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2012 Blount Partnership Year End Report

The Blount Partnership had one of its most successful years on record in 2012 with a surge in Chamber of Commerce membership to an all-time high along with helping to rewrite state code to establish the Smoky Mountain Tourism Development Authority as well as continued recruitment of new industries to the area to increase capital investment.

Listed below are some additional highlights of the Blount Partnership.
  • Blount Partnership has the largest member base in its history of approximately 1600 members
  • The Partnership recruited more than 1300 new jobs in 20 months which equates to $114 million in new capital investment
  • Partnership successfully launched its independence from the county in its tourism efforts. The collective partnership rewrote the Tennessee Code Annotated to allow an Industrial Development Board format vehicle to be created. Thus the Smoky Mountain Tourism Development Authority was launched and adopted.
  • Consolidation of job duties in the Partnership completed. Redundancy and duplication has been removed.
  • Twenty-five active economic development projects are being pursued. This equates to $2.2 billion and 5,560 jobs
  • Successfully deployed multimedia exposure in two locations that reach 130,000 people per year
  • Positively influenced site consultants in Phoenix, Atlanta, and Washington D.C. about advantages of Blount County.
  • Assisted 21 businesses in their ribbon cutting/grand opening events.
  • Worked with 60 existing business/industry to keep them in Blount County.
  • Worked with 149 small businesses with start-up or growth issues.
  • Hosted several educational workshops on a variety of business topics.
  • Held more than 25 networking events to promote business
  • Was the voice of business at all levels of government
    • Successfully implemented:
    • Chamber Annual Meeting
    • Spring/Fall Festivals at Townsend
    • Highland Games (Assisted with event promotion)
    • Pigs & Politics (New event)
    • Blount Excellence Awards (Largest event yet)
    • Taste of Blount
    • Jamie Woodson SCORE briefing for Volunteers in Progress
    • Glenn Shepard Seminar for HR professionals getting CE credit (70 HR professionals)
  • Hosted Travel Writers from Southern Living, Westchester Guardian, Examiner, Huffington Post, Bay Area Family Travel and Red Room.
  • Established a tiered dues structure for members
  • Successfully helped Dayton, Tenn., establish a partnership emulating the Blount Partnership model
  • Increased member participation from 1,508 in 2011 to 2,608 for the year ending 2012