The Tennessee Economic Development Council (TEDC) has recognized Ross Tarver, chairman of the Bradley/Cleveland Industrial Development Board and vice president/general manager of Tarver Distributing Co., as the 2009 Jim Spradley Volunteer of the Year.

Mr. Tarver’s tireless efforts to help locate Wacker Chemie in Bradley County and keep a division of Whirlpool Corporation in Cleveland were specific achievements noted at the awards ceremony.

The Jim Spradley Volunteer of the Year Award in Economic Development recognizes those individuals who make a substantial impact in assisting economic development organizations in their economic progress and capabilities growth.

TEDC Immediate President Walt Wood expressed his admiration for Tarver during the award presentation. “Ross Tarver exemplifies what we look for in a Jim Spradley Volunteer of the Year recipient. He is dedicated, passionate and tireless in his role as an economic development leader.”

Gary Farlow, president of the Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce, said, “In my 29 years of professional life, I have never worked with a finer, more committed, more effective community volunteer leader.”

In addition to chairing the Industrial Development Board, Mr. Tarver is a member of the Chamber’s Economic Development Council.

“Ross has been a tireless volunteer since he began his involvement with the Industrial Development Board,” Mr. Farlow said. “Last year he was a key player in a project to keep Whirlpool in Bradley County. After months of work with city, county and state officials and with local company officials, we were successful in convincing Whirlpool’s corporate decision makers to relocate their Oxford, Miss., operation to Cleveland.”

That decision resulted in 500 jobs and a capital investment of $14 million and solidified Whirlpool’s long-term presence in our community.

Mr. Tarver’s most significant contribution to economic development projects in the last year was his role in the successful location of Wacker Chemie’s newest $1 billion project in Bradley County. Wacker, the second-largest polysilicon producer in the world, will build a facility to produce hyperpure polycrystalline silicon in north Bradley County. In addition to the initial $1 billion capital investment, the company will also bring 500 new high-paying jobs to the Ocoee Region.

“Ross’s involvement with the project goes back to the initial contact with the company four years ago when they first looked at Bradley County,” Mr. Farlow said. “He participated in almost every meeting with the prospective company, spanning nearly a year. He worked directly with the Chamber’s economic development staff in numerous meetings with property owners to secure options on the proposed site.”

Although Wacker decided not to locate that project in the United States, Mr. Tarver made it his mission to maintain personal contact with company officials and encourage them to consider Tennessee for future projects.

When the company decided last year to look again at locating a facility in the United States, Mr. Tarver was once more a key player in meetings with the company and in negotiations with property owners for land options. He also took time away from his business to travel with a local team to Germany to meet with company officials at their headquarters in Munich and their manufacturing facilities in Burghausen.

“Ross spent many hours with the Chamber’s economic development staff in one-on-one meetings with our County Commissioners and other local leaders to develop the community’s incentive package, as well as numerous meetings and conference calls with state and TVA officials related to the project,” Mr. Farlow said. “His leadership in the community and his personal relationships with key company officials were a major factor in our success.”

In addition to his volunteer efforts with the Industrial Development Board and the Chamber’s Economic Development Council, Mr. Tarver contributes time and finances to a variety of community organizations, including the Bradley County Sheriff’s Department, Charleston Police Department, United Way of Cleveland, Junior Achievement of Bradley and McMinn Counties, Cleveland Family YMCA, Cleveland Creative Arts Guild, Friends of the Library, Bradley County Rescue, Charleston Fire Department, Muscular Dystrophy Association, Cleveland Sports for Youth Program, and the American Heart Association.

The Jim Spradley Volunteer of the Year Award was established in 1977. Recipients of the award must be nominated by their peers and selected by a committee of past presidents of TEDC from the field of nominees. Tarver’s accomplishments were recognized at the TEDC annual fall conference held in Kingsport.