Chamber chooses consultant for Target Industry Analysis and Workforce Development Strategy.

The Crossville-Cumberland County Chamber of Commerce has selected Younger Associates of Jackson, Tennessee to consult on the completion of a target industry analysis and workforce development strategy for Cumberland County. The work will begin on February 22nd and is anticipated to wrap up in early May with a presentation of findings.

Chamber of Commerce

An RFP was created in mid-November with responses due by mid-December from companies who are in the business of assisting communities with such studies and six proposals were received. After preliminary scoring of the proposals, video conferences were held with five companies and the presentation of Younger Associates was preferred by a strong majority of those who had been involved in some aspect of the selection process. The bottom line to the RFP came down to two primary questions:

1.       Since Cumberland County has an excellent location (Interstate 40 cuts through the County), how can we position ourselves to be attractive to small-medium industrial interests and what companies (clusters) might find Cumberland County an attractive location for future expansion, and

2.       What workforce development strategy should we follow to not only help us in attraction of new investment; but, serve the current needs of existing industry?

“One of the attractive features to Younger Associates approach was their analysis of the workforce and drawing conclusions from that information,” noted Chamber President, Brad Allamong. “Their proposal included final report presentations to TECD and TVA, was within budget, included an additional 80 hours of consultation beyond the end of the project and very importantly was from a company who is based in Tennessee and aware of similar Tennessee challenges in meeting workforce demands.”

Some of Younger Associates clients include: Central Virginia Partnership, Baton Rouge Area Chamber, Greater Jackson Alliance in Mississippi, the North Alabama Council of Local Governments, the Greater Memphis Chamber and the Greater Memphis Alliance for a Competitive Workforce. Ray Evans, Economic Development Director for the Plateau Partnership Park and one of the City’s representatives on the committee to select the consultant, said “I believe the selection of Younger Associates is an excellent choice for the community. The committee’s comfort level with Sharon Younger was extraordinary.”

Sharon Younger is the President of Younger Associates and she has worked with TVA to develop successful strategies for recruiting the plastics and automotive industries into the Tennessee, Alabama and Mississippi region. Her firm worked with TVA to analyze the economic impact of the megasite program by analyzing the activity in five megasites and the strategies for developing two additional megasites. She has over twenty-five years of experience in her field and is a frequent speaker at national conferences for professional organizations.