By MARK MCGEE – [email protected]
This is the third and final part in a series about the Shelbyville-Bedford partnership.
When the tide rises, all boats are raised.
It’s a statement that deserves its cliché status, but it’s true nonetheless.
“We need to water the vine,” said Shane Hooper, president and CEO of the Shelbyville-Bedford Partnership. “We must irrigate the spring. We must water what helps us grow.
“That’s what this organization is for. This organization belongs to everyone. We water the vine that brings us fruit.”
This is the approach the partnership takes in its quest for economic development. The partnership aims to benefit all age groups and all income brackets.
“Economic development is and always has been a team sport,” said Shane Hooper. “We need the city. We need the county. We need our private sector.
“The government can do some things, but it cannot do everything. We all have to pull together so that we can all benefit from it.”
The partnership has been involved in a number of areas, including the location of Duksan Electera’s factory and the relocation of MTSU’s aviation division to Shelbyville Municipal Airport.
“We rely heavily on our property tax revenues,” said Christy Womack, board member for the partnership, co-owner of Dabora, Inc. “I think that’s being missed.
“The way to stop doing that is to grow our base and find other revenue streams. Duksan and similar companies can stop us from relying so heavily on the property tax.”
Both new and existing industries need employees who can deliver top performance. Hooper notes that the partnership helps educate the future workforce through the Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT), Motlow State Community College, MTSU and the Bedford County Education Department.
“We want them to know what employers are looking for so they can optimize their curricula,” Hooper said. “We want them to be ready after school to enter the workforce. It takes a coordinated effort to prepare employees and that’s one of the things we do.”
Board Member and Chairman of the Partnership: David Coffey, CEO of Palmetto Properties and former co-owner of Nationwide Express, Inc.; Emphasizes that economic development is all about investing in our city and county and marketing them to viable industries and businesses that expand our tax revenue base and ease the burden on our current citizens and business community.
Coffey praises Shane Hooper’s work ethic and results, and the staff at the Shelbyville-Bedford Partnership call them “some of the best and brightest people I’ve worked with in business development.” He admits he’s disappointed that the City of Shelbyville decided not to allocate $100,000 to the partnership for the next fiscal year, but hopes that decision will be reconsidered.
“I believe that strategic investments in economic development have delivered and will continue to deliver incredible results for our citizens, government, businesses and non-profit organizations,” Coffey said. “If you don’t make an investment, you can’t get a return. In my business career I have never skimped on the path to wealth.
“I have been fortunate to work with some extremely talented people and have learned to consistently invest in our business and relentlessly market our services which has proven to be a recipe for success over 42 years. I want to encourage everyone in a leadership role, whether city or county, to look into their hearts and ask themselves: Are we really investing in this community and marketing it effectively so that we can lift the boats for everyone? If we are not, then we must be.”
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