In addition to Knoxville getting high marks for an individual cities' achievements, Site Selection Magazine has honored Tennessee and Governor Phil Bredesen in its Governor's Cup rankings.
Tennessee had the third highest total of new or expanded capital projects in the previous year in the United States.
Ohio had the most projects, 399, followed by Illinois with 362 and Tennessee with 293.
According to the state's website, Bredesen said, “This is good news for Tennessee, and confirms that our state continues to build on its reputation as one of the most business-friendly states in the country. Site Selection’s Governor’s Cup rankings reflect Tennessee’s commitment to driving economic growth and developing a world class workforce through education and training.”
Rhonda Rice, Executive Vice President of the Knoxville Chamber, told the Knoxville News Sentinel that, "Any time that you can show that your state and your region (are) doing well, it's a great message to sell to other potential companies that might be looking to relocate to the area or that might be considering expansion."
Read the story on the State of Tennessee's economic and community development website.
Kyle Touchstone recently joined the Knoxville Chamber as the Economic Development Project Manager.
In this capacity, he will work with the Director of Economic Development, Doug Lawyer, on recruiting businesses and industries to relocate, expand and remain in the East Tennessee area.
Touchstone was previously the Executive Director of the Pontotoc County Chamber of Commerce in Pontotoc, Mississippi. In that capacity, he was in charge of maintaining membership in the chamber as well as recruiting businesses and other economic development activities.
“I am extremely pleased to be here. I enjoy working for an organization with such great resources and support,” Touchstone said. “It’s nice to focus on one area and have other people handle other tasks and have a collaborative effort.”
He said that his desire to accept the Knoxville Chamber position was to be in a larger market with a progressive economic development marketing strategy.
Touchstone is a native of McComb, Mississippi and attended both the University of Mississippi and Mississippi State University. He received his Bachelor’s degree from the later in political science and communications.
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