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Awards

2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011

2011

 

November 2011

• Site Selection ranked Tennessee the nation's eighth best state for business climate in the magazine's November 2011 issue. The highly regarded annual rankings are based on performance in business expansion and relocation, as well as a nationwide survey of corporate real estate executives.

September 2011

• Area Development conducted a survey of a select group of highly respected location consultants who work with a nationwide client base for it's Top 10 States for Doing Business List and Tennessee ranked 8th overall. In addition, the Volunteer State tied for #1 in certified sites or shovel-ready programs; is #2 for competitive utility rates; and a leader in the economic recovery.

August 2011

• Business Facilities, a national economic development publication, issued its annual 2011 Rankings Report and Tennessee, along with many cities throughout the state, earned top honors.  A complete list is as follows:
  • State Rankings
    Automotive Manufacturing: #1
    Best Transportation Infrastructure: #5
    Economic Growth Potential: #7
    Best Business Climate: #8
  • Metro Rankings
    Top Logistics/Distribution/Shipping Hubs: Memphis #1
    Best Cost of Living: Nashville #5, Memphis #7
    

July 2011

• Southern Business and Development magazine’s annual "Top Deals and Hot Markets" rankings were released, and Tennessee was awarded an honorable mention. To determine the rankings, SB&D considered only companies making public commitments of 200 jobs or more or $30 million in capital investment.

June 2011

• The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Chamber Foundation’s study, Enterprising States, ranked Tennessee No. 1 for Taxes and Regulation based on the state’s low cost of living, low state and local tax burden and manageable budget gap. Tennessee also ranked second in Cost of Living, fourth in State and Local Tax Burden and tenth in both Growth in Share of National Exports and Budget Gap.

May 2011

• The Associated General Contractors of America acknowledged Tennessee as one of three states in the U.S. with the highest addition of construction jobs from April 2010 – April 2011.
• Tennessee was awarded Area Development magazine’s Silver Shovel, presented annually to states who have demonstrated much success and progress with job creation and economic impact.  The awards recognize state economic development agencies that drive significant job creation through innovative policies, infrastructure improvements, processes and promotions that attract new employers as well as investments in expanded facilities.
• Electrolux was named to Site Selection magazine’s Top Deals of 2010 list. Amazon.com was also named to the Honorable Mention list. Honors were determined based on scale of capital investment and job creation, creativity in negotiations and incentives, regional economic impact, competition for the project and speed to market.
• Chief Executive magazine named Tennessee one of the top four states in the nation for business in their seventh annual survey of Best and Worst States for Business.  More than 500 chief executive officers rated states based on a wide range of criteria, from taxation and regulation to workforce quality and living environment.

March 2011

• The publishers of Trade & Industry Development magazine, a national economic development publication, named Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., General Motors and the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development among the recipients of its 2011 Corporate Investment & Community Impact (CiCi) Awards. Only 15 projects nationwide were selected from hundreds of submissions as winners in the Corporate Investment category.  The two Tennessee projects represent a combined investment of more than $2 billion and the creation of 1,783 new jobs.

2010

 

November 2010

• Site Selection named Tennessee the nation's second best state for business climate in the magazine's November 2010 issue. The highly regarded annual rankings are based on performance in business expansion and relocation, as well as a nationwide survey of corporate real estate executives.

September 2010

• Tennessee topped the list of most attractive states for business, as selected by consultants surveyed by Area Development magazine. Consultants to industry were asked to name their top-10 state choices for meeting eight site selection criteria: lowest business costs, most business friendly, corporate tax environment, overall labor climate, work force development programs, fast-track permitting, rail and highway accessibility and shovel-ready sites. All of the factors were given equal weight, and the numbers of “mentions” by the responding consultants were added to arrive at the top-scoring states.

August 2010

• Business Facilities, a national economic development publication, issued its annual 2010 Rankings Report and Tennessee, along with many cities throughout the state, earned top honors.  The Volunteer State was ranked number one in the nation for Automotive Manufacturing Strength, number two for Economic Growth Potential and number five for Best Business Climate. A complete list is as follows:
  •   State Rankings
    Automotive Manufacturing Strength: #1
    Economic Growth Potential: #2
    Best Business Climate: #5
    Quality of Life: #5
    Solar Energy Manufacturing Leaders: #5
    Alternative Energy Industry Leaders: #6
    Cost of Labor: #7
    Best Transportation Infrastructure: #9
    
  •   Metro Rankings
    Top 10 Metro Economic Growth Potential: Chattanooga #1
    Top Logistics/Distribution Shipping Hubs: Memphis #1
    Top 10 Metro – Quality of Life: Nashville #2
    Top 10 Metro Best Cost of Living: Memphis #2, Nashville #5, Chattanooga #9, Knoxville #10
    Top 10 Metro Economic Growth Potential (Under 200K Population): Knoxville #5
    Alternative Energy Industry Leaders: Clarksville #4, Knoxville #7
    Low Cost Manufacturing Centers (Less Than 500K Population): Clarksville #8
    Top 10 Metro Best Cost of Living (Less Than 350K Population): Clarksville #10

July 2010

• Southern Business and Development magazine’s annual "Top Deals and Hot Markets" rankings were released, and Tennessee was at the top of the list for the second year in a row. The Volunteer State was once again named the Co-State of the Year with Louisiana. To determine the rankings, SB&D considered only companies making public commitments of 200 jobs or more or $30 million in capital investment. 
  
  
• Tennessee was named the winner of Area Development magazine’s Silver Shovel Award, presented annually to states who have demonstrated much success and progress with job creation and economic impact.  The awards recognize state economic development agencies that drive significant job creation through innovative policies, infrastructure improvements, processes and promotions that attract new employers as well as investments in expanded facilities.

 

April 2010

• Chief Executive magazine named Tennessee one of the top three states in the nation for business in their sixth annual survey of Best and Worst States for Business.  More than 650 chief executive officers rated states in three general categories: taxation and regulation, workforce quality and living environment. Tennessee moved up two spots from fifth in 2009.  

 

March 2010

• Tennessee has again been ranked among the top states in the nation in Site Selection magazine’s annual Governor’s Cup rankings for its economic development performance in 2009. The economic development publication put the Volunteer State at No. 5, the highest ranking of any Southeastern state.  The Governor’s Cup award recognizes states with the most new or expanded private-sector capital projects as tracked by publisher Conway Data Inc.’s New Plant Database.
  

• The publishers of Trade & Industry Development magazine, a national economic development publication, have named Wacker Chemie and the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development among the winners of its 2010 Corporate Investment & Community Impact (CiCi) Awards. The project was chosen as one of 15 in the Corporate Investment category for the Munich-based company’s $1 billion investment and forecasted creation of 500 jobs in Bradley County.
  
  

February 2010

• The Three-Star Program and the Tennessee Center for Performance Excellence received a 2010 Innovator Award from the Southern Growth Policies Board for their unique partnership assisting Tennessee communities. The Innovator Award honors communities and organizations that work creatively to improve economic opportunity and quality of life on a regional basis. Three-Star maintains a close partnership with TNCPE, a nonprofit organization that uses the Criteria for Performance Excellence based on the Baldrige National Quality Program to assess Three-Star communities’ strategic plans and provide coaching and feedback.
  
  

January 2010

• Business Facilities magazine named Tennessee the 2009 State of the Year for the number of new jobs created and amount of capital investments made during the calendar year. The Hemlock Semiconductor project in Clarksville, Tennessee also won the magazine's 2009 Silver Award for Economic Development Deal of the Year, citing the company's announced investment of $1.2 billion dollars and the creation of 500-900 new jobs.

2009

 

November 2009

• The editors of Site Selection magazine ranked Tennessee among the five best states in the U.S. for best business climates. The announcement marks the seventh time in the past decade Tennessee has been listed among the top ten states for business climate. The state has been ranked among the top five states in five of the past seven years.

July 2009

• Volkswagen Group of America's decision to build an automotive production facility in Chattanooga, Tenn. was named Deal of the Year by Southern Business & Development magazine. Tennessee was also named Co-State of the Year and Governor Phil Bredesen, Economic and Community Development Commissioner Matt Kisber and Revenue Commissioner Reagan Farr made the publication's Ten People Who Made a Difference list.

June 2009

• The Pew Charitable Trust released a report entitled "The Clean Energy Economy," naming Tennessee one of the top three fastest growing states for clean energy jobs. According to the findings, Tennessee's emerging clean energy economy grew more than seven times faster than the state's overall jobs between 1998 and 2007.
• Area Development magazine honored the state of Tennessee with its prestigious Gold Shovel Award. The honor is presented annually to the state achieving the most success in terms of job creation and economic impact.

 

May 2009

• Volkswagen Group of America and Hemlock Semiconductor projects both named to Site Selection magazine’s Top Deals of 2008. Tennessee was the only state to have two projects in the top 10. Honors were determined by level of capital investment, degree of high-value jobs, creativity in negotiations and incentives, regional economic impact, competition for the project and speed to market.

 

March 2009

• Hemlock Semiconductor in Clarksville and Volkswagen Group of America in Chattanooga are named Trade & Industry Development Corporate Investment and Community Impact (CiCi) award winners. These two deals were chosen from more than 1,000 project submissions throughout North America as two of only 15 winners in the Corporate Investment category.
• Chief Executive magazine ranked Tennessee as the fifth best state in the U.S. for jobs and business growth

2008

 

November 2008

• Tennessee is ranked #2 on Site Selection magazine's 2008 Top Business Climate rankings.
  
  

September 2008

• The Tennessee Economic Development Council (TEDC) recognized Matt Kisber, Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development, as the 2008 Fred Harris Professional of the Year.
• Tennessee Valley Authority in Nashville, Tenn. is named one of the Top Ten Utilities in Economic Development in the U.S.
  
  

May 2008

• Tennessee is named winner of Site Selection magazine’s 2007 Competitiveness Award.
  
  

April 2008

• A study from the Kaufman Foundation on entrepreneurial activity in the U.S. ranks Tennessee 4th highest in the nation for number of entrepreneurs per capita. 
• Forbes ranks Knoxville, Tenn. at #10 on its list of “Hot Spots”
  
  

March 2008

• Tennessee is ranked number three on the annual Governor’s Cup list in Site Selection. 
• Tennessee’s economy is ranked 5th best in the country by the American Legislative Exchange Council. 
  
  

February 2008

• Eastman Chemical in Kingsport is named one of Trade & Industry Development’s Corporate Investment and Impact (CiCi) award winners.  
  
  

Winter 2008

• Tennessee ranks high on Southern Business & Development Top Tens list, including:
• “Top Major Markets in the South: 1993-2007” - Memphis ranked #3 and Nashville/Davidson/Murfreesboro/Franklin ranked #5.
• “Top Small Towns in the South That Deserve a Second Look” - Dyersburg, Tenn. ranked #4.
• “Top Ten People Who Made a Difference” - ECD Commissioner Matt Kisber included.
• “Top Ten Markets in the South for Advanced Manufacturing” - Knoxville/Oak Ridge ranked #4 and Memphis ranked #5.
• “Top 10 Incredibly Large, Nicely Positioned Distribution Sites in the South You May Not Know About” - CentrePoint Distribution Park in LaVergne and Elam Farms in Murfreesboro named to list.
• “Top 10 Edge Markets You Might Not Know About” - Clarksville and Cleveland/Bradley County named to list.

2007

 

November 2007

• Tennessee ranks sixth on Site Selection’s Top State Business Climates list
  
  

July 2007

• Tennessee jumps seven spots on the Forbes Best States for Business list, tying for the most improved, biggest mover. 
  
  

April 2007

• Forbes ranks Knoxville number five and Nashville number 10 on the Best Places for Business and Careers list.
  
  

March 2007

• Federated Department Stores in Portland is named one of Trade & Industry Development’s Corporate Investment and Impact (CiCi) award winners.  

February 2007

• Expansion Management named four Tennessee cities to its ninth annual “America’s Hottest Cities” list: Chattanooga, Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville.
  
  

Winter 2007

• Tennessee ranks high on Southern Business & Development Top Tens list, including:
• “Top Ten Unbelievable Sites for Automotive Assembly” - Enterprise South Site in Chattanooga ranked #2 and Commerce Park in Clarksville ranked #10. 
• “Ten People Who Made a Difference” – Governor Phil Bredesen included
• “Ten Places in the South for Emerging Growth Industries” – Memphis and Knoxville included.
• “Top Ten Places in the South for the Creative Class” – Nashville included.
• “Top Ten Inland Waterways in the South” – The Tennessee-Tombigbee included.

2006

 

November 2006

• Site Selection magazine, named Tennessee a Top 5 state in terms of business climate. This marks the second year in a row Tennessee has ranked among the top five states in the nation for its business climate.
  
  

July 2006

• The state of Tennessee leads the nation on a per capita basis when it comes to job creation, job retention and capital investment, according to Business Facilities magazine. In the July 2006 issue, Business Facilities ranked Tennessee first with 196 out of a possible 300 point scale with $687.58 in new business capital invested in the state for every resident.
  
  

May 2006

• Tennessee’s business climate as well as the number of new job creation and business expansion projects has prompted Site Selection magazine to give the state a second place ranking on its list of the most job-competitive states in the nation. In the publication’s May edition, Tennessee climbed back up the list, jumping from No. 7 in 2005 to No. 2 this year among the magazine’s annual ranking of “Top Ten Competitive States.” The magazine’s editors included job creation and capital investment in their calculations, but also looked at how many local metropolitan areas and small towns from a given state made the annual rankings of Site Selection’s top 100 communities.

• Tennessee has dug its way into a new economic development ranking, this time receiving the Silver Shovel award in Area Development Magazine’s inaugural “Golden Shovel” awards, which recognize states that are successful in job creation and retention efforts. The awards factored direct job creation numbers, new jobs per capita, amount of company investment; number of new facilities (either new to the state or at new locations within the state), and the number of projects creating high value-added jobs.
  
  

March 2006

• Tennessee has once again received national recognition by the highly-respected Site Selection magazine, landing the No. 4 spot on the magazine’s “Top 10 States” with the most micropolitan areas and the No. 8 spot on the list by number of projects.
  
  

Feb. 2006

• The Southern Growth Policies Board, a bipartisan public policy think tank devoted to strengthening the South's economy, has recognized the Tennessee Department of Economic & Community Development’s (ECD) revamped Three-Star program as a best practices program and Southern leader in community certification programs.

• FORTUNE Magazine has ranked three Tennessee companies in its 2006 “America’s Most Admired Companies” list. FedEx in Memphis, HCA in Nashville and CBRL Group in Lebanon all made the list. In addition, International Paper and Nissan, who plan to move to Memphis and Nashville respectively, were listed in the ranking.
  
  

 Jan. 2006

• For the second year in a row, the Nashville metro area landed at No. 1 on Expansion Magazine’s annual list. Memphis followed at No. 7, with Knoxville trailing close behind at No. 9. Also, making the top 50 was Jackson at No. 42. Tennessee was the only state included on this year’s list with three cities making the Top 10.
  
  

Other:

• The Federal Reserve, in its 2006 Beige Book report on the national economy, showed a 2 percent increase in per capita income in Tennessee over the last year.

2005

 

December 2005

• The relocation of the Nissan North America, Inc.'s Headquarters to Tennessee received recognition as one of Business Facilities magazine's Economic Development biggest deals in 2005.

Tennessee received a host of rankings in 2005 for its economic development efforts. Some of these include:

• No. 1 in debt management by Expansion Management magazine
• No. 9 on Expansion Management magazine 2005 Top Legislative Quotient List
• No. 5 on Site Selection magazine’s 2005 Top Business Climate ranking

No. 16 in the nation for insourcing jobs by the Organization for International Investment (OFII)