As 2017 concludes, we can look back and see it was a very strong year in a few areas for our community and Chamber. I’m not sure if anyone heard, but Morristown added over 2,000 jobs last year, more than Volkswagen’s first 3 years of operation in Chattanooga. Our jobs are much more diverse though. About 25% were in manufacturing while the balance were in retail, service and white collar. This diversification allows our community to safely and responsibly grow at a sustainable pace. 2,000 jobs isn’t and probably will never be the norm, but it is nice to see such an economic recovery.
Another interesting graphic you will see in the infographic on page 3 of this newsletter is the number of volunteer hours by Chamber participants. With a community on the move, it is impossible for the Chamber staff alone to work every event and function, and these volunteers that contribute this time are to be thanked!
With this type of community growth, we will experience pains that come along with such growth. Our goal in the next year will be to create programs or systems to solve these issues as they arise. A few major topics will be housing, education and population recruitment for the region. As the unemployment rate continues to drop, it will become more and more important to grow our community from the outside in and population attraction will be part of this plan. We appreciate everyone’s participation and assistance in 2017 and look forward to an exciting 2018.