From left, Joe W. Barker, SWTDD executive director; Dwain Seaton, Mayor of Chester County and SWTDD vice chairman; Shelley Matthews, SWTDD director of the Southwest Area Agency on Aging & Disability; Lynne Keller Forbes, NADO president; and Franklin Smith, Mayor of Haywood County and SWTDD chairman of the board.

Southwest Tennessee Development District (SWTDD) of Jackson, Tennessee, has received a 2017 Innovation Award from the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) for the MyRide West Tennessee program.

MyRide West Tennessee is a senior-friendly, door-through-door transportation program that links those 60 years and older who have difficulty or are unable to drive with volunteers who drive them on essential trips like to doctor appointments, the grocery store and on other important errands. Seniors pay a $25 annual fee to join and are charged $2 per round-trip (both of which help cover costs for volunteer background checks, extra insurance for volunteer drivers, and mileage reimbursement for volunteers). Only available in Madison County at this time, the program will begin to expand into other SWTDD counties in the months and years to come.

“The MyRide program has proven to be an effective, affordable and popular means of transportation for seniors in Madison County,” says Joe Barker, SWTDD executive director. “This program just adds an option to the already great public transportation opportunities in the region. However, this program needs volunteer drivers and we encourage you to become involved.”

NADO is a Washington, DC-based membership association of regional development organizations that promotes programs and policies that strengthen local governments, communities, and economies through regional cooperation, program delivery, and comprehensive strategies. NADO’s Innovation Awards program recognizes regional development organizations and their partners for improving the economic and community competitiveness of our nation’s regions and local communities. 2017 marked NADO’s 50-year anniversary of supporting regional economic development across the country.

Award-winning projects were honored during NADO’s 2017 Annual Training Conference, held September 9-12 in Anchorage, AK. The 2017 class of award recipients consists of 80 projects spanning 21 states. These projects are presented in an interactive “Story Map” developed by NADO and Esri and include project summaries, funding information, and partners. The Story Map is available online at: https://www.nado.org/innovation-awards/.

“The Innovation Awards program is an opportunity to recognize the important work of regional development organizations that are promoting economic development and improving quality of life for local residents,” said 2016-2017 NADO President Lynne Keller Forbes, Executive Director of the South Eastern Council of Governments, located in Sioux Falls, SD. “These projects demonstrate the diversity of work that regional development organizations undertake to benefit the communities and regions that they serve.”

For more information about this award-winning project, contact Joe W. Barker, SWTDD executive director, at 731-668-6439.

Toyota Bodine Aluminum in Jackson, Tennessee is one of  five U.S. manufacturers that will receive part of a $373.8 million investment money from parent company, Toyota.

According to a press release from Toyota, it plans to bring the first American-made hybrid powertrain production to the U.S. and to implement Toyota's New Global Architecture (TGNA) at its Alabama plant in Huntsville. Each project is scheduled to begin this year and all should be operational by 2020.

Investments will include adding new production of hybrid transaxles (hybrid vehicle transmissions) at the Buffalo, WV, manufacturing facility; expanding 2.5-liter engine capacity at the Georgetown, KY, plant; increasing production of 2.5-liter cylinder heads at Bodine Aluminum’s Troy, MO, plant; and modifying the Bodine Jackson plant to accommodate production of hybrid transaxle cases and housings and 2.5-liter engine blocks. The Huntsville, AL, plant will undergo a comprehensive upgrade to enable it to build engines that complement TNGA.

$14,500,00.00 will be the total investment to the Jackson facility.

“We are thrilled to win this $14.5 million dollar investment to build Toyota’s latest 2.5 liter engine blocks and Hybrid Transaxle cases and housings at Toyota Bodine in Jackson,” said Shawn Daly, plant manager at Toyota Bodine Aluminum in Jackson. “This announcement reflects our Team Members’ strong capabilities and global competitiveness, and helps us to continue to secure a bright future for Toyota Bodine in Jackson, Tennessee.”

“This investment is part of our long-term commitment to build more vehicles and components in the markets in which we sell them,” said Jim Lentz, CEO, Toyota Motor North America. “This strategy is designed to better serve our customers and dealers, and positions our manufacturing operations to fulfill their needs well into the future.”

The 2.5-liter engines manufactured in Kentucky and transaxles made in West Virginia will be used in hybrid vehicles built in North America such as the Highlander Hybrid manufactured in Princeton, Indiana. Toyota remains the world leader in gas-electric hybrids, surpassing 3 million sales in the U.S. and 10 million globally.

Fifty new jobs will be created because of the investment at the Alabama plant. There will be no net gain of jobs at the Kentucky, West Virginia, or Bodine Aluminum facilities, but these investments will help to ensure the stability of the plants’ employment levels in the future.

"This investment across five American plants expands capacity for our latest TNGA engines, and localizes production of hybrid powertrains, a core Toyota technology,” said Jeff Moore, senior vice president for Manufacturing. “It underscores Toyota's confidence in the capability and global competitiveness of our North American manufacturing."

The total investment of $373.8 million will be distributed as follows:

• Toyota Motor Manufacturing, KY – $120,960,000
• Bodine Aluminum Jackson, TN – $14,500,000
• Toyota Motor Manufacturing, WV – $115,300,000
• Toyota Motor Manufacturing, AL – $106,000,000
• Bodine Aluminum Troy, MO – $17,050,000

These projects, and others previously announced, move Toyota nearly halfway ($4.1 billion) toward its commitment to invest $10 billion in the U.S. as announced by CEO Akio Toyoda in January 2017.

The Dale Carnegie Course, having transformed the careers of over 7 million graduates, is offering a special discount to Jackson Chamber members. As a Jackson Chamber member, the course is being offered with a savings of $200.

The course will be offered in 2018 beginning Monday, January 22 and will run through Monday, April 9. Meetings will be held every Monday from 5 - 8:30 p.m. for 12 weeks at the Jackson Chamber on 197 Auditorium Street.

There will be a free preview event where attendees can experience the course in a real setting with real content on Thursday, January 9, 2018 from 8:30 – 9:45 a.m. at the chamber. Those attending will walk away with tools they can apply immediately, as with every Dale Carnegie program..

Register online at Midsouth.DaleCarnegie.com/events. Email Carter House at Carter.House@dalecarnegie.com or call 501-473-9242 to register or find out more.

For more information, view these pdf’s:

Dale Carnegie coming to Jackson, Tennessee in January!

The Dale Carnegie Course

Free Preview Session

#JacksonTN Chamber's 'spooktacular' October Video News will unearth what's bubbling in the cauldron this month. Look for members: Green Frog Coffee Co.; La Petite Boutique; Mark Hawk - LegalShield Independent Associate; Second Chance Development Treatment Center/ LIDO; Rodeway Inn - Denmark, TN, West of Jackson, TN; Tennessee Foundation Services; The Chapel at Tulip Tree Lake; Vinyl Designs And More; Class 101 West Tennessee; J Thomas House of Bourbon and Blues; Jackson Christian School; Elmcroft Senior Living; Regency Retirement Jackson; West Tennessee State Fair - Jackson, TN; Jackson State Community College (JSCC); AseraCare Hospice Jackson Area; Bloom Full Service MedSpa, Bethel University College of Professional Studies and Mid South Pain Treatment Center, LLC.

The Leadership Jackson Alumni Association will present Darkness to Light: Stewards of Children “An Evening with Marilyn Van Derbur” to educate West Tennesseans on the prevention of child sexual abuse on Thursday, September 28. Marilyn, a former Miss America who went on to become a national broadcaster and best-selling author, is also an incest survivor.

Guests will listen as Marilyn shares her story to empower others to help prevent child abuse. The event will be held at Union University’s Carl Grant Events Center at 6:00 p.m. A buffet dinner will be offered to attendees at no charge thanks to generous sponsors. Registration for the event is now full.

“Education about this issue is so important for our children and youth and others in the community who work with children or train others to serve in that capacity,” said Dr. Beverly Absher, President of the LJAA Board.

Marilyn will also be signing her book, Miss America By Day: Lessons Learned from Ultimate Betrayals and Unconditional Love (accessible at the event) and will be available for photographs following the event.

Sponsors of the event include Leaders Credit Union, Creative Dining Services, Golden Circle Exterminators, Doug Hale Electric, Miss Tennessee Organization, Kelley Cash, Exchange Club, West Tennessee Healthcare, Leadership Jackson Alumni Association, and Union University.

Darkness to Light is a non-profit organization whose mission is to reduce the incidence of child sexual abuse by shifting the responsibility from children to adults. This is accomplished by ensuring that adults across the country are provided with the tools they need to effectively identify and react to child sexual abuse. This seminar has been approved for licensing or continuing education credit by a number of agencies and professional organizations, and participants will receive a certificate of completion to be used for this purpose.

Stewards of Children is a revolutionary training program developed by the Darkness to Light organization (darkness2light.org) that educates adults to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse, and motivates them to courageous action. The cornerstone of this program is an interactive video and workbook which will be provided during the workshop.

“Leadership Jackson got involved with Darkness to Light through a partnership with the Carl Perkins Board, and we are excited to present this educational opportunity in our area,” said Absher.

Leadership Jackson was started by the Chamber in 1979. Through the fundamentals of the program and the ongoing Alumni efforts, Leadership Jackson works to help aspiring leaders become better employees, managers and community leaders. To learn more, visit leadershipjackson.com.