June 2011

In This Issue:

• Interview: Workforce Development
• ACCE Convention 2011
• Policy Clearinghouse Blog Digest

If you have any comments about this e-newsletter, or would like to recommend news items or reports for future issues, please email Chaaron Pearson at ACCE.

Interview: Workforce Development and Education

Miles Burdine
President and CEO
Kingsport Area (TN) Chamber of Commerce

Nicole Austin
Director of Workforce Development and Government Relations
Kingsport Area (TN) Chamber of Commerce

Kingsport recently won the Harvard Innovations in American Government Award for its efforts in education. Miles and Nicole share the chamber’s workforce development and education initiatives. Below are excerpts from the full interview which can be found on the Policy Clearinghouse Blog.

Can you give us some background on how the community began to focus on education?
In the late 1990s, Kingsport’s strong manufacturing base was in decline. Willamette Paper Mill (now Domtar), located in downtown, announced it would cut 150 jobs. JPS Industries announced cuts of 100 jobs at its now defunct Borden Mill plant. Eastman Chemical Company, then Tennessee’s largest employer, announced three possible scenarios: downsize significantly, move corporate headquarters and/or close local operations. The decision was the first layoff (1,200) in the company’s nearly 100-year history. With the local housing market stagnant and retail expansion non-existent, more than a few residents set their sights on other communities where opportunities seemed better. One city leader said, “The last one to leave — turn the lights out.” A city leadership staff member explained, “It was a hard time to be optimistic about Kingsport’s future and no reason to change until significant outside threats questioned our ability to survive.” Our City decided it was time for change. We had to reinvent ourselves if we were going to survive. In 1999, a city-led "Economic Summit" developed solutions through community-wide participation: training and workforce development, promotion of the entrepreneurial spirit and diversification of the economic base. A common element realized was education.

Was the chamber involved from the beginning?
Yes, the Chamber has been involved from the very beginning! The Mayor of Kingsport at that time brought the Chamber and business leaders in our community together for an “Economic Summit.” Sometime later, Dr. Locke who was then president of Northeast State Community College, tasked the Chamber with putting together a meeting with business leaders to find out in his words “what do I need to teach that will help you hire my graduates.” Since then the Chamber has been involved in all levels of this project. From advocating for the Educate and Grow program to working on the Academic Village, the Chamber has had an active role in making this change in our community.

How successful was the initiative when it first began? Did you achieve your planned goals?
Since Kingsport first began making changes to better ourselves and increase the academic attainment level or our city, we have met our goals and made a positive change in our community. The statistics below indicate that since the inception of the Higher Education Initiative there has been an increase in educational attainment of the Kingsport population 25 years and over, including:

• A 20.8 percent decrease in those with less than a 9th grade education

• A 13.9 percent decrease in those 9th to 12th grade with no diploma

• A 23.0 percent increase in high school graduates (includes equivalence)

• A 27.5 percent increase in those with an Associate Degree

• A 19.2 percent increase in those with a Bachelor’s Degree

With the community focusing on higher education as an economic development priority, Northeast State Technical Community College realized a 248 percent increase from 2000-2007 in the number of students graduating  each year from high school in Sullivan County who enrolled at NESTCC during the fall semester of the same years.

Since the opening of the Regional Center for Applied Technology in the fall of 2002, the Higher Education enrollment in the downtown campuses has risen to 1,208 students. This includes the Regional Center for Health Professions, with the opening enrollment in the fall of 2008 at 351.
These numbers show success in pushing the importance of educational attainment for a diversified economy. During the higher education initiative years, NESTCC main campus has seen enrollment grow, showing that the numbers of students did not just migrate to the downtown area of Kingsport, but rather the numbers of those seeking higher education has risen in the region.

Kingsport realized that having an increase in its young adult population was critical to economic development. Over a seven year period during the initiative, the number of college age city residents (age 20-24) increased 26 percent.

The downtown area of Kingsport, where the city invested in higher education facilities, experienced a $20.2 million positive change in appraised property values. This growth represents taxable property only. Non-taxable development such as higher education facilities and major church renovations are not included.

Since the late 1990s, Kingsport experienced a loss of 10,500 manufacturing jobs. Leaders recognized a major key to reinventing Kingsport was having a more diversified economy. Evidence of diversification is shown through the addition of 5,400 health care jobs, 2,800 leisure/ hospitality jobs, 1,300 natural resources/mining/construction jobs, 600 financial jobs and 500 information jobs. In 2000, there were 17,638 city residents employed. In 2007, 19,159 city residents were employed. During that same period of time the median family income rose nearly 20 percent to $48,351.

Read the full interview here: Policy Clearinghouse Blog

ACCESS: ACCE 2011 Annual Convention in Los Angeles

There is a strong track for those interested in government affairs and advocacy. Dedicated advocacy sessions include:

• Organized Labor: Lessons for a Spring of Discontent
• Social Media for Advocacy
• Infrastructure and the Future of Appropriations
• Cultivating Grasstops

The early bird deadline (June 10) is rapidly approaching! Visit www.acce.org/convention to register!

From the Policy Clearinghouse Blog

Recent posts from the Policy Clearinghouse Blog:

• Council on State Taxation Releases New Business Tax Competitiveness Study
  The Council on State Taxation (COST) and Ernst & Young announced the release of a new study ranking states by tax burden on new investment. They have provided a state-by-state comparison of the tax liabilities that new investments in selected industries or types of economic activities would incur in each state.

• Governor Walker Signs Bill at MMAC
  Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker visited the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC) to sign a bill that will pre-empt local ordinances from requiring business to provide paid sick leave to employees for family, medical or health issues.

• A Closer Look at the Partnership for a New American Economy
  Jeremy Robbins, policy advisor for New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, helps manage the Partnership for a New American Economy, a coalition of business leaders and mayors seeking to raise awareness of the economic benefits of sensible immigration reform. He spoke to a group of business leaders at the Salt Lake Chamber about the goals of the organization.

• Brookings: Missed Opportunity Transit Report
  Brookings unveils its new transit report. Post includes links to the report and live tweets from the roll out.

• Immigration: Tales from a Border City
  El Paso has been a key player in the immigration conversation. Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, Richard Dayoub recently wrote an article in the El Paso Times on immigration reform and its importance to our economy.

• Earmarks are Gone but Requests Aren’t
  As chambers across the country look to reposition their DC fly-ins in the post-earmark world, the editorial that the Des Moines Register ran on May 22 on the Des Moines Partnership’s recent fly-in does a nice job explaining how they modified their trip this year.

• E-Tax Success: Big Win for KC Business
  This April, the Greater Kansas City Chamber celebrated a victory as Kansas City, Mo., voters voted overwhelmingly to keep a one percent earnings tax. The final vote was 78 percent in favor of retention.

Other interesting posts from around the blogosphere:

• Stateline.org: Do states control their fiscal destiny? Not as much as they may think.

• ChamberPost.com: Plywood Strong

• ChamberPost.com: Big Dreams Win at America’s Small Business Summit

For more policy-focused commentary and links, check out the Policy Clearinghouse Blog.

Looking for Policy Clearinghouse news on twitter? Follow @ChaaronACCE for the latest information from ACCE’s Policy Clearinghouse.