Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber 2017 Chamber Annual Report | страница 5

FROM THE CHAIRMAN
2017 was another year to look back upon with great thanks. Our
community and region was once again blessed with unprecedented
growth and development. The distinct honor of serving as Chairman of
the Board has been a dream come true for this Monterey girl. Once
again, the leadership in this community stepped up to prove we are united
and determined to see Cookeville and Putnam County thrive. Every
department within our Chamber had cause for
celebration throughout the year, and the efforts of our
volunteer leaders and staff have combined for a year
worth bragging about.
Our community development efforts reached new heights as well, as seen
with our Adopt-a-School program. We achieved the highest number of
adopters during the 2017 year with 210 members adopting one or more
schools since the program began in 1989.  The program, now it’s
29th year is still going strong thanks to our members.  This is an excellent
partnership among the adopters, schools and Chamber of Commerce.
School districts greatly appreciate the support of the adopters as do our
Chamber leadership and staff.
Our Visitor Development division, through strong and lasting
partnerships, once again secured the TSSAA BlueCross Bowl
for another four years as well as the the first ever regional
Southern Backroads Harley Owners’ Group Rally. The Run
For the Wall event was wildly successful, and showed our
community’s avid support for those who served us so
valiantly—our veterans. The team also successfully
capitalized on marketing Cookeville and Putnam County as
a premier destination to view the eclipse, an event which
saw the largest international visitation in our county’s
history!
We experienced a banner year as a partner in
economic development via the Highlands Economic
Partnership (HEP). The HEP’s partners realized 1400
job commitments in 2017 alone, bringing the total job
commitments for Phase III to over 3500. Growth in
targeted sectors like IT saw SAIC and Digital Dream
Forge land in our community, further advancing our
ability to keep Tennessee Tech Students in our
hometown with quality job opportunities in that field.
Our workforce development and education team was
once again heralded as the national benchmark for
success in the field. We have much to celebrate,
including the fact that our very own Lillian Hartgrove
was elected as the Chairman of the State Board of
Education for Tennessee. Our IT Pathways committee,
led by my phenomenal predecessor, Don Viar of EpiOn
IT, began its good work to meet the growing needs for employers and
align training for students with employer needs and goals. Health Science
and Advanced Manufacturing Pathways continued to thrive, and our
Upper Cumberland TN Reconnect program reached over 1200 adults
seeking to finish their education. The list goes on and on with the great
work our team has done.
So much more happened this past year, and last, but
certainly not least, we have great reason to celebrate that
our Chamber is now officially accredited by the US
Chamber of Commerce as a four star Chamber! This was
such a great milestone that simply validates the hard work,
preparation, and dedication of our volunteers and staff.
Not only the leaders of this past year, but those who paved
the way to excellence in the many years prior deserve great
thanks. We have much to be thankful for, and our future is
bright!
Jill Horner
Hooper, Huddleston, and Horner Funeral Homes
2017 Chairman of the Board
Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce