Editorial
Front Page - Friday, July 10, 2009
Tennessee receives Gold Shovel recognition for growth
Samara Litvack
Area Development Online is a New York-based site and facility-planning magazine that is distributed to approximately 45,000 executives, primarily of mid-size, industrial-type companies, on a bi-monthly basis. The companies that advertise with the publication are economic agencies across the board whose goal is to attract these types of companies into their area.
For the fourth year, Area Development asked state level economic development agencies from each of the 50 states to submit information on their 10 most significant industrial projects in terms of job creation and investment. The projects must have gotten under way in 2008 and must have continued to flourish in 2009.
Area Development’s Annual Gold and Silver Shovel Awards were distributed in mid-June, signifying the states whose economic development agencies drove significant job creation through innovative policies, infrastructure improvements, processes and promotions, as well as attracted new employers and investments in expanded facilities.
The companies submitted by each state either “broke ground or began hiring for a new facility, or they invested money in and began hiring for expansion,” says Gerri Gambale, editor of Area Development. “The people at the state-level agencies determined which projects they wanted to submit to us for consideration, and then we employed a formula based on a combination of weighed factors to determine the award recipients.”
Several aspects were considered in the grading process of each state. Based on the number of high valued-added jobs per capita, amount of investment, number of new facilities and industry diversity, scores were tallied and given to each state. After receiving the highest score, Tennessee was awarded the publication’s Gold Shovel, presented annually to the state that has achieved the most success in terms of job creation and economic impact.
Companies submitted by the state for consideration included the incoming Volkswagen Group of America’s North American automotive production facility, in Chattanooga, which was also listed first in Area Development’s “Top Job Creation and Investment Projects 2008.” Bringing in an investment of approximately $1 billion, the production facility will create 2,000 “good-paying jobs,” says Area Development’s Web site (www.areadevelopment.com) and will generate more than $12 billion of economic growth in related sectors.
Also notable on Tennessee’s list was the Hemlock Semiconductor Corporation in Clarksville, which plans to build a $1.2 billion polysilicon production facility (used in the production of solar panels). Gambale says the Hemlock plant will create at least 500 jobs.
Of further interest are ServiceSource, a California-based sales company, which expanded to Nashville and is investing $10 million for a new call center that will employ approximately 200 workers, and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, in Knoxville, which is investing $50 million into the Forks of the River Industrial Park and will employ 360 people.
Other companies included in Tennessee’s submission included Leclerc Foods in Kingsport; Johnson Controls in Columbia; Goodyear in Union City; Science Applications International Corporation in Oak Ridge; and Star Manufacturing in Smithville.
According to the magazine’s Web site, Tennessee landed more that $3 billion in new investments from July 2008 to February 2009.
Area Development also recognized 10 other states in the Silver Shovel category. These states were broken into categories by population – 5 million and under, 5 to 10 million and 10 million and up. Texas, Michigan and Pennsylvania were winners in the over 10 million population group; Virginia, Indiana, Georgia and North Carolina were winners in the 5 to 10 million population group (Georgia and North Carolina tied); and Arkansas, Alabama and South Carolina were honored in the under 5 million population group.
“All economic development agencies make significant contributions to their states, but every year there are a few standouts,” says Gambale. “These 11 states deserve special recognition.”
A full review of this year’s Gold and Silver Shovel Award winners will be published in the June/July issue of Area Development and is posted
online at www.areadevelopment.com/awards.
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