Four high profile Knoxville-Oak Ridge Innovation Valley institutions involved in energy and research – TVA, University of Tennessee (UT), Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL) and the National Transportation Research Center Inc. (NTRCI) – will anchor a major new initiative supporting the auto industry.

For the second consecutive year, the metro Knoxville area has been listed in the fifth spot on Forbes magazine’s annual “Best Places for Business and Careers” list.

"Once again Knoxville has proved that we are truly a great place to start a career and business,” said Mike Edwards, president and CEO of the Knoxville Chamber.

Story praises city’s design for redevelopment

Recently, the New York Times featured an article on the City Of Knoxville’s plans to redevelop the South Knox Waterfront into a thriving, exciting place for residents, businesses and visitors.

The newspaper said, “The city’s plan for the South Waterfront is a striking turnabout for an area that in the 19th and 20th centuries was a hub of manufacturing and heavy industry…”

Econ South, the magazine of the southern region of the Federal Reserve, recently published a profile on the Innovation Valley. The article, which appeared in the magazine’s April edition, hailed the exciting things going on at the Department of Energy facilities in Oak Ridge and the technology being developed at the University of Tennessee. The feature also looked at the television production industry in Knoxville.

To read the article click here.

The Knoxville Chamber recognized the best of the best in business at the third annual Pinnacle Awards on April 27, 2006 at the Knoxville Convention Center. The awards honored recipients in six business categories and two individual categories. The categories recognize the range of businesses that make up the thriving Knoxville economy, and honor contributions to business enterprise and the greater community.

Mike Edwards, President & CEO of the Knoxville Chamber, recently wrote a column that appeared in the Knoxville News Sentinel on Sunday, March 11. The column speaks to the economic risks associated with Tennessee’s low educational standards. It also discusses the constitutional requirement that the state provide an adequate education, and concludes that if Tennessee provides that “adequate” education we can confidently face the economic future.

Please click Adequacy Op-Ed.pdf here to read the column.

Knoxville Chamber is pleased to announce a new partnership with the US Chamber of Commerce that allows our small business members to get some fantastic benefits. Through this new relationship – known as the Federation Partnership – the Knoxville Chamber’s small business members will receive tons of information, small business toolkits, discounts and other resources through a restricted-access website for no additional cost.

The Tennessee Department of Transportation recently opened the new extension of Hall of Fame Drive in downtown Knoxville. This new section of roadway will provide I-40 traffic with easy assess to downtown while work continues on the realignment of James White Parkway.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce recently announced a new education initiative. This is an important step in identifying strategies to improve education.