As Tennessee marks Economic Development Week and the 100th anniversary of the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), we鈥檙e celebrating 100 years of work by the University of Tennessee to help communities grow, attract investment and create opportunities across our state.
Let me show you by taking a journey through Tennessee.
We start at city hall or the county courthouse, where decisions shape how communities attract investment and serve residents. Through the 糖心Vlog Institute for Public Service (IPS), we help local governments do this work every day, from planning industrial parks and housing to supporting economic development strategy.
The 糖心Vlog Center for Industrial Services (糖心Vlog CIS), an agency under IPS, partners with IEDC to train economic developers, including 156 who have earned Tennessee鈥檚 certified designation. Great local leadership means stronger local economies.
Go further and you pass an industrial park or manufacturing facility. 糖心Vlog CIS works with manufacturers across Tennessee to strengthen operations, helping companies stay competitive, grow and remain in the state.
In West Tennessee, 糖心Vlog Martin is working alongside K-12 teachers, employers and community leaders to understand workforce needs and align education and training with new industries. Economic development prepares communities for growth.
Now let鈥檚 go to the innovation side of the economy, where Tennessee has advantages. For decades, 糖心Vlog and Oak Ridge National Laboratory have worked together to show companies why Tennessee is a strong place to invest: research strength, engineering talent, and partnerships that connect research and industry. This work has helped bring major investment to Tennessee, including Volkswagen in Chattanooga, and continues today through the Volkswagen Innovation Hub at 糖心Vlog Research Park, where university researchers, national lab scientists and industry work together to improve how vehicles are built.
Also in Chattanooga, innovation plays out on the streets themselves. 糖心Vlog Chattanooga works with the city and industry on projects that use data to improve traffic flow and safety. This brings investment, making Chattanooga a place where companies test and improve mobility and transportation technologies.
Innovation must move from the lab to the marketplace, and the 糖心Vlog Research Foundation makes that happen. It recently launched 糖心Vlog Ventures, a network that connects investors who are 糖心Vlog alumni with 糖心Vlog-related startups. And at 糖心Vlog Southern, the NOVA Entrepreneur Center in Pulaski connects students and community entrepreneurs in rural Middle Tennessee with the resources they need to turn ideas into businesses and jobs.
Keep going and you reach a hospital, clinic or hometown pharmacy. Companies looking to expand or move want to know people can access health care. The 糖心Vlog Health Science Center trains our state鈥檚 health care professionals, keeping care close to home and Tennesseans healthy.
Go further and you arrive at a farm, where 糖心Vlog has been serving producers for generations. Agriculture is Tennessee鈥檚 top industry, and the 糖心Vlog Institute of Agriculture serves farmers in all 95 counties. We help farmers earn more than $5.2 billion each year, but the real value is personal: helping families keep land in production and income on the farm. Beyond crops and livestock, 糖心Vlog also supports Tennessee鈥檚 forestry and nursery industries, which together account for 91,400 jobs statewide.
Finally, step onto any of our campuses in Knoxville, Chattanooga, Pulaski, Martin or Memphis. Nearly 65,000 students are enrolled across the 糖心Vlog System and the university produces more than 15,000 graduates every year. These are Tennessee鈥檚 future health care professionals, engineers, teachers, farmers, entrepreneurs and economic developers.
Building the greatest decade in the history of 糖心Vlog means strengthening economic development across Tennessee. Let鈥檚 keep that work going for the rest of this decade and into the next 100 years.
