Today, we will be exploring a couple of the many ways Economic Development Partnerships support and help grow a community. 

Project recruitment and existing industry growth and retention.

Project Recruitment:
There are many approaches to bringing new companies to a region. We at NETWORKS focus on three in particular.
1. Working directly with Team Tennessee that pass along requests for information from companies that have reached out.
2. Working with Site Selectors who are hired by Companies to locate the most suitable site for their project.
3. Site Development - Taking the thought that "If you build it, they might come, but if you don't build it, they most certainly will not come" to heart.

While we are not able to affect who reaches out to the State, we are able to make an impression on the Site Selectors that keeps the Tri-Cities in the forefront of their minds when presenting locations to their clients.

Enter the "Red Carpet Tour" - a 2 1/2 day event that showcases the Business and Quality of Life benefits of locating a Company in the Tri-Cities. 
Here is a glimpse into what happens at the annual event. (Click on the invitations for event highlights from the past two years)
     

The job of the Economic Development Partnership doesn't end with helping to bring the project to the Community. 

Enter Existing Industry Growth and Retention
A great deal of time is spent on gathering information to share with and reaching out to Local Businesses. 

NETWORKS has established, FIRST (Focus Innovation Results Synergy Together), a program that allows to honor our pledge of putting existing industries FIRST. 
We send timely information in the form of newsletters with programs designed to support them in the Region.

We host events that allow for Business leadership to network and receive updates on support initiatives currently available or in the pipeline.



It's here! The 2020 Economic Development Week is May 4-9, 2020.
Created by the International Economic Development Council in 2016, the goal of Economic Development Week (EDW) is to increase awareness for local programs that create jobs, advance career development opportunities and increase the quality of life in communities everywhere. Economic Development Week includes activities in communities large and small designed to highlight the importance of economic development and the good work that economic developers do every day.