October 2017 Newsletter Check out articles and pictures from September and stay up to date on what we are doing this October !

September's "Business Matters" Thank you to Leader's Credit Union of Union City for sponsoring and speaking at our monthly Business Matters! Coffee, networking, and a great presentation made for a wonderful morning! We hope to see you Tuesday, October 17th at 8:00am for our October "Business Matter's" where we will hear from our local Carl Perkins Center! Comprehensive Pain Specialist Lunch & Learn Thank you to Comprehensive Pain Specialist for hosting a Lunch & Learn to discuss chronic pain and the use of opiate medications. They discussed treatment approaches, the current regulatory environment, and myths & common misconceptions in the community.

Remax Ribbon Cutting Congratulations to Remax United, LLC for opening a new Union City location! We recently held a ribbon cutting to celebrate their grand opening! Go see them at 407 W Reelfoot Ave. or call 731-885-1100 for all of your real estate needs!

Hamilton Ryker Celebrates 25 Years! Congratulations to Hailton Ryker on celebrating 25 years in Union City! Hamilton-Ryker® is a total workforce solution and industry leader for the provision of industrial, administrative, and information technology staffing, as well as, recruiting, management consulting, and information technology solutions.

Tennessee Cities Lead by Example to Encourage Economic Investment  When the Goodyear plant in Union City announced it was closing its doors in 2011, city officials not only had to face the loss of their community’s biggest employer but also.. Read More

Baptist Hospital Receives QUEST Award Leaders from Baptist Memorial Health Care Corporation in Memphis visited Baptist Memorial Hospital-Union City (BMH-UC) recently to present the 2017 QUEST Award for High-value Healthcare to the hospital’s staff on behalf of Premier Inc., a leading healthcare improvement company.   Only 21 hospitals in the nation received recognition for achieving top performance in any five of the six areas measured in Premier’s QUEST collaborative, including cost and efficiency, evidence-based care, mortality, safety, patient and family engagement and appropriate hospital use. Baptist Union City is the only hospital in Tennessee to be recognized for achieving top performance for safe, efficient, and effective health care. Pictured are (left to right) Skip Steward, BMHCC Chief Improvement Officer; Derick Ziegler, BMHCC Vice President Regional Operations; Dr. Henry Sullivant, BMHCC Vice President and Chief Medical Officer; Skipper Bondurant, BMH-UC Administrator and CEO; Teresa Vinson, BMH-UC Director of Quality; and Lori Brown, BMH-UC Chief Nursing Officer.

Complete Tennessee Announces 2nd Annual Leadership Institute NASHVILLE, TN – Complete Tennessee today announced the second cohort of the Complete Tennessee Leadership Institute will begin on September 18 in Nashville. This year’s class includes... Read More

WTCCE Meeting in Savannah, TN The West Tennessee Chamber of Commerce Executives (WTCCE) hold meetings quarterly. This past month, they met at the SEED Co. ( Savannah Entrepreneur Education and Development Center) in Savannah! These meetings are a great time for members to exchange ideas, discuss important issues, and plan for the future of local chambers.

Tanner Accepted into inaugural TVA ED Young Talent Cabinet  Obion County Chamber of Commerce Membership Director, Lauren Tanner, was recently accepted into the inaugural Young Talent Cabinet within TVA Economic Development. The Young Talent Cabinet (YTC) will be a working cabinet/think tank that provides ongoing input and guidance to TVA Economic Development regarding opportunities to strengthen the success of our Young Professionals in Economic Development (YPED) Network. The YTC will assist in recommending, developing and implementing ideas and initiatives.

Hops & Barley Business After Hours Hops & Barley hosted a Fall Fest and Business After Hours this past month! They donated 10% of sales for the entire day to the UC/OC Back Pack Program and collected food donations and monetary donations as well! Everyone enjoyed dinner, drinks, and select complimentary appetizers!

Pride of Obion County HONOR WITH PRIDE — To be chosen as the Pride of Obion County is an honor to be proud of in itself. Mike Cox, founder and owner of Cox Oil Co., was selected from several nominees for the award this year because of his giving spirit and desire to help as many people as he possibly can. The Pride of Obion County luncheon to honor Cox was held midday Wednesday, September 14th, and drew a packed room. Presenting Cox with a plaque to commemorate the accomplishment was CornFest board member Kris Dunn.

Obion County Receives Governor’s ThreeStar Award Governor Bill Haslam and the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development presented ThreeStar awards at the 2016 Governor’s Conference on Economic and Community Development in Nashville in October. “We enjoy working to make Obion County ThreeStar certified each year. The process creates opportunity for community collaboration, which leads to strong strategic partnerships and shared goals. The greatest benefit is the four percent discount grant match for each of our municipalities securing state and federal grants throughout the year.”, Lindsay Frilling, CEO of the Obion County Joint Economic Development Council. The ThreeStar program is a vital component to Tennessee’s overall level of success, providing counties with a framework for continued economic and community strength. Annual participation in the ThreeStar program helps communities develop a strategy and a plan to address Governor Haslam’s five priorities for public policy that include: jobs and economic development; fiscal strength and efficient government; public safety; health and welfare; and education and workforce development. The program encourages local community leaders, representing the five program areas, the Joint Economic and Community Development Board, and other key community stakeholders to implement activities that will impact the quality of life issues and therefore, their global competitiveness. Benefits of certification include a four percent discount on the required match rate for select state and federal grants. Participation in certain state programs, such as the TN Downtown Revitalization Program, Select Tennessee Property Evaluation Program, and the Tourism Enhancement Grant Program require the county is ThreeStar certified. Additionally, certified counties designated as Tier 2 and Tier 3 are eligible for an annual grant to serve as seed money for activities focused on improving at least one of the measured areas of the program.

Williams Sausage Company Wins New Markets Tax Credits Industry Deal of the Year Award Union City, TN – The Williams Sausage Company in Union City has been named the Deal of the Year for the 2017 Journal of Tax Credits Industry Award. The Award honors the project that best demonstrates a well-executed vision and measurable community impact as well as showing a commitment to establishing positive change in bringing more people and places into the economic mainstream. Williams will be presented the award at the New Markets Tax Credit Industry Conference in Chicago on October 19. The project was financed with federal New Markets Tax Credits, which incentivizes private capital investment into communities that are underserved by traditional sources of capital. Site selection company The HWH Group assisted Williams in assessing a potential landing spot for the new project in competing, neighboring states and if not for the New Markets Tax Credit program and the support presented by the State of Tennessee, Obion County, the City of Union City, and the Tennessee Valley Authority, Williams would not have been able to build a larger facility and hire more than 200 Tennessee employees. Obion County’s work-ready labor force and available land in the 550-acre Northwest Tennessee Regional Industrial Center located on Highway 51 were positive advantages to attracting Williams. The new Williams jobs will go a long way in restoring lost jobs in recent years from other manufacturers closed plants. Union City Mayor Terry Hailey said, “We are delighted that Williams Sausage has won this award. Through the vision of Roger Williams and his family plus a lot of hard work, the company can expand. The New Market Tax Credits Program makes it easier to build the type of facility the really need and hire more people. The future is bright for Williams Sausage.” Obion County Mayor Benny McGuire “Obion County is very fortunate to have an industry such as Williams Sausage. They have been a great supporter for Obion County as one of our larger employers. We have supported Williams Sausage in every expansion they have encountered and will continue to support them. The expansion under way will create more jobs for our county and the area around us. We recognize the fact that Williams Sausage will be an asset to northwest Tennessee for many years to come.”, said Obion County Mayor Benny McGuire. “For generations, Tennessee has made some of the best-known and most-respected food brands in the world. Williams Sausage Company is part of this strong legacy and I’m pleased it has decided to build a second plant in Union City and create hundreds of new jobs,” TNECD Commissioner Bob Rolfe said.  TVA congratulates Williams Sausage on its deserved recognition, as well as its decision to locate and create many jobs in Obion County,” said TVA Senior Vice President of Economic Development John Bradley. “Serving the Valley by helping to facilitate new job opportunities is fundamental to TVA’s mission of service and we are proud to work with our economic development partners Union City Electric, Obion County Joint Economic Development Council, and Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development to help further that mission.” Founded in 1958 by a Tennessee family, Williams has grown from selling sausages in cloth bags out of a truck to offering link sausages, sausage patties and microwaveable breakfast sandwiches in more than 4,000 retail outlets across 20 states. The new Williams Sausage facility will produce a new breakfast sausage line and allow the company to expand into new markets.