Attracting Businesses With Broadband

Ben Lomand Connect hosted a recent TNBA marketing meeting in the small, industrial community of Morrison, Tennessee. The focus of the gathering was on how TNBA broadband providers could assist communities at large and businesses locating to their areas. Speaker Wendy Sneed, executive director of the McMinnville Warren County Industrial Development Board, educated the group on topics like the process of bringing new industries to an area, broadband as a factor in site selection and communication between organizations.

Sneed also discussed strategic planning for communities and the importance of connecting economic developers with new businesses entering communities so employers can have the resources they need from Day 1. She mentioned collection of metrics as particularly important for recruiting new businesses and in applying for grants that can help organizations grow. It’s also essential, she said, for broadband providers promote existing businesses and connect with resources available throughout their communities.

Everyone in a given community is part of the economic development team, Sneed contends. Whether it’s elected officials, school systems, chambers of commerce or workforce partners, all community partners have a role to play in attracting new businesses and helping existing ones to grow. Broadband providers, Sneed pointed out, have a particularly significant role as the availability of high-speed internet is becoming a determining factor in corporate executives’ site selection decisions.