Executive Director’s Message
From the desk of G.C. Hixson...
"Plain and Simple"- Labor, Education and
Economic Development:

I still believe that you can find a study to justify just about anything you want to believe. While probably not totally correct, I would like to share with you a middle Tennessee report released last week on labor, education and economic development. The report funded by area labor agencies provides an interesting insight into our labor market. The study addresses our population growth, workforce trends, employer demands, emerging clusters and the gap between worker supply and the demands of present and future jobs. The full report is available at nashvillechamber.com/workforcestudy . Some of the more interesting items contained in the report were how will Wilson County and middle Tennessee address the issue of the workforce Baby Boomers as employers seek to replace these experienced and skilled employees? Over 40,000 middle Tennessee workers moved into retirement age in the last ten years with over 67,000 reaching the age in the next decade. What will be the relationship between educational levels and earning capacity of tomorrow's workers? Will Wilson County and middle Tennessee have an educated workforce that can meet the employer requirements as 11 of the 20 fastest growing occupations will require a four-year degree? Our growth areas will include those in the health care industry, information technology, finance, and select advanced manufacturing industries. Declining occupations in middle Tennessee and Wilson County will be those affected by technology and automation such as clerks, couriers and other low skill production workers. The report indicates that the region could return to pre-recession unemployment levels by 2015-2016. What is most important is to be prepared with the workforce that meets the demands of these growth industries. Our education institutions in conjunction with our state and local leaders must continue to provide a workforce that can meet the required technical, professional skills and educational qualifications. In this report, the relationship between education, workforce, and economic development is clearly defined. Sometimes, I guess that studies and reports do get it right. I encourage you to review the information and to use it appropriately as we continue our work together.

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Did You Know . . . .

That the Tennessee Valley Authority is the nation's largest public power provider which was founded in 1933, has an 80,000 square mile service area in 7 southeastern states, with 155 power distributors serving 9 million consumers and 56 direct served accounts, and has 12,000 employees, receive no tax dollars, with operating revenues of $11.25 billion in 2009.

Children's Boutique opens at "The Mill" in Lebanon

Grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremonies were held recently for a new children’s store, Hadley and Finn Children’s Boutique. The new boutique is located in The Mill at Lebanon, 300 North Maple Street, Lebanon. Hadley & Finn specializes in clothing and accessories from infant to 3T.

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MTAS training held in Lebanon

Lebanon/Wilson County Chamber of Commerce was the setting for the University of Tennessee's Municipal Technical Advisory Service (MTAS) Elected Officials Academy. The 10 hour training course was attended by 18 elected officials from several municipalities in the surrounding area. The City of Lebanon had four participants and the Town of Watertown had one to participate. The 10 hour Level One sessions covered: Foundation and Structure of Municipal Government, Charter and Codes and Open Records, Economic Development, Finance for the Elected Official, and Ethics and Open Meetings.

Local participation enabled Wilson County and the three municipalities to achieve Benchmark III for the Governor's Three Star Program in fulfilling officials training criteria for the program. Our next goal is to provide the County Technical Advisory Service (CTAS) training for county commissioners.

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Bay Specialty Breads, LLC Expands Facility

Bay Specialty Breads, LLC, located in South Perimeter Industrial Park, is expanding their facility by 12,500 sq. ft. The new expansion will include a minus 10 degrees storage freezer, cold dock and a dry dock for unloading purposes. The company has begun to expand the "Ma's Kitchen" brand.

For the past 5 years Bay Specialty Bread, LLC has concentrated their sales to a 3 state region. The addition will allow the company to store an additional 44,000 cases of inventory, and provide products and services into 5 additional states. Manous Consulting and Design is the Architect for the project and Brasfield & Gorrie of Nashville, TN are the General Contractors. Expected completion date is early November.

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Prime Outlets-Lebanon Name Change

Simon Property Group Inc., headquartered in Indianapolis, IN has completed its transaction to acquire Prime Outlets Acquisition Company, which includes Prime Outlets-Lebanon and 20 other properties. Simon purchased Prime Outlets from Lightstone Group LLC, a major owner of commercial real estate.

The current management is expected to stay in place at the Lebanon mall but the name will be changed to "Lebanon Premium Outlets", joining a division of the firm with malls in Japan, Mexico, Korea and other international locations.

SPG is an S&P 500 company and the largest real estate company in the U.S.

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KHS America holds Grand Opening Festivities 

Karl Leong, CEO, KHS International; Tabor Stamper, President, KHS America; Will Sellers, Vice-Mayor, Mt. Juliet

KHS America recently celebrated with grand opening festivities of the company's new corporate offices and distribution center located in Beckwith Farms at 12020 Eastgate Blvd. in Mt. Juliet. The new custom-designed building houses all corporate functions, warehouse and shipping facilities, new instrument testing, quality assurance and visitor center areas.

Due to the continued growth of each brand, the new facility will fulfill the need for a single warehouse point in closer proximity to the majority of customers.

KHS America is the provider and distributor of Jupiter wind instruments, Mapex drums, Majestic concert percussion and Altus flutes.

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Two Wilson County companies receive job training grants

Governor Bredesen and Commissioner James Neeley with the TN Department of Labor and Workforce Development recently announced that Kenwal Steel TN, LLC and Lochinvar Corporation were both awarded job training grants. Kenwal Steel was awarded $36,016 to provide training to 55 employees in equipment operation and machine controls. Lochinvar was awarded $48,895 to provide training for 177 employees in Six Sigma Green Belt, Hydronics Systems Fundamentals and FEMA training.

"Job training to upgrade the skills of Tennessee's workers is one of the best things we can do for our economy," Bredesen said. "Now more than ever, it is important to continue training our workforce to keep employees and companies competitive."

The Incumbent Worker Grants help companies invest in the future of their workers," Neeley said. "Over the past six years Incumbent Worker Training grants have totaled more than $11 million to assist more than 40,000 employees.

The Nashville Career Advancement Center (NCAC) played a key role in awarding the grants. JECDB's Executive Director G.C. Hixson serves on both the NCAC Board of Directors and Executive Committee. For information about the program you may contact the JECDB office at 615.443.1210.

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Cheddar's to open in Mt. Juliet

Now under construction on N. Mt. Juliet Road, Mt. Juliet joins the ranks for one of Cheddar's newest locations. Cheddar's is located in 19 states, and have locations in six other cities in Tennessee.

Cheddar's began as a simple idea….as envisioned by founders Aubrey Good and Doug Rogers, to have an inviting neighborhood restaurant offering handmade, high quality food at a reasonable price. The dream became a reality in 1979 when the first Cheddar's was opened in Arlington, Texas. The menu includes homemade favorites that are still prepared the same way, in-house and from scratch.

Cheddar's goal is to live up to that original, simple idea: be a great restaurant that serves quality food fresh from the kitchen in a friendly, comfortable atmosphere at a fair price.
Cheddar's is expected to open in late November.

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Snow White Drive-In II opens second location in Watertown

Snow White Drive-In II opened their second location October 1st in Watertown. The new restaurant is located in Watertown Commons on Sparta Pike in the space that was previously occupied by the Southern Skillet. It was noted that Watertown's Snow White will bear the drive-in name, but won't have curb service like Lebanon's since it is located in a shopping center, and not a freestanding building.

You can get the same great menu selections prepared the same way folks have known and loved for years at the Snow White Drive-In in Lebanon. The notable selections include hickory smoked BBQ (with their own special sauce), soft serve ice cream, banana splits, milk shakes, plate lunches and supper specials. They also take call-in orders and will do catering for small groups. Hours are Monday-Thursday 11am-8pm, and Friday-Saturday 11am-9pm.

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JECDB's Tammy Stokes completes ESRI Course

ESRI has certified that Tammy Stokes has successfully completed the "Fundamentals of ArcGIS Desktop Learning Pathway" with a minimum of 95 hours of GIS software instruction.
Ms. Stokes uses her expertise in designing maps with requested information/data for clients that have an interest in the area to locate their business or industry. Ms. Stokes serves on the Wilson County GIS Committee and the GIS user's group.

The company was founded as Environmental Systems Research Institute in 1969 as a land-use consulting firm. Esri products (particularly ArcGIS Desktop) have one-third of the global market share. In 2009 Esri had approximately a 30 percent share of the GIS software market worldwide, more than any other vendor. Other sources estimate that about seventy percent of the current GIS users make use of Esri products.

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NAIOP Bus Tour stops in Wilson County

NAIOP-Nashville (National Association of Industrial and Office Properties), a commercial real estate development association, recently held the organizations yearly bus tour of the Nashville area. While in Wilson County, participants toured several sites/facilities and made sops at both the Beckwith Farms facility and the new Permobil facility.

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Groundbreakings for Education

Construction at the site of the new Lebanon High School. Aerial provided by
Aerial Innovations

Lebanon Special School District – In July, groundbreaking ceremonies were held for Winfree Bryant Middle School. The new 118,600 square foot school is being built on 60 acres at 1213 Leeville Pike next to College Hills Church of Christ. General contractor for the project is Steed Brothers Contractors, LLP. The total project is projected to cost $18 million and is to be completed by August 2011.

Wilson County Schools – In August, groundbreaking ceremonies were held for the new Lebanon High School . The new school will encompass 300,000-plus square feet. The school covers 4-1/2 acres of land, featuring a 2,000-seat gymnasium, a 5,000-seat football stadium, 500-seat baseball and softball stadiums, a 1,000-seat theater and a wealth of business, English, fine arts, math classrooms as well as science classrooms and laboratories. Steve Grandas with R.G. Anderson Company is the general contractor for the project.

Cumberland University – Groundbreaking ceremonies were held recently for a new 150 bed Residence Hall locating on the south-east edge of the campus on McClain Avenue and will feature four-person suites with double bedrooms, full wireless access, and a learning space for instruction and group study. The new residence hall is expected to increase the quality of life and create a greater sense of community for the students on campus.