News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
A highlight of the 2021 Economic Development Conference: rural economic development.
Economic Development VP for The Highlands Economic Partnership Stephen Crook attended the conference Thursday afternoon. He said he was pleased to hear much discussion on a topic that will benefit the Upper Cumberland in a variety of ways.
“Right now we’ve got an opportunity to seize on relocating tech individuals who can work remote,” Crook said. “That will love the quality of life attributes that we can bring to the table. And it can bring a lot of elevated income, a diversity of economic conditions, but also prepare for the future.”
Crook said Governor Bill Lee said that as rural economies go, so does the state of Tennessee. He said the governor expounded upon things the state has been through the last year and shared his visions and hopes for the future of Tennessee’s economy.
“There’s been a lot of lessons learned,” Crooks said. “And we have an ongoing challenge ahead of us in facing the pandemic and we all need to continue to work together and do our best and learn as best we can while keeping an eye towards future prosperity.”
Crook said that the conference had a wide variety of programs available for attendees to learn how to use for the benefit of local communities. He said these included programs such as the electrification of the automotive industry and advice on how to navigate some of the federal ARP funding.
Crook said that as for the future of Tennesse’s economic growth, the state will likely continue its emphasis on agricultural products, tourism, and manufacturing. He said that agricultural products are the state’s number GDP producer. In regards to manufacturing, Crook said that they will focus specifically on advanced manufacturing.
“Here in Putnam County 14 percent of our employment is in manufacturing,” Crook said. “We need to continue to promote programs, accrue technical educations, and push people towards some of these great careers that they can have.”
