Technical Assistance Report - Johnson City, TN Metropolitan Statistical Area
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Technical Assistance Report - Johnson City, TN Metropolitan Statistical Area
In February of 2015, the International Economic Development Council began to assist the Johnson City, Tenn., Metropolitan Statistical Area – Carter, Unicoi and Washington counties – with an assessment of economic development strengths, challenges and opportunities, and provide recommendations for improving the effectiveness of the region’s economic development efforts.
Historically, the three counties have not planned and acted as a region for economic development. This report aims to provide guidance for improving regional cooperation and encouraging investment and job creation.
This technical assistance project was funded through a grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) focused on economic recovery and resiliency of communities and regions in the EDA Atlanta region not impacted by presidentially declared disasters during FY 2011. Washington County was affected by tornadoes in May of 2011. This project is intended to help the region become more economically diverse and resilient in the face of future disasters.
During the site visit, the panel interviewed dozens of economic development partners and allies, toured the region, and presented a verbal report of preliminary findings and recommendations. This report elaborates on those findings and recommendations and presents strategies and case examples to assist with implementation.
IEDC would like to acknowledge U.S. Economic Development Administration for funding this grant. IEDC also would like to thank Economic Modeling Specialists International (EMSI) for their donation of software and Southwest Airlines, a community partner, for flying team members to the site visit.