Jay Garner, center, newly named executive vice president and chief economic development officer of the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, chats with, from left, Chamber Board Chairwoman Patsy Hazelwood and Chamber President and CEO Tom Edd Wilson along with County Executive Claude Ramsey and Mayor Bob Corker. Click on all our photos to enlarge them.
photo by Irby Park
The Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce has selected one of the premier economic development professionals in the country as its new Executive Vice President and Chief Economic Development Officer. Jay A. Garner joins the Chamber in April after serving as President of the Economic Strategy Center Inc., a subsidiary of National Community Development Services in Atlanta, GA.
“Jay Garner was No. 1 on our list of dream candidates,” said Chamber President and CEO Tom Edd Wilson. “He is undoubtedly one of the ten best in his field and brings a great depth of experience and skill in strategic planning and business recruitment strategies. He is a perfect fit as the Chamber advances to an aggressive level of recruiting and marketing.”
Mr. Garner has directed award-winning economic development and chamber organizations for 22 years, including positions in Tampa, FL., Mobile, AL., and Asheville, NC.
“Chattanooga is poised for great successes,” Mr. Garner said. “With the support of the leadership from both the public and private sector, I look forward to being a part of building an economic development organization that will be the envy of any and every community. My family and I look forward to making the Chattanooga area our new home.”
The Chamber’s announcement culminates a comprehensive, nationwide search for an economic development professional.
“Tom Edd Wilson has worked tirelessly to bring Jay on board,” said Chamber Board Chairwoman Patsy Hazlewood. “Jay’s leadership of our economic development efforts will propel us forward as we pursue measurable and sustainable economic growth.”
Mayor Bob Corker said, “We are very excited that in the six weeks he has been at the Chamber, Tom Edd Wilson has addressed one of the most pressing concerns in our community… filling the long vacant recruiter position. Our community is dependent on the important role that Jay will play in recruiting new businesses to the Chattanooga region and we are confident that he will help us bring high paying jobs to the soon-to-be-renamed VAAP site.”
Mr. Garner’s work with the Chamber will complement the fast-track development of the Volunteer Site, where the city and county are preparing nearly 1,000 acres of land for business and industrial use. Building on the foundation of the Chattanooga Regional Growth Initiative, Mr. Garner will focus on marketing and recruiting to our region’s strategic advantages and the VAAP site provides a substantial inventory of new land.
“This property really distinguishes us from our neighbors in the Southeast,” said Hamilton County Executive Claude Ramsey. “This land is a jewel for the Chamber to market, and Jay will serve us well in that regard. His experience and contacts – both domestically and abroad – will open up a world of possibilities for smart development of our 1,000-acre site.”
Mr. Garner brings extensive economic development experience to this region, as well as the support of some of the nation’s leading site consultants.
“Jay Garner is one of the premier economic development professionals in the United States,” said Dennis Donovan, principal partner in the New Jersey-based site location consulting firm Wadley-Donovan. “He is highly respected in the corporate site selection community.”
The Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce retained Tom Ferguson, owner of Ferguson Development Network, to assist in the selection process. “The Chamber’s selection committee developed a search criteria with extremely high expectations,” Ferguson said. “Track record, name recognition among the economic development community, communication skills, high energy level, and multi-experiences in metropolitan communities were all priorities in the selection process. Jay Garner meets and exceeds these criteria.”
Mr. Garner is an expert in international prospecting and shares that knowledge as an instructor at the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma. He has led more than 25 trade and business development missions to Asia, leading to the creation of thousands of jobs and more than $12 billion in capital investment.
He is a Certified Economic Developer and a Fellow Member, the two highest professional designations awarded to those in the economic development profession. Mr. Garner holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree from West Virginia University and will receive the distinguished alumnus of the year award given by the university this May.
He was selected in 1989 as one of ten outstanding leaders in economic development in the United States by Site Selection magazine while leading the economic development program in Mobile, Ala. The same publication also recognized him for running one of the ten best development organizations in the country for six consecutive years. As the CEO of the Asheville, NC, Chamber, his Chamber became the first in the United States to win a Quality Award based on the national Malcolm Baldrige criteria.
Mr. Garner is the co-chairman of the Board of Directors for the International Economic Development Council, the largest economic development professional trade organization in the world.
Jay Garner, new executive vice president and chief economic development officers for the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce, addresses a gathering of city, county and business leaders and the press at an afternoon press conference at the Civic Center. He will assume the office in April. Click on all our images to enlarge them.
photo by Irby Park