What are the top economic development opportunities, issues and goals for our region?  While many may debate these, a group of regional business, government, education and community leaders will come together next June to discuss just that. 

Congressman Jimmy Duncan and Congressman Zach Wamp announced they will convene and host a Knoxville/Oak Ridge Technology Summit slated for May 31- June 2, 2004.  They also announced today that Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale; Gerald Boyd, manager of Oak Ridge Operations for the U.S. Department of Energy; and Pat Beasley, president of ProTemp and chair of the East Tennessee Economic Council (ETEC) will serve as tri-chairs for the June Summit.

"From boosting support for important federal missions and projects like the new Spallation Neutron Source project in Oak Ridge -- to increasing the number of high-tech jobs and businesses within the region, these Tennessee Valley Corridor Summits are helping us come together to brand our area as one of America's premier science and technology regions," said Congressman Zach Wamp, who has led the Summit series since its creation in 1995.  "The Summits are aimed at spurring new economic investment, creating essential alliances and partnerships, and growing more new jobs throughout our region."

Since its inception in Oak Ridge in 1995, these Summits have moved throughout the Tennessee Valley, and Duncan said the event is returning in large part thanks to the enthusiasm and strong leadership of Knox County Mayor Mike Ragsdale, new Knoxville Mayor-elect Bill Haslam, Oak Ridge Mayor David Bradshaw and a dozen other County Mayors in the greater Knoxville metropolitan region.

"We in East Tennessee now have a unique group of outstanding leaders who truly understand the importance of working together when it comes to economic development and the challenges and opportunities facing our region, so this is an ideal time for the Summit to return to Knoxville and Oak Ridge," said Congressman Duncan.  "Bringing the Tennessee Valley Corridor Summit here is also a great way to honor and capitalize on this region?s work over the last twenty years in growing the number of high-tech companies in our local area from approximately 300 to more than 1,000.  We want this Summit to help us move to an even higher level."

The Summit should also serve as a major compliment to the region?s current Jobs Now! campaign to grow and attract more high-tech jobs to the region.  Jobs Now! is a five-year regional program designed to achieve specific goals in support of small business development, entrepreneurial prosperity and greater economic growth. The campaign hopes to create 35,000 new jobs, increase per capita income by $6,470 and assure a balanced industry mix of corporate and divisional headquarters, manufacturers and technology-based companies.

"While the major themes for the Summit will be announced shortly, we look forward to tackling a number of issues from transportation to homeland security to figuring out how we can grow more jobs by commercializing the technologies coming out of Oak Ridge and UT," said Mayor Ragsdale.  "We are grateful to Congressman Duncan and Congressman Wamp for their strong leadership and we look forward to working with them in making this event a big success."

For nearly ten years, the Tennessee Valley Corridor Summits have helped showcase the Tennessee Valley's superior quality of life through the people, businesses and natural and scientific resources needed for high-tech research, development, business and investment in the 21st Century. For more information on the Corridor or for the latest on the Knoxville/Oak Ridge Summit, please visit www.tennvalleycorridor.org.