Community Leaders Presented Economic Development Award
April 1, 2010 6:20 pm
Clarksville, TN. - Executives from Business Facilities magazine visited Clarksville on Tuesday to present community leaders with the publicationís Silver Award for 2009 Economic Deal of the Year. The award was based on Hemlock Semiconductorís decision to base their $2.5 billion polysilicon plant in Clarksville.
Ted Coene, co-president of Group C Media, the publisher of Business Facilities, and senior account executive Ben Nachsin were on hand to present the award to the Economic Development Council, represented by EDC Chairman Mark Holleman; the Industrial Development Board, represented by current Chairman Bryce Sanders and Past Chairman Sammy Stuard; Montgomery County Mayor Carolyn Bowers; and City Mayor Johnny Piper who was represented by City Councilman David Allen, due an unavoidable conflict.
Coene noted that Dow Corningís site search spanned 70 potential building sites on five continents. ìClarksville was among 19 big-ticket projects in the running for this award,î said Coene, adding that bringing Hemlock to Clarksville also played a big part in Tennessee being named 2009 State of the Year for economic development. The magazine cites the stateís aggressive and creative development effort that defied the economic downturn with a series of multi-billion-dollar projects. Tennessee beat out Virginia, South Carolina, Louisiana and North Carolina for the title. Governor Phil Bredesen will be formally presented with the award today.
Holleman praised the partnership between the community, city and county leaders, and Hemlock officials. ìWe all worked together to make this happen. And it affirms what we’ve known all along, that Clarksville is indeed the best city in the world to live in.
James Chavez, President & CEO of the EDC, also stressed the collaborative effort of many people in making the historic deal become a reality. “This award belongs to the community, to those who typically go unthanked for all they contributed to the search process, and for the role our private sector and elected officials played in ensuring that we were prepared.”
The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development entered the Hemlock project for consideration. The national award recognizes the locations and economic development agencies that landed the highest-impact corporate expansions. The distinction seeks to demonstrate the vast impact that the companies have on communities through their decisions to invest and create jobs. The panel of judges included seven economic development professionals from across the country.
Estimates by the University of Tennessee Center for Business and Economic Research show the Hemlock plant will bring 1,500 direct jobs; 3,254 indirect jobs; 4,754 induced jobs; $85.5 million in direct personal income (wages); $90.5 million in indirect income; and $176 million in induced income. The plant, expected to be online in 2012, will manufacture a product called polycrystalline silicon, which is one of the purest man-made materials and a key raw material used in the production of solar cells and semiconductor devices.
