Industrial Development A Priority For County Commission

Huntsville, TN (2011-02-07) With unemployment woes continuing to plague the County, the Scott County Commission has turned its attention to finding answers to the lack of industrial recruitment over the past several years.

At a meeting of the Community Development Committee of the County Commission Monday night, Jim Cooper, former Industrial Recruiter for Obion and Anderson Counties, addressed the body to explain the role of a full-time Industrial Recruiter and the benefits to the citizens of Scott County by having a recruiter on staff.

Cooper, who recently retired from an industrial recruiting job in Obion County, was instrumental in the recruitment of several projects to Anderson County during his tenure there. Cooper explained, “(Recruitment) is all about relationships. If you’re not there and not talking to these guys, when it comes time to do a project, they don’t even know you exist.” County Mayor Jeff Tibbals noted that while jobs are his top priority, the schedule of a County Mayor doesn’t allow for the kind of attention to detail the job requires. “I just can’t give it the attention it needs, the 50 hours per week it would require to do the job,” Tibbals said.

Scott County has held the dubious distinction of having the highest unemployment rate in the State for the past eight months. During discussion on the issue, Committee Chairman Paul Strunk took note that the demographics of commuting workers from Scott County has changed over the past 30 years. “Thirty years ago, most commuters were working in neighboring counties, such as Morgan, Fentress, Anderson, and others. Now, they are commuting to Ohio, Kentucky, North Carolina, even West Virginia to find work,” Strunk said. “This takes time away from families, and (it’s) money out of the County,” Strunk concluded.

Cooper explained that during his tenure in Anderson County, he received a budget of at least $235,000 per year to do his work. “Right now, I believe Scott County can get started on $175,000, and then maybe trim back expenses to something like $150,000 to $160,000 per year,” Cooper opined. Cooper cautioned, however, that hiring an Industrial Recruiter is not something that could be easily dropped and picked up again. “The average time for a company to decide on where to do a project is 36 months. If you drop the program, you’ll be out all that time, those relationships, and all the meetings,” Cooper said.

Strunk urged the Committee to think carefully on the issue. “If you decide to do this, and then change your mind next year, yes, we could be out $175,000. However, if you keep it running, eventually we may see a significant return,” Strunk declared. “An Industrial recruitment program can bring jobs to our community.”