Everyone knows our country is experiencing a distasteful and painful economic recession. But despite the dark clouds nationally, our Chattanooga community is seeing a silver lining.
A survey by the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce indicates our community is about to enjoy a great amount of new economic investment that will produce many good local jobs, and surely will generate many other benefits for us all.
This is not just “whistling in the dark” or denying realities. And it’s not based only upon the good news that Volkswagen is investing a billion dollars in its new car assembly plant here, and that Alstom Power is investing nearly a third of a billion dollars to make big steam and gas turbines here.
The Chamber of Commerce has found that 63 percent of the 75 businesses that responded to the survey plan to make some degree of expansion, with 83 percent of them planning new products. Why? They see economic opportunities here.
The survey indicated about 1,100 new jobs will come from big new business investments. When these additional jobs develop, they surely will generate even more economic opportunities in many ways.
What’s “our” role in all of this?
Economic progress does not appear by “magic.” It does not come “out of thin air.” Sound economic development takes place because bright and energetic people see opportunity in making investments for the purpose of earning a profit by creating goods and services that people want and can afford to buy.
That “chain of events” is like throwing a rock in a pond, producing expanding waves.
All of us have a role in producing and sustaining good economic news. To assure a good economy, we have to support our investors to make the dreams of enterprisers come true.
Our Chattanooga community and our people seem to be doing that pretty well.