Upper Cumberland Businesses Surveyed

The Highlands Economic Partnership will begin sending out surveys to Upper Cumberland businesses this week.

Kaitlin Salyer is the Director of Workforce Development and Education for the Partnership. She said they are trying to find ways to assist local businesses.

“We just want to make sure we are identifying they’re needs and we’re addressing them and helping them,” Salyer said. “We want them to know they have a support system in place, connections that can assist them, and really get a pulse on our economic stability across the area.”

The Highlands Survey, Salyer said, was born out of a previous state-wide survey done by Cookeville’s local workforce development board in collaboration with the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce. That survey was to assess business needs during the COVID pandemic.

“We want to collaborate and take some of those questions from their original survey, combine them with a survey the Highlands Economic Partnership sends out to partners on a biannual basis, and really assess what is happening specifically in the Upper Cumberland,” Salyer said.

Salyer said the surveys will primarily surround the needs of that specific business.

“It’s going to be questions really based around what our general business needs and challenges businesses are facing due to the pandemic,” Salyer said. “If businesses have been closed, what are their plans for reopening? What assistance might they need, whether it’s something the Highlands can do or is it more of a regional or state-wide effort that needs to take place?”

A key component to workforce development, Salyer said, is education. Some of the survey questions will address that issue, as well.

“We frequently look at labor market information and identify those ‘hot jobs’ in the area,” Salyer said. “We want to make sure that we’re building a pipeline of students going into those jobs and that they have the skills and credentials that employers are looking for.”

Salyer said she is aware that people are being heavily surveyed in the wake of the current crisis. But she said the survey the Highlands sending out presents businesses with an opportunity.

“It’s an opportunity for these businesses to get really tailered assistance through us,” Salyer said. “We can look at what are the greatest needs? What can we do address very specific issues across our region that people are experiencing.”

Salyer said the Highlands Economic Partnership will survey businesses across the region over the next month.