Murfreesboro has been designated as a Valley Sustainable Gold Level Community

Nov 06, 2014 at 05:26 pm by bryan


The City of Murfreesboro has been designated as a Valley Sustainable Gold Level Community in one of Tennessee Valley Authority's (TVA) economic development programs.

Murfreesboro recently completed the program sponsored by TVA and developed and administered by consultant Boyette Strategic Advisors. It was a joint effort between the City of Murfreesboro, Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce, Middle Tennessee State University and Murfreesboro Electric Department.

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"This takes Murfreesboro's economic development marketing efforts to prospective and existing sustainably-focused companies to a whole new level," said Mayor Shane McFarland. "We are excited to be part of a program that benefits economic development by demonstrating our commitment to sustainability."

The Valley Sustainable Communities Program, now in its second year, was initiated by TVA Economic Development as part of its community preparedness offerings to assist communities in evaluating existing sustainable programs, cataloging their sustainable assets, and increasing future commitments to sustainability. The goal of the program is to document a community's assets and increase the likelihood that they will be viewed as progressive and competitive by companies looking to invest in new or expanded locations.

"We are proud that Murfreesboro has successfully completed the Valley Sustainable Communities Program," said Del Boyette, President/CEO of Boyette Strategic Advisors. "The gold level designation recognizes that a community has taken a leadership role in implementing sustainable practices and has made a commitment to sustainability efforts focused on economic development."

Sustainability has become a key issue for economic development organizations and communities as more corporations have demonstrated an increasing commitment to sustainability. More than 90 percent of corporate real estate executives who responded to a CoreNet Global survey on sustainability said that it is a consideration in their company location decisions. The typical reasons for this corporate commitment are reduced operating costs for increased profitability and greater employee satisfaction.

"This program is the first of its kind to connect the dots between corporate America's commitment to sustainability and its impact on economic development, which ultimately will ensure that our communities are more prepared to compete in global markets," added John Bradley, TVA senior vice president of Economic Development. "We are seeing that more and more companies have an increasing business emphasis on sustainable operations, and are adding this component to their RFIs as they search for a community where they can locate, grow, and enhance their company and employee sustainability commitments."

"Murfreesboro has already made a significant commitment to sustainability," said Murfreesboro Electric Department General Manager Steve Sax. "This Valley Sustainable Gold Community designation provides us with the opportunity to document, further develop and be recognized for our ongoing sustainable initiatives, and attract new investment and jobs."

The Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce, which includes the Convention & Visitors Bureau, Destination Rutherford, Economic Development, Workforce Development and the Business Education Partnership, seeks to promote economic development and a quality of life to benefit all residents of Rutherford County. Programs, events and services are offered to both its nearly 1,600 member organizations and non-members. The Chamber operates out of a main office on Medical Center Parkway in Murfreesboro, and has branch offices in Smyrna, La Vergne and Eagleville.

Learn more at www.rutherfordchamber.org.

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