The “R’s” of the New Economy
There has been a significant discontinuity in the economic environment centered on the COVID Pandemic. Its effects took hold in the US in early 2020 and began to fade by mid-2021. However, the lingering… Read More
Tagged: Regionalism
Putting the Student Loan Program into Perspective
For the past several years, there have been programs in place to mitigate the financial burden of student loan repayments. President Trump initially suspended student loan repayments during COVID-19 pandemic and that policy has… Read More
Where is the economy headed?
The litany of risks to the global economy are manyfold: Federal Reserve tightening of the money supply, ongoing supply chain disruptions, persistent inflation, the lingering effects of the pandemic and a war in Ukraine. In… Read More
Can we solve our labor problems?
Can we solve our labor problems? Our region, despite some outward appearances, has some very troubling employment statistics The unemployment rate is modest (2.9%). The number of unfilled positions is relatively high (10,000 openings).… Read More
A Beautiful Place to Live, if we Live up to our Potential
It sauntered over at a lackadaisical pace, its head down rooting around for something to eat. When it looked up, we were able to snap several great pictures. It was a black bear strolling… Read More
Rebuilding the American Dream requires more than conflict
Lieutenant Clark “never hesitates to offer well-reasoned, if sometimes unpopular views.” Those words adorned the comment block of my first Officer Efficiency Report. This column offers both; a “well-reasoned” argument but some in this… Read More
We must look at economic development in a new light
“Everyone wants things to be different, but no one wants anything to change.” That could be the mantra of our region. Yet changes, in technology, culture, business activity, as a result of the Pandemic… Read More
We can be World Class
It pains me to watch us flog ourselves like some medieval flagellants. Certainly, our region is far from perfect; we suffer from many of the same ills as other rural areas. Yet, despite significant… Read More
We need an alternative approach to regional economic development
Regardless of the name (Tri-Cities, Upper East Tennessee or Appalachian Highlands), we live or die as one region. However, we have been unable to formulate a coherent story that incorporates and mutually benefits the… Read More
Will Regionalism Succeed this Time?
Here we go again. There is yet another attempt to pull the Tri-Cities region together. At last there is movement towards the consolidation of the external industrial recruiting programs. We have even re-named ourselves… Read More
