Aarons InsuranceAdvantage SuitesAdventures Off RoadBaker Agency InsuranceBank of Frankewing
Chapman Tire
Crockett CinemasCut N UpD.E. Hill & SonsDiamond Pools & SpasDixon's Fine JewelryDustin's Lawn CareEnergy Smart SolutionsFancy Pants First Class Charter Fox Sporting GoodsGreens Furniture The Hidden Garden Hood Flora Realty J & G Tire Center
Kelly Appliance & Vacuum
Lawrenceburg Federal Bank
Lawrenceburg Florist Lawrenceburg Glass Lynn Electronics
The Mad Hatter's PartyMarkus Insurance Mckelvey's Flowers Mo's Pawn Nature's Nuggets Nerd's Computer RepairOne Stop Medical Pettus Turnbo Funeral Home Randy's Cycle & ATVRent Right Rick's ElectricalSeven Springs OrthoSterling VaporSue Sue's Sandwich ShopSummit of LawrenceburgSwap and Shop Center True Value HardwareWall-Modrall Insurance

 

APPLIANCE REPAIR

Kelly Appliance & Vacuum 931-244-7200

AIR CONDITIONING

D.E. Hill & Son 762-9584

ASSISTED LIVING

The Summit of Lawrenceburg
Summit of Lawrenceburg 762-3524

 

AUTO REPAIR

Chapman Tire 931-829-2155
J & G Tire Center 931-762-0078

 

BANKS

Bank of Frankewing
Bank of Frankewing 762-6800
Lawrenceburg Federal Bank 931-762-7571

 

CINEMAS

Crockett Cinemas 931-762-6821

 

CLINICS

One Stop Medical
One Stop Medical 762-9797
Seven Springs Orthopaedics 244-7181

 

COMPUTER REPAIR

Nerd's Computer Repair

DAY SPA

The Hidden Garden 762-9799

ELECTRICAL & PLUMBING

Rick's Electrical & Plumbing 931-242-5325

 

ELECTRONICS

Lynn Electronics 762-0401

E CIGARETTES

Sterling Vapor 931-231-5422

FLORIST

Lawrenceburg Florist 762-3722
McKelvey's Flowers 762-4511

FUNERAL HOMES

Pettus-Turnbo Funeral Home 762-3291

FURNITURE

Green's Furniture
Swap & Shop Center

GLASS REPAIR

Lawrenceburg Glass 766-1004

 

HARDWARE

True Value Hardware
True Value Hardware 762-7516

HOBBY

Adventure Off Road 852-5445

INSURANCE

Aarons Insurance 931-629-8065
Baker Agency 762-4550
Markus Insurance 762-9401
Wall-Modrall Insurance 762-6528

JEWELRY

Dixon's Fine Jewelry 762-9979

 

LAWN CARE

Dustin's Lawncare
Dustin's Lawn Care 242-4414

MEDICAL

Seven Springs Orthopaedics 244-7181

NATURAL FOODSNature's Nuggests 762-2895

OUTDOOR

Randy's Cycle & ATV 762-2450

PARTY / SUPPLIES

The Mad Hatter's Party Wonderland

The Mad Hatter's Party Wonderland 931-244-7222

 

PAWN

Mo's Pawn Shop 762-2529

POOLS/ SUPPLIES

Diamond Pools & Spas 762-7189

REAL ESTATE

Hood Flora Realty
Hood-Flora Realty 762-4247

 

RENTAL

Rent Right
Rent Right 762-8187

RESTAURANTS

Sue Sue's Sandwich Shop
Sue Sue's Sandwich Shop 762-8879

SPORTING GOODS
Fox Sporting Goods 931-766-0313

 

TRAVEL

First Class Charter
First Class Charter 762-5778

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

In the past weeks I’ve talked with you about Lawrence County’s budget problems and the immediate actions they require. This week, I want to discuss what we’re doing to find long-term solutions and avoid the kind of crisis we’re in now.

Good financial health for families and local government will be achieved with more and better jobs in our community. Most everyone understands what economic development is, but not the work that goes into it.

Tennessee counties and their incorporated cities are required by state law to form Joint Economic & Community Development (JECD) Boards and share the cost of economic development. Our partners are Lawrence County, Lawrenceburg, Loretto, St. Joseph, and Ethridge. Contributions are based on population – Lawrenceburg, for instance, pays a higher percentage of the annual budget than St. Joseph.

The Board uses its budget to support the economic development work of the Chamber of Commerce, and plays a role in its strategic planning process. The City of Loretto also supports the South Lawrence Economic Development Association (SLEDA), a proactive effort to find prospects suitable for that community.

There are general steps in the process of industry/business recruitment that are the same for every prospect, but the specifics are as varied as the companies themselves.

When company officials decide to move or expand at a new location, they already have a region, their building site/ facility and workforce needs in mind. They begin their search online and the Chamber’s website, SelectLawrence.com, does a good job of presenting information about doing business in Lawrence County. Much more can be found online from our school system, hospital, city, county, and local media websites, and from sites like Facebook. There’s no way to know how many prospects eliminate our community with a simple internet search.

With their short list in hand, a company might contact an agency like TVA or the state’s Economic & Community Development Department to help them learn more about and visit those communities. Others, though, might choose to take that step themselves and even come to Lawrence County without contacting anyone.

A prospect’s need for secrecy can’t be overstated. Every company has competitors, and a leak about growth plans can give the competition an advantage. Some companies may not be growing, but downsizing by combining several operations into one new one. Those companies, understandably, want to inform current employees in their own time frame. A third reason? “Because they say so,” says Chamber President Ethan Hadley. Prospects always want to keep their plans close to the vest, and they call the shots.

One of a prospect’s first requirements is an available building site or existing building. Speed is topmost in a prospect’s mind and they choose the place where they can get their business up and running the fastest. That’s why it was important to have the sites at Team Lawrence Park “shovel ready,” with every possible pre-construction task complete. Zoning and other permitting tasks are finished, and utilities are available at every site.

Our spec building will allow a company to get their business underway even faster. Its 40-foot ceilings and other design elements make it suitable to a wide range of industries, but it is basically a shell where the tenant can make the final choices themselves. Several other buildings are available across the county, and all are featured on the Chamber website.

Another factor is our workforce. Larger prospects may consider an employment pool from surrounding counties, but the community they choose as their new location is most important. A prospect might even visit existing industries’ human resource personnel to ask about labor and management relations, work ethic, drug-related issues and productivity.

If the workforce lacks enough skilled workers to meet their needs, a community college or technical school may join the conversation. Incentives from the community and the state of Tennessee can include training dollars to help prepare future employees for those jobs.

When communities with similar sites and/or buildings are vying for a prospect, incentives may make the difference. The state can offer tax credits; grants and low-interest financing; utility discounts; and tax exemptions. Communities can offer tax abatement incentives (an agreement to lower a prospects’ property tax on real estate and equipment for a certain number of years) because the benefit to residents and resulting tax proceeds can more than make up the difference.

What can ordinary citizens do to help economic development? Stay positive about our community – you never know who might be sitting at the next table in a local restaurant, or reading Facebook posts. We all have relatives who live across the country – ask them to let you know if they hear anything about local companies’ expansions and pass word along to the Chamber of Commerce. Finally, help keep our community clean. Garbage on our roadsides is not only unattractive; it speaks volumes about the people of Lawrence County, and that’s our top selling point.



 


 


Lawrenceburg Glass


Lawrenceburg Now
Hood Flora Realty Seven Springs Ortho Lawrenceburg Federal Bank
D.E. Hill & Sons
Mike Wilburn at Barr Nissan Cut N Up Hair SalonGreen's Furniture StoreOne Stop Medical