646 Net New Jobs Created, 182 Net New Businesses Started
NASHVILLE—The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development announced today the 2013 Economic Impact and Reinvestment Statistics from 23 Tennessee Main Street communities for activities occurring between January 1, 2013 and December 31, 2013. These Main Street communities generated more than $59 million of public/private investment in 2013, and continue to be a vital part of the state’s economic and cultural identity.
“Tennessee’s Main Street communities are some of the state’s most valuable and treasured resources,” Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bill Hagerty said. “These job growth and investment numbers reinforce the importance of our Main Street program in bolstering economic growth while allowing communities to develop productive initiatives that support job creation, downtown revitalization and the long-term success of our state.”
Tennessee Main Street provides technical assistance and training for communities in developing real-world solutions to make downtowns safe, appealing, vibrant places where folks want to shop, work, live, invest and make memories.
Other reinvestment statistics from the designated Main Street communities reporting include:
Net new jobs: 646
Net new businesses: 182
Building rehabilitation projects: 273
Public improvement projects: 126
Net new housing units: 173
Volunteer hours contributed: 88,036
Total public/private investment: $59,807,753
“The annual reinvestment statistics make a strong statement about the economic activity occurring within our Tennessee Main Street program districts,” Tennessee Main Street Program Director Todd Morgan said. “New jobs, businesses and investment, along with an impressive number of volunteer work hours, prove this community-based approach to downtown revitalization is hard at work.”
There are currently 26 designated Main Street program communities across Tennessee. The following 23 were included in these reinvestment statistics: Bristol, Cleveland, Collierville, Columbia, Cookeville, Dandridge, Dayton, Dyersburg, Fayetteville, Franklin, Gallatin, Greeneville, Jackson, Kingsport, Lawrenceburg, McMinnville, Morristown, Murfreesboro, Ripley, Rogersville, Savannah, Tiptonville and Union City. The remaining three communities—Jonesborough, Lebanon and Sweetwater—were not included, because newly designated programs are recommended to receive accreditation from the National Main Street Center after successfully completing one full year of participation and statistics are only reported from accredited communities.
Tennessee Main Street is currently working with six communities through the affiliated Tennessee Downtowns program: Clifton, Greenfield, Portland, Tracy City, Waynesboro and White Bluff. Applications for Tennessee Downtowns Round 4, which will begin in July 2014, are due by April 30.
Tennessee Main Street is a coordinating partner with the National Main Street Center. Designated communities are required to meet national accreditation standards annually, which include illustrating broad-based community support for the program, development of a comprehensive work plan, a sufficient operating budget and professional staff with volunteer support.
For more information about the Tennessee Main Street Program, please visit www.tennesseemainstreet.org. For more on the National Main Street Center, visit www.mainstreet.org.
About the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development
Tennessee was named “2013 State of the Year” for economic development by Business Facilities magazine. 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. Find us on the web: tn.gov/ecd. Follow us on Twitter: @tnecd. Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/tnecd.
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