Special Needs Athletics Baseball
JACKSON, TN – A meeting was held June 2 to reveal the blueprint of a comprehensive regional
economic development strategy which is designed to position the area to successfully assist existing
businesses and compete for new quality jobs in the 21
st
Century economy.
The Jackson region is a recipient of a Regional Economic Development Strategy as part of the
Tennessee Valley Authority’s Valley Targeted and Prepared (TaP) Regional Program, which is designed to
promote regionalism and assist regions in being better prepared as they compete for jobs and
investments.
Boyette Strategic Advisors (BSA), an economic development and public policy consulting firm
based in Little Rock, was chosen by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to facilitate this new program
and develop the strategy for the Jackson region. In the meeting, BSA delivered a presentation outlining
the Regional Economic Development Strategy for the Jackson Region, which includes the counties of Carroll, Chester, Crockett, Gibson, Hardeman, Haywood, Henderson, Madison and McNairy and the
West Tennessee Megasite, which is located in Haywood County.
Attendees included officials, local mayors, local economic developers, TVA electric distributers,
state and TVA representatives and other interested parties from throughout the region.
Kyle Spurgeon, President and CEO of The Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce, will act as
managing director of the strategy during the first three years and will work closely with an advisory
council with representatives from each of the nine counties. This group will work together to implement
the strategy.
The blueprint will guide economic development efforts in the Jackson region over the next five
years. This nine-month study includes a thorough assessment of the region’s unique assets, which were
identified through both qualitative and quantitative research; a determination of the targeted business
sectors that are the best fit for the region; and development of strategic recommendations in the areas
of business recruitment, education, existing industry support and retention, marketing, regional
economic development structure, workforce development and others.
Recommendations for the strategic blueprint have been developed based on a tour of the
region, stakeholder interviews and group discussions conducted throughout the region. More than
1,100 people were interviewed or participated in an online survey. BSA also used research into other successful regional economic development organizations and practices and considered the region’s
existing resources and opportunities.
Targeted sectors for the region that have been indentified are advanced batteries/energy
storage devices, advanced food processing, automotive suppliers, customer care centers, data centers,
distribution and logistics services and solar component manufacturing. BSA will provide specific
company targets for each sector that may be looking to expand or open new locations. Quarterly
checkpoints with BSA and the advisory council will be held for the first year.
The Jackson Area Chamber of Commerce received a $500,000 grant from the state of Tennessee
in 2010 to launch a regional economic development partnership.
