Valley lures 127 businesses
Despite the sluggish recovery, the Tennessee Valley Authority said it has helped expand or recruit 127 companies across its seven-state region since the current fiscal year began last October. TVA said such businesses plan to invest $5.3 billion into the Tennessee Valley and add or retain more than 42,000 jobs.
But while trying to boost employment in the TVA region, the utility is cutting its own staff. TVA spokesman Duncan Mansfield said the agency so far this year has cut 670 positions from its 12,000-employee staff.
Most of those job losses have been achieved through attrition or relocation of workers. Only 227 employees in jobs being eliminated have left TVA since May and many of those have found jobs at other companies, Mansfield said. Another 261 of the employees whose jobs were phased out this year have found other work within TVA and the agency has decided not to fill another 182 jobs.
Benwood gives community grant
The Benwood Foundation said last week it has given the community organizing group Chattanooga Organized for Action a $40,000 grant to expand its organizing efforts for poor and low-income communities across Chattanooga.
Started in 2010 by Megan Hollenbeck, Chris Brooks and Perrin Lance, COA has evolved from a street activist organization involved in the recall effort against Mayor Ron Littlefield to a social justice group helping empower tenants in public housing and low-income communities. COA helped residents of Dogwood Manor form a resident association and worked to establish the Westside Community Association for the 2,400 residents in the area. Those groups fought back against the Purpose Built homes project discussed for the Westside.