News

TVA and two Valley communities win Synchronist awards

October 12, 2006 — Blane, Canada Ltd., developer of the Synchronist system to aid communities in business retention, has honored TVA Economic Development and two Tennessee Valley communities for their outstanding efforts in using Synchronist to enhance economic growth.

BCL, nationally recognized experts on business marketing and retention, developed the e-Synchronist Business Information System® to help communities manage existing business retention and expansion activities. It is currently used in 20 states and over 670 communities. TVA assists 100 counties in Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky in their use of Synchronist to gather information about local companies and their likelihood of expanding, downsizing, or leaving a community.

At its annual users' forum for Synchronist license-holders, Blane, Canada recognizes business retention accomplishments of the previous year. This year one award went to TVA, one to the North Mississippi Industrial Development Association, and one to the Marshall County Foundation for Growth in Alabama.

TVA Economic Development was cited for being the "Road Show Host With the Most." Under the direction of project manager Phil McMullan, a TVA team presented a four-state, 12-day "road show" that reached about 150 local partners. The partners were instructed in how to use Synchronist and learned about best practices in retention and expansion. The events provided a fun, creative way of expanding knowledge about business retention over a wide region of the Valley.

The North Mississippi Industrial Development Association was honored for "Extending Reach." NMIDA serves a rural area where communities frequently don't have the resources or expertise to conduct executive interviews or process data. By partnering with TVA and the Mississippi Development Authority, NMIDA, led by project manager Aaron Akers, helped implement a regional existing industry program in the 32-county North Mississippi area.

In Alabama, the Marshall County Foundations for Growth won Synchronist recognition for "Turning Lemons into Lemonade." When a local company lost its lease and decided to move out of town, Foundations for Growth, led by Existing Industry Manager Pam Clay, partnered with the company to help 200 workers who were about to lose their jobs. Through an aggressive effort that included a job fair and information about retraining programs and job openings, the partners helped place many workers. These efforts demonstrate that when job retention efforts don't go the way communities want them to, creative problem-solving can help people affected by the loss get back on their feet.