It has often been said that if something looks like a duck, walks like a duck, sounds like a duck, and acts like a duck, it is probably a duck.

Much of being recognized as a big-time player in the world of economic development comes from doing the things big-time economic development organizations do. Our work along those lines continued in late August when NETWORKS and our many local partners hosted a Tennessee Economic Partnership Red Carpet Event, culminating with entertaining consultants from some of the most prestigious, prolific site location consulting firms in the nation at the Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

A lot of attention is given to such events, usually with the entertainment piece front and center. While the entertainment piece is the hook that gets consultants to an event, the business piece of the tour is what separates winning communities from the pack. As proud as I am of our partnership with BMS and as much as I love NASCAR, my biggest takeaway from the event - and most of our guests' biggest takeaway, based on the feedback we've received - was on our business readiness. This pro-business message came through at the Red Carpet in many ways. Here are some of the highlights we heard from our guests:

• Education and training - Stops at Northeast State Community College and the Regional Center for Advanced Manufacturing made huge positive impressions. Those impressions were supported by the consistent testimonials of political and business leaders.
• Community cooperation and partnerships - The synergy of our partners across the county, including city and county elected officials, state representatives, our city managers and economic development teams and a great presentation at Bristol Tennessee Essential Services (BTES) pointed to outstanding infrastructure, a focused economic development effort, and spoke more than words could about how well we all work together.
• Regionalism and our regional story - Time and time again, our guests commented during and since our event of the strengths we have as a region and how our product must be looked upon from a regional perspective to do it justice.
• A satisfied existing industry base - Our trip to Eastman Chemical and the existing industry panel discussion at the RCAM demonstrated not only how satisfied our major employers are with doing business here, but showed that we, the economic development team, had the confidence to put them up front and center and unfiltered.
• Outstanding product and a true, befitting brand - By touching on our Gigabit capabilities in Bristol and overall infrastructure throughout the county, talking about our leading education and training initiatives, and unique assets ranging from the Tri-Cities Air Park to the Pinnacle retail development, to the investment in a speculative building in Gateway Commerce Park, we constantly and substantially supported and drove home our message that we are Where Tennessee Begins Its Business Day.

Of course, the Red Carpet Tour is only one example of how we are continuing to up our game and our image. We are making it a point not only to be participants in key economic development activities, but be very engaged, valued partners. We are strengthening our relationships at the Tennessee Department of Economic Development and with other partners, even coordinating our marketing and advertising messages and strategies to build a brand consistent with the state's.

We also recently served as co-hosts, along with the Tri-Cities Airport Authority, to state ECD aeronautics and defense specialist, Alex Bertelli, and reached out to include other economic development groups in the region as we focus on that key industry sector.

Within this newsletter, you will also read about site development and the exciting partnership with the Jacobs Creek Job Corps in Partnership Park II, one of our Tennessee Select certified sites we continue to promote along with the ECD.

We have also submitted Sullivan County's "Tennessee Story" for inclusion in the upcoming Governor's Conference for Economic Development in November in Nashville and are advertising in the ECD's annual marketing publication.

It is of paramount importance that we are seen as a valuable resource by site location consultants and our lead providing partners at the regional and state levels. As long as we handle these bigger issues with a professional, holistic approach, the smaller challenges we face will roll off of us... like water off a duck's back.