Consumer confidence rises to 18-year high
The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index climbed to 137.9 in October from 135.3 in September. Both readings are the highest since September 2000.
The index measures consumers’ assessment of current economic conditions and their outlook for the next six months. Both improved in October.
“Consumers do not foresee the economy losing steam anytime soon,” said Conference Board economist Lynn Franco. “Rather, they expect the strong pace of growth to carry over into early 2019.”
VW wins award for environment
Volkswagen Chattanooga received the Environmental Excellence award at the Tennessee Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s 36th Annual Environment and Energy Awards Conference.
“Every action counts when it comes to sustainability initiatives, and environmental responsibility has been top-of-mind for this plant since the beginning,” said Antonio Pinto, CEO of Volkswagen Chattanooga.
In the past decade at its plant in the Enterprise South Industrial Park, Volkswagen has restored and expanded wetlands which were destroyed by the former occupants. Adjacent to the 88 acres of wetlands is the 33-acre Volkswagen Chattanooga Solar Park, which has produces 13.1 gigawatt hours of electricity annually. In 2011, Volkswagen’s Chattanooga manufacturing plant received a platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) green building certification program. The facility is the first and only automotive manufacturing plant in the world to receive the USGBC’s Platinum certification.
“Running a world-class manufacturing facility while also making it a priority to be good stewards of the environment is a model for manufacturing in Tennessee,” said Bradley Jackson, president and CEO of the Tennessee Chamber.
BlackRock adds Innovation hub
BlackRock, the world’s largest asset management firm and a technology solutions provider, has chosen Atlanta for the company’s newest Innovation Hub.
Gov. Nathan Deal said BlackRock plans to build its presence in Fulton County, partner with the Atlanta business community and local universities, and create 1,000 career opportunities over the next several years.
“The Atlanta innovation hub is an example of BlackRock’s strategy to serve clients globally and locally and we are excited to build our presence in the area over the next several years,” said BlackRock Chief Operating Officer Rob Goldstein. “Atlanta was chosen for its skilled and diverse talent pool, thriving business community and high quality of life as we look to attract top talent and constantly innovate how we operate.”
Dr. Eloisa Klementich, president and CEO of Invest Atlanta, said tchnology business expansions in 2018 alone are projected to create an economic impact of $500 million as these companies make thousands of new hires and millions of dollars of capital investment.
“BlackRock is at the forefront of investment tech and will join more than 20 corporate innovation centers here that make us a top-tier city for corporate innovation,” Klementich said.