Blount Partnership News & Events
Capitol Update
As bill filing deadlines are quickly approaching, legislation has begun to flood in at an increasing rate. Over 600 bills have been filed and we anticipate the total number of bills to reach over 1,000 by the deadlines. 

Items to watch:
Environment & Energy - SB271/HB319 creates a franchise and excise tax credit equal to the remediation costs for a brownfield property for a qualified development project in a tier 3 or tier 4 enhancement county. This is part of Governor Lee's administrative package.
Workers Compensation - SB356/HB625 establishes that a person representing an employee in mediation for a workers' compensation claim may be a labor representative. Requires the Department of Labor and Workforce Development to promulgate rules to allow a labor representative to participate with a party engaged in mediation or another form of alternative dispute resolution for a workers' compensation claim.
Environment & Energy - SB573/HB550 enacts the Tennessee Waste Reduction and Recycling Act to require sellers, distributors and importers of certain packaging materials to take steps to reduce the amount of packing material that becomes litter. 
Tennessee Data Privacy Proposal Introduced: If your company maintains data on 100,000 customers annually in Tennessee either through your website or internet marketing efforts, you may be subject to a new data privacy proposal introduced by lawmakers. SB73(Watson)/Garrett addresses consumer concerns to know what data is being collected and stored about them. So far, about five other states have passed similar comprehensive data privacy legislation. Businesses subject to the act would need to have a designated controller of this information that could respond to consumer inquires. The proposed legislation will be enforced through the Tennessee Attorney General's Office of Consumer Protection.
New Accountability Rules
Please join us February 1 to learn how Allevia Technology helped many businesses through the technological details of working from home while simultaneously learning and implementing a combination for maximizing employees’ productivity and well-being.
Tips and Traps
Are you interested in buying a business?
Do you have a business to sell?
On February 2 from noon-1 p.m., join attorney Leigh Cowden and senior business advisor Drew Rutherford as they offer tips and traps of doing both. Lunch provided.
Integrated Marketing
On February 8, the integrated marketing experts at Fletcher Marketing PR will show you how to utilize content at every stage of the marketing funnel without creating more and more content. Learn to repurpose the content you already have across multiple platforms, turn one blog post into 5 social media posts, and aggregate content over time to create an e-newsletter.
 
Made for Women in Biz
To help level the playing field for women business owners, the Federal Government has created the "Women-Owned Small Business Contracting" program. Projects in designated industries may be set-aside for certified entities to bid. On February 16, you will learn: • Eligibility criteria • Types of projects set-aside • Application process

Entrepreneurship Fund
Another program aimed at helping small businesses and entrepreneurs across the Volunteer State access opportunities is the TN Placemakers Entrepreneurship Fund.
The application period is open, and we encourage those eligible to start applying. 
Learn more about what a TN Placemaker is and how you can take advantage of this fund here. 
Join the Job Fair
The Blount County Chamber of Commerce, working off its mission statement to promote economic growth, is hosting the Blount County Job Fair on March 21 at Foothills Mall in Maryville from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Difficult Folks
Join us February 24 for the latest Soft Skills session entitled Working with Difficult People.

Join us to discuss methods for recognizing the characteristics of some of the most common types of difficult people, and strategies for dealing with them more effectively. We will explore practical techniques for dealing with a variety of behaviors, including negativity, aggression, childishness, and selfishness.
Tap Into More Biz Resources
New workshops are set for February. Take advantage of training opportunities with the SBDC at little or no cost.
 
Upcoming Events
1/30 at Blount County Public Library
2/3 at Clayton Center for the Arts
2/3 at The Shed
2/4 at The Shed
Full List of Events
Future of Marketing
Presented by Allevia Technology, you're invited to join bestselling author Mark Schaefer on February 28 at 8:45 am at the Blount Partnership. Mark has just published his latest bestselling book, "Belonging to the Brand" and he will be our guest at a special event to tell us why community is the future of marketing.
 
He will explain why community is a vastly overlooked marketing opportunity for most organizations. 
Save the Date
February 23 -- Coffee Club
February 23 -- Leadership Development
February 24 -- Workplace EV Charging
Thank You to Our Sponsors