Media Room

Google’s U.S. economic impact totals $50 billion more than Tennessee’s entire gross domestic product, according to the tech company’s annual evaluation. Nationwide, $426 billion was generated by Google and its subsidiaries, its new 2020 Economic Development Report states. Google ad revenue, payments to YouTube creators and other publishers, and charitable donations totaled $4.6 billion in…

In an article published by Knoxnews, East Tennessee has some of the best employers according to a list made by Forbes. Several regional businesses and major employers in East Tennessee, including Clayton Homes and Dollywood, made Forbes’ lists of America’s Best Large Employers and America’s Best Mid-sized Employers. Clayton Homes ranked No. 323 on the list of large…

Great assessment in Bloomberg LP on manufacturing’s skills gap. The Manufacturing Institute study in 2018 showed that manufacturing will have 2.4 million unfilled jobs by 2028 due to the lack of skilled workers. The pandemic has blighted the career prospects of millions of Americans — but even after this crisis has passed, harnessing the country’s potential will…

Area Development published the results of its 35th annual corporate survey outlining the effects of the global pandemic as reflected in executives’ site and facility plans. As expected, the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the corporate readers’ location plans and priorities as they increased their resiliency efforts. Nearly half (45 percent) of those responding to the…

By Tom Ballard, Chief Alliance Officer, PYA Brandon Bruce is one of those individuals who is full of ideas and, when he sees a need or gap, he’s generally ready with a solution. Two of his latest initiatives are a new website named StartupTN and a related event – “StartupTN Demo Day.” In many respects, the website is…

Good article by Site Selection Group about how minimum wage increases often have a trickle-up effect. Learn how these increases are areas affecting wage escalation for warehouse workers.  Learn more.

Six major utilities announced a plan to ensure that electric vehicle drivers have access to a seamless network of charging stations connecting major highway systems from the Atlantic Coast, through the Midwest and South, and into the Gulf and Central Plains regions. The Electric Highway Coalition – made up of American Electric Power, Dominion Energy,…

Announcing a rare consolidation of major trade associations, Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry President & CEO Bradley Jackson announced a comprehensive strategic partnership with the Tennessee Automotive Manufacturers Association (TAMA) aimed to significantly increase and enhance services for automotive manufacturing across the state. The effort will leverage the statewide presence, strength, and association management…

A team of Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers demonstrated that an additively manufactured hot stamping die – a tool used to create car body components – cooled faster than those produced by conventional manufacturing methods, which could lead to reduced manufacturing costs and production time. In collaboration with industry partners Lincoln Electric and DTS, they…

In this Area Development article, redefining the workforce in a post-pandemic world will likely be driven by the ideals of our largest generation — millennials. Eventually this pandemic will end, a vaccine will be readily available, and we will attempt to return back to our “normal” lives. But what does this next “new normal” look like? Can…