan … or taken the appropriate steps on a
community development front … then scheduling an Orange Carpet Tour would
be a waste of time for everyone involved.
So I’ll say it again: do your homework, then let’s talk.
This is just another piece of the partnership… with shared responsibility
at both the state and local level. You do your part … then we can do ours.
You know, something that we cannot forget, when we talk about rural
economic development, or even overall economic development on a statewide
level, is that Tennessee is an agricultural state. With 84,000 farms,
we’re fourth in the nation. With that in mind, it is important to
remember: rural economic development is largely agricultural development.
Though it is vital to bring industry to our rural areas, we also must keep
that fact in sight. With two-and-a-half billion dollars total farm income
in the state, we can’t afford to forget it.
In Tennessee, agriculture is a major force in our rural communities …
every farm dollar rolls over six or seven times in the community’s
economy…reflected in the purchasing of machinery and equipment, loans from
local banks, property taxes and the like. Small farmers are truly small
businessmen, and we are providing incentives for them to diversify and
maximize their potential.
We’ve recently expanded our Tennessee Agriculture Enhancement Program to
make available $26 million dollars in matching fund loans to farmers
looking to expand in certain innovative areas: cattle, hay and feed
storage, animal health, product diversifying, the opening and expansion of
farmer’s markets.
We’ve had a lot of success stories with this program … One great
example is a tobacco farm in Macon County that converted to a vineyard,
winery, and tourist destination. Not only have the farmers changed
with the times, diversified and developed a value-added product in their
wine-making … they’re also bringing tourism to their area … and dollars
into the community ... It’s a benefit to everyone, and this program is
full of stories like it.
Now, turning our sights a bit further afield than Macon County … many of
you have probably read about the state’s upcoming trade mission to China.
I’m pleased that Lt. Governor Ramsey and Speaker Naifeh will be joining me
on this important trade initiative.
We’ll be opening the Tennessee-China Development Center while we’re there
… the state’s first-ever trade office in that country.
Some of you may be wondering what benefit - if any - this trade mission
can have to your community. Well, I firmly believe that we will build
relationships that will benefit Tennessee communities both urban and
rural. Our trade relationship with China rose to $1-point-eight billion
dollars in 2006 … it has risen more than 11-hundred percent in six
years…making Tennessee one of China’s fastest growing trading partners
among U.S. states.
Over $900 million dollars of that $1-point-eight billion came from the
purchase of Tennessee agricultural crops by China …. So it’s clear that
this trade mission is one that will directly benefit rural Tennessee.
Last but not least, in the field of technology, many of you will recall
that a year ago I also emphasized our need to grow technology jobs.
Some in our tech sector have urged us to move much faster in this area,
but we’re approaching it systematically, and smartly, with an eye to the
long term … over the past year, we’ve had a good debate over how to best
move forward.
We’ve been working with the General Assembly’s Broadband Task Force to
look at expanding access to high speed data transmission across our state
… a key to economic development.
I’m pleased to say that we’ve contracted with a national non-profit
organization to create “Connected Tennessee.” Working with broadband
providers, we’ve taken the first step: that is, we’ve collected data on
our state’s broadband infrastructure and mapped out where we have access …
and where we need it.
Now that we’ve got the “lay of the land” … we can develop strategies to
take us where we need to be.
We’ve also taken a closer look at the Tennessee Technology Development
Corporation and asked ourselves whether it is the best vehicle to drive
technology policy in Tennessee. We’ve concluded that it is … but we’ve
restructured its mission.
We’ve built a new board, made up of members with stronger technology
backgrounds…experts in their field, as well as entrepreneurs and others
who will have strong, informed views about how to move forward. The board
has asked Eric Cromwell to serve as its new president … I’m so pleased
that he’s agreed…and I’ll tell you why.
Innovation Tennessee has a $5 million dollar fund of “seed capitol” … a
fund designed to assist innovative new businesses … and to help
Tennessee’s universities and laboratories move new ideas into the
commercial marketplace.
Eric’s background in the creation of the FedEx Institute in Memphis and in
managing a technology incubator there makes him ideally suited to managing
this project…he’s worked closely with the consultants who developed the
business plan for Innovation Tennessee, and knows as much about it as
anyone in the state.
It’s partnerships like this one that will lead Tennessee into the future …
partnerships that are forming across the public and private sector every
day.
A year ago, I concluded my remarks by stressing the need to “get the talk
right” about Tennessee … and the evidence is clear that we’ve taken steps
in that direction.
We’re now standing on solid ground … we’ve got our fiscal house in order …
and upgrades from the bond rating agencies … and although I’ve had some
differences with members of the General Assembly about the best way to
utilize our strong tax collections … in the end, we reached a good
compromise.
I’ve come to realize that a Governor enjoys a lot more advice when it
comes to spending a surplus…then when it comes to cutting the budget.
But we must all understand that the national economy will determine much
of the challenges we face in the coming year … volatility in the
markets….a decline in the number of jobs created nationally last month …
speculation about recession …. All of these things make it that much more
important to position ourselves in a way to take advantage of all the
economic development opportunities that come our way.
Tennessee is well positioned … and that’s due in large part to the hard
work and commitment all of you have put into this … and, most importantly
of all, the strong partnerships we’ve built over the past four years.
I’d like to take this opportunity to personally thank you for all that you
do. Because what we are really talking about, here today … is making
better lives for the people of Tennessee. Working together, I know we will
make the future even brighter.
Thank you.
