NASHVILLE – Gov. Bill Haslam and his chief jobs adviser, Bill Hagerty, on Wednesday named eight of nine new regional directors as part of their reorganization of the Economic and Community Development Department.
The odd area out? Hamilton County and other parts of Southeast Tennessee, an area that saw some of the greatest job creation successes in the state under Haslam’s predecessor, Phil Bredesen.
Economic and Community Development’s assistant commissioner for communications, Mark Drury, assured Southeast Tennesseans they are not being forgotten.
“[T]hat person has not been named yet,” Drury said in an email regarding the regional director slot. “Commissioner Hagerty has not yet settled on a candidate he believes is the right fit for the position.”
In Haslam’s Jobs4TN initiative, the new regional directors will serve as the “primary point-of-contact” for in-state companies seeking government assistance with expansion or with accessing state services.