The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development has announced that registration is now open for the Spring Creative Community Summit ‘Turning Visitors into Neighbors’ to be held on Wednesday, May 29, at the Palace Theatre in Crossville, Tenn. and Thursday, May 30, at Bryan College in Dayton, Tenn.
The overall theme for communities attending the all-day summits will be Retiree Recruitment and will feature an assortment of experts discussing key factors in recruiting retirees such as housing, retail, downtown development and tourism required to support a retiree recruitment strategy for local economic development.
Communities across the country are recognizing the impact retirees are having on local economies. Tennessee is in an ideal position to meet the needs of this growing market sector.
“Attracting retirees to Tennessee not only increases our tax base, it showcases our state’s livability, an essential component to any company’s decision to move or expand here,” Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bill Hagerty said. “This desirable compliment of new Tennesseans can additionally serve as mentors to local businesses and as volunteers in our communities. The Creative Community Summits will allow for vigorous discussion and targeted learning related to Tennessee’s future economic growth.”
There is no fee to attend, but seats are limited. You may register online at www.RetireTennessee.org/RegisterFor2013CreativeCommunitySummit>. Each Summit will feature the following expert speakers:
Jeff Fleming, assistant city manager for Development, city of Kingsport, Tenn.
Dr. Steve Morse, economist and associate professor, University of Tennessee
Melissa Halsell, TVA economic development
Lacy Beasley, the Shopping Center Group, LLC
Daniel Kier, regional manager for RPI Media, Inc.
Wade Adler, Waypoint Partners Group, LLC, Evans, Ga.
Bill Houghton, The Landings Company, Savannah, Ga.
Retire Tennessee director Ramay Winchester will introduce Retire Tennessee representatives who are actively pursuing retire recruitment as an economic development tool for their community.
The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development’s mission is to develop strategies, which help make Tennessee the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs.
The department seeks to attract new corporate investment in Tennessee and works with Tennessee companies to facilitate expansion and economic growth. Visit the website at: <tn.gov/ecd>; Twitter at: <tnecd>.
