Building and maintaining a strong local economy requires a viable mix of industry, commerce, retailers, service providers and attractions that can provide jobs for area residents as well as serve as points of interest for those who might want to locate their own business here or spend some time in the city. Increasingly, the Chattanooga area is able to provide such an attractive mixture in a setting that meets the sometime demanding lifestyle mandates of contemporary society.
Industrial giants such as Volkswagen and Alstom here and Wacker in nearby Cleveland, all relative newcomers to the area, bolster the region's industrial base. BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, McKee Foods and Unum Group are exemplars of large companies with long and strong ties to the region. Retailers, ranging in size from the Hamilton Place mall to mom-and-pop shops, help fill consumer needs.
The area's mountains, waterways, parks and trails attract thousands of visitors every year. So do sites such as the Tennessee Aquarium, the venues on Lookout Mountain, the Civil War battlefields and numerous museums. Sports is another, if often overlooked, contributor to economic growth and stability.
Tens of thousands of people travel to the city and surrounding area every year to engage in a sports activity. In years past, the city hosted major tournaments, the Southeastern Conference's women's basketball tournament or an NCAA football championship game, for instance. They brought thousands of people and dollars to town. Their demise, however, does not mean that the region is no longer viewed as a first-class sports venue. Indeed, there's considerable evidence that Chattanooga remains a destination of choice for many sports events.
In the wake of the Head of the Hooch regatta, the latest proof comes from the Amateur Softball Association, which last week awarded its 2013 12-and-under girls fastpitch national tournament to the city after a bidding process involving nine cities. Chattanooga will use Warner Park and the Summit of Softball complex for the event, which is expected to inject about $2 million into the region's economy.
The announcement of that tournament follows an earlier one reporting that the city will host a youth baseball tournament for 90 teams next summer. Tournaments and other sporting events bring lots of visitors with open pocketbooks to town. The result: significant boosts in sales for area business and in tax revenue for local governments.
Industry, commerce, retailing and attractions remain the fiscal foundation of the region, but the value of sports should not be overlooked. They and the people who come here to play them have a vital role in the community's economic health.