Members of the Chattanooga Association of Realtors were able to get a sneak peek of the impact of Volkswagen from Taylor Jernigan, the 2007 president of the Montgomery Area Association of Realtors, at a luncheon Wednesday.

Mr. Jernigan is a realtor in Montgomery for the past 10 years who is well versed on the changes the Montgomery area experienced following the announcement from Hyundai, the fifth largest automobile importer in the United States, of the construction of an automotive plant in April 2002.

“There are a lot of similarities to what you got (with Volkswagen) and what we got in 2002 (from Hyundai),” remarked Mr. Jernigan in pointing out the parallels between the announced specifications from Volkswagen and what Hyundai committed to build in Montgomery.

He credits much of the growing number of automobile manufacturers to the Southeast’s reputation of becoming a regional “juggernaut” that attracts new businesses and people.

“You have to know that when this kind of economic growth is going on this is just not automotive people were pulling into the area – it’s every facet coming in. We are an economic powerhouse in this country.”

Mr. Jernigan said he sees bright things ahead for the Chattanooga region. He said Hyundai kept delivering an even greater boon to the community in both economic growth and community-wide philanthropy. “Things just keep happening, they keep adding on. What you’ve got right now promised to you is really just the start. You’ve got a lot more to look forward to.”

He added, “You’re making a huge impact on the state of Tennessee; and really the whole Tri-Ttate area.”

Regarding the immediate impact to the real estate industry, Mr. Jernigan said land and large rental housing was the first to see increases as the advance teams moved into the area to get the plant running. As human resource departments start hiring, the pace and interest in real estate will really start to flourish, he said.

“You really need to develop an action plan to help handle the traffic,” advised Mr. Jernigan as he saw that the hiring was so fast that someone could call one day and want to be able to meet with a realtor right away. He recommended specialized welcome packages for Volkswagen employees and mapping out and giving tours of the city to point out historic landmarks and information about area schools for those with children.

Regarding the cultural differences between the community and new residents, Mr. Jernigan found that the Koreans moving to Montgomery did not want to be treated in a different matter and they even thought it funny as to what Americans were trying to do to make them feel welcome. “They’re trying to assimilate into our society. If you start acting like them, it’s just going to confuse the issue. Just be your normal, wonderful, Southern hosts and hostesses and it will work out just fine.”

“This is all to open the door to other industries,” Mr. Jernigan added while identifying a steel plant being built in Mobile, Ala., and the 28,000 jobs that is creating for the plant’s construction. He also referenced some figures Alabama’s governor, Bob Riley, recently stated that showed the state having 473 new and expanding industry announcements and 24,000 new jobs in 2007. All are reasons why Southern Business and Development Magazine named Alabama its “State of the Year” in 2007, an honor bestowed on the state annually since 2002.

“It was great to have Taylor come to Chattanooga and share his experience,” said Pam Duffy, president of the Chattanooga Association of Realtors. “We have a lot to look forward to and it’s clear that all the hard work so many people did to bring a major manufacturer to Enterprise South will really pay off for this community.

“Clearly, this is the Right Time, Right Market and we’re encouraging more and more people to come and see why real estate is local and the doom and gloom headlines have it wrong. This is a great place to call home.”