While the coronavirus may have recently reversed some of its economic gains, the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce group was among the top 20 economic development groups in the country for business development and recruitment ahead of the COVID-19 crisis, according to a new rating by Site Selection magazine.
The industry publication awarded its Mac Conway award to the Greater Chattanooga Economic Partnership for its success in recruiting and growing more jobs and investment in the region. The annual honor, which is named after Site Selection founding publisher H. McKinley “Mac” Conway, is awarded to the top local and regional U.S. economic development groups based on an index of corporate job creation and facility-related capital investment data calculated both cumulatively and per capita.
Last year, Chattanooga’s economic development group headed by Charles Wood helped secure new investments and job additions by Zues Industrial Products, Nippon Paint Gestamp Chattanooga, Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, Dm Trans, Atn Hoelzel and Arrive on Time Logistics.
The Greater Chattanooga Economic Partnership represents a 16-county region in Northeast Alabama, Northwest Georgia and Southeast Tennessee. The group provides expertise in site selection, workforce support and incentive support.
In its annual report on new investments and economic recruitment, Site Selection also recognized the top states during the past year. Georgia ranked second behind only Texas, while Tennessee ranked seventh and Alabama ranked eighth.