As summer begins, or continues, to heat up, so is much of the development around town. Commercially, many of our corridors are progressing nicely, although not quite as fast as we may like. Unfortunately, roads take too much time to build, but after a recent TDOT update at our Chamber board meeting, progress is being made and we have a better understanding of the timing of some of our ongoing road projects.
The city has moved much quicker with the Progress Parkway extension in the East Tennessee Progress Center completing a large extension in just a few months and hopefully we can cut a ribbon soon for this enhancement. This will allow us to begin development on additional industrial sites.
Industrially, many industries are in expansion mode and many industries, such as Iatric, are very close to opening. Iatric is beginning the hiring process, and to find jobs, please go to http://www.iatricmfg.com/about-us/careers/ Another of our recent announcements, Van Hool, is beginning a skills evaluation with a local team recently making trips to Macedonia and Belgium to work with company HR and training teams to begin the specialized training process for future employees.
As a parent before the beginning of a school year, this is a great time to talk with your kids about future plans. They may not yet understand what a supply chain analyst or a microbiologist does, but they should know that these are jobs available in the town they live in today. Please let us know if your kids or anyone in your circle have questions about training and education for these jobs as our community has many willing educational partners to support this professional growth if desired.