|
Original Date: 01/22/2001
Revision Date: 01/18/2007
Best Practice : 1998 Economic Summit
The 1998 Economic Summit continued the vision of the Technology Center as being the model for America’s 21st century. In Greater East Tennessee from Chattanooga to Oak Ridge/Knoxville to the Tri-Cities Tennessee/Virginia Region, working partnerships between public and private sectors are sharing resources to create jobs and opportunities.
In 1994, the Tri-Cities Tennessee/Virginia Region was in the midst of evolutionary economic restructuring. The communities realized that they needed to come together as a region for economic survival or they would cease to be viable as individual neighborhoods. They also recognized that unique opportunities existed for the region if they participated as part of the overall technology corridor which ran from southwestern Virginia through Tennessee to northeastern Alabama. The key enabler of the region’s economic success lies in the collaborative leadership and commitment from key policy/opinion makers across all sectors (e.g., government, industry, academia, the public).
In May 1998, the Tri-Cities Tennessee/Virginia Economic Summit was held to demonstrate the entrepreneurial leadership in the Technology Corridor, strengthen regional relationships, focus on linking the resources of the Technology Corridor to the world, and showcase the region’s unique blend of natural and technological resources. The following segments were addressed:
The Science, Medicine, and Technology Segment provided an overview of the future direction of medicine and its related technologies with perspectives on implications for the region and state.
The Nature, History, and Tourism Segment presented an inventory of natural resources (e.g., natural, cultural, historical) and tourism potential, within the Tri-Cities Tennessee/Virginia Region, that provide regional economic development opportunities and protect natural resources.
The Innovative Regional Partnerships Segment showcased partnerships within the Tri-Cities Tennessee/Virginia Region as a way of focusing local government officials on the potential of local government to positively impact the community.
The efforts of these working partnerships are evidenced by honors bestowed upon the region in 1999. At that time, the Tri-Cities Tennessee/Virginia Region became the first region ever to win the All-America City Award from the National Civic League. These partnerships are setting new, more aggressive goals and metrics to ensure the continued success and innovation of the region.
For more information see the
Point of Contact for this survey.
|
