The East Hamilton Economic Development Council (EHEDC) will host a general assembly meeting featuring a moderated panel discussion on Thursday.

Hosted by the Ooltewah/Collegedale Council, the meeting will take place at 7 p.m. at the Collegedale Municipal Building at 4910 Swinyar Drive.

Ooltewah/Collegedale Council President-Elect Joshua Michalski will moderate the event, which will feature solutions-driven discussion about economic development efforts in the East Hamilton area. Attendees will have the opportunity to submit written questions to the moderator, who will read selected inquiries to the panelists.

Founded in 2010, the EHEDC was formed to address shared economic development issues in the Ooltewah and Collegedale areas’ combined footprint. The group is comprised of nearly a dozen community leaders and stakeholders representing various nonprofit, political and business-related entities.

“The EHEDC decided to launch these bi-annual general assemblies to get feedback from the community about economic development issues that cross the districts and organizations of both Ooltewah and Collegedale,” said Mr. Michalski. “These general assemblies will serve as a forum for the public to engage in dialogue with decision makers in our area, share their perspectives and take part in a comprehensive effort to identify issues and solutions germane to economic growth in our area.”

At the first general assembly meeting, members of the EHEDC will retain questions that require further analysis and revisit them at their next strategic planning session. All subsequent developments will return to public discourse at a second EHEDC general assembly meeting held in June, where EHEDC members will issue a review of solutions which have been met as a result of the first meeting and will solicit constructive criticism on progress made regarding those issues. In addition, all items not fully resolved at the second quarterly strategic planning meeting will be slated for further review at the general assembly meeting in June and will also be incorporated into the Ooltewah/Collegedale Council’s business plan for 2013.

“Economic development in the Ooltewah-Collegedale area is a complex topic characterized by a number of interdependent factors and relationships,” said Mr. Michalski. “The issues are too comprehensive for each district to manage in isolation, and we see these general assemblies and strategic planning meetings as a critical platform for identifying the issues we share and combining our energies to work through them and arrive at solutions together.”

Panelists for the first general assembly meeting will include:

· Chattanooga City Councilman Jack Benson

· Hamilton County Commissioner Chester Bankston

· Hamilton County Commissioner Larry Henry

· City of Collegedale Strategic Planner Kelly Martin

· Regional Planning Agency Executive Director John Bridger

· Chamber of Commerce VP of Economic Development Charles Wood

· Chamber of Commerce VP of Public Strategies Rob Bradham

· Ooltewah/Collegedale Council President Jamie Kyle

Ooltewah/Collegedale Council meetings take place the third Wednesday of each month and are open to the public. Attendees are invited to come early and stay late for networking.

To learn more about the meeting or the Ooltewah/Collegedale Council, please contact Jamie Kyle at 423 238-3528 or jamie.e.kyle@suntrust.com.