Find out what's happening in November with our latest video newsletter. Information includes upcoming chamber events, new members, the latest ribbon cuttings and a quick interview with Susan and Ronnie Morris, owners of Express Employment Professionals.

Script:

Thanksgiving is ahead and we have some great ways to get in shape for the feast, like …

• Leadership Jackson’s Impact Glow Run and Gold’s Gym Turkey Day 5K

• Shopping at Friendly Frank’s and USJ’s Holiday Mart

• or Dance the night away with the Annual Charity Gala

Check out our events calendar at JacksonTN.com for more information.

Interruption:

We interrupt this broadcast to tell you that member applications are online for Annual Celebration 2018! Go to Jackson Chamber’s website at JacksonTN.com and fill yours out today! Hey - you could be the next Business of the Year!) And now … back to our regularly scheduled program.

Events:

Calling all Jackson Young Professionals … come learn business strategies from our panel of successful entrepreneurs at JYP.

(Nov. 9 • 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.)

Business at 212 gives advice on time management

(Nov. 9 • 7:45 – 9 a.m. @ Jackson Chamber)

And, meet us at Air Choice One for Business After Hours!

(Nov 16 • 5-7 p.m.)

New members include:

Vinyl Designs and More D K USA, Inc. Justin Williams Labor Finders of Jackson ReCon of Tennessee, L.L.C.

Ribbon Cuttings include:

Primary Care Clinic of Jackson The Chapel at Tulip Tree Lake Mulligan's MidSouth Pain Treatment Center, LLC Redden Total Therapy M&M Consignment Adrian’s Restaurant & Bar Home Based/Out of Town ReCon of Tennessee, LLC Comprehensive Pain Specialists Rodeway Inn - Denmark Fellowship Bible Church's South Campus

Jackson Energy Authority has been awarded a two (2) megawatt solar generation project through the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Distributed Solar Solutions (DSS) pilot program.

Jim Ferrell, President/CEO of the Jackson Energy Authority stated, “Sustainability is an important aspect of the industrial community’s culture. Jackson Energy Authority is proud to partner with TVA and Silicon Ranch Corporation in the development of this community solar project which will allow us to assist our local industrial community in meeting their corporate sustainability goals in a cost effective manner.”

Jackson Energy Authority worked with Nashville-based developer Silicon Ranch Corporation to develop its application. Under the agreement, Silicon Ranch will fund, build, own, and operate the solar energy facility. Silicon Ranch is the largest developer, owner, and operator of solar facilities based in the TVA service area and one of the largest independent solar power producers in the United States.

This Solar Farm will be an Industrial Community Solar project to assist our industrial community in meeting their corporate sustainability goals. The location will be in west Madison County near McKellar-Sipes Regional Airport and the Airport Industrial Park.

Silicon Ranch President and CEO Matt Kisber said, “Silicon Ranch applauds the staff, leadership, and Board of Directors at Jackson Energy Authority for their commitment to meet the sustainability goals of their industrial customers in a creative, cost-effective manner. It is a smart, enlightened strategic procurement decision, and Silicon Ranch is proud to partner with JEA and TVA on this meaningful, customer-driven renewable energy solution.”

Planned construction should start in 2018 with the system coming online in late 2018 or early 2019.

Ernest Easley, professor of evangelism at Union University, stands outside the R.G. Lee birthplace that will open on the Union campus Nov. 11. (Photo by Kristi Woody)

A piece of Southern Baptist history has been moved to the campus of Union University.

On Nov. 11, the university will open the newly renovated birthplace of R.G. Lee, which was moved to Union’s Jackson campus from Bellevue Baptist Church in Memphis.

“R.G. Lee was a leading statesman among Southern Baptists and other evangelicals during the middle years of the 20th century,” said Nathan Finn, dean of Union’s School of Theology and Missions. “Because of his ties to the Mid-South region and this university, it is fitting that his childhood home be located on the Union University campus so that younger generations can learn about the life and legacy of this important Christian leader.”

The 32 feet by 16 feet house was originally built in the mid-19th century in Fort Mill, South Carolina. Lee was born in the house on Nov. 11, 1886, to a family of sharecroppers. The opening of the home at Union will mark the 131st birthday of the renowned evangelist, pastor and orator.

“Lee’s most famous sermon, ‘Payday Someday,’ might be the most famous sermon ever preached by a Southern Baptist,” Finn said. “He preached it over 1,200 times at churches and conferences all over America.”

Ernest Easley, professor of evangelism at Union, oversaw the moving and renovation of the home. He said this is the third time the home has been moved, but he hopes Union will be its final resting place. It was moved in 1970 from its original location in South Carolina to Camp Cordova, a Baptist camp in West Tennessee.

That camp shut down in the early 1990s, and the house was moved to the campus of Bellevue Baptist Church, where Lee had served as the pastor for 33 years, from 1927 to 1960. During his time as pastor there, he was elected as president of the SBC and served as a trustee of Union.

Easley said he first became aware of the house in 1998, when he visited Bellevue to meet with former pastor Adrian Rogers. The home was sitting in a fenced area behind the back parking lot of the church. When Easley joined the faculty at Union in 2015, he visited Bellevue again and saw that the home was still there and in need of renovation. He began discussions with Steve Gaines, Bellevue's current pastor and another Union alumnus, about moving the home to Union's campus, but he had no money to do so. He said a few members at Bellevue who knew Lee donated all of the money for the project.

“That’s the power of Dr. Lee’s legacy,” Easley said. “People that may have only heard him preach once still remember him. Having his home on Union’s campus will be a great way to pass on that legacy to a new generation.”

The house now sits on the edge of Union’s Jackson campus, where it can be seen clearly from the Highway 45 Bypass. The exterior of the house was rebuilt after the move from all new cypress lumber and hand-cut pine shingles, but the interior walls, doors, floors and ceiling joists maintain the original wood from the house as it was built in the 1800s.

The house will also contain several items on loan from Bellevue, including an original butter churn and wooden chest from the home as well as the original cradle Lee used as a baby. Other furniture displayed in the home is not original, but is appropriate for the time Lee would have lived there.

The opening of the home will take place at 2 p.m. Nov. 11 and include a brief presentation and a tour. While the home will remain locked most of the time, visitors can set up tours by contacting Abby Scott in the School of Theology and Missions at ascott@uu.edu or at (731) 661-6587.

Lance Beus, CEO, Tennova Healthcare - Regional Jackson

Lance Beus has been named Chief Executive Officer of Tennova Healthcare – Regional Jackson effective October 30th. He comes to Jackson from CHRISTUS Jasper Memorial Hospital in Jasper, Texas.

“I look forward to working with the board, physicians and employees to provide our patients with the compassionate medical care they need,” said Beus. “It will be an honor to lead Tennova Healthcare – Regional Jackson and support this staff’s dedication to providing quality healthcare.”

Since 2014, Beus has served as President of CHRISTUS Jasper Memorial Hospital, overseeing an acute care hospital and four rural clinics. He began his healthcare career as administrator of a 17-provider cardiology practice in Johnson City, Tennessee and has since applied his leadership skills as Assistant CEO at CHS-affiliated Woodland Heights Medical Center in Lufkin, Texas and CEO at hospitals in Saudi Arabia and Egypt.

“Lance has the leadership skills and business acumen to support continued growth in services and quality while promoting a culture that provides an exceptional patient experience,” said Shant Garabedian, D.O., Chief of Staff for Tennova Healthcare – Regional Jackson. “He is enthusiastic and passionate about quality healthcare. We look forward to working with Lance and welcoming him to our community.”

Lance earned a master’s degree in public health – healthcare administration from East Tennessee State University and his bachelor’s degree in sociology from Brigham Young University.

About Tennova Healthcare

One of the state’s largest health networks, Tennova Healthcare includes 16 hospitals and more than 115 physician clinics. The combined network has approximately 2,600 licensed beds, 2,800 physicians on the combined active medical staffs, and 9,000 employees, with more than 70,000 admissions and 465,000 emergency department visits each year. Tennova Healthcare – Regional Jackson is owned, in part, by physicians. Learn more at www.Tennova.com.

• The Jace Hargrove Band, Libation Station (Union City), 5:30pm
• Jackson Plectral Society, Casey Jones Village, 6:30pm
• Open Jam, Elks Lodge 192, 7:00pm
• Steve Green, The Downtown Tavern, 7:00pm
• Johnny Mac, Blues Landing (Buchanan), 7:00pm
• Karaoke Night, West Alley BBQ, 7:30pm
• Open Mic w/ The Skeleton Krew, Cody’s, 8:00pm
• Tap Out, The Tap, 9:00pm

• The Skeleton Krew, The Bus Stop (Dyersburg), 6:00pm
• Southern Fire Band, International Rock-A-Billy Hall of Fame, 7:00pm
• Tyler Goodson, Mulligans, 7:00pm
• Classic Nashville Roadshow, The NED, 7:30pm
• The Groove, Redbones, 8:00pm
• 5 Stories & Kings Avail, Ricochet Bar, 8:00pm
• Jordan & Emily, Blues Landing (Buchanan), 8:00pm
• Overdrive III, Ray’s Hideout (Bethel Springs), 8:00pm
• One Nyte Stand, The Mic Stand (Huntingdon), 8:30pm
• Karaoke, This Is It Bar (Halls), 9:00pm
• Blair & Madison, The Downtown Tavern, 10:00pm

• No Time Flatt, Ramer Days Fall Fest, 1:30pm
• Bryan Hayes, West TN Delta Heritage Center, 6:30pm
• Derrick Brantley, The Windmill (Decaturville), 7:30pm
• Beyond Blame, Redbones, 8:00pm
• Freedom, The Deuce (Lexington), 8:00pm
• Bryan Moffitt, Blues Landing (Buchanan), 8:00pm
• One Nyte Stand, Boars Nest (Alamo), 8:00pm
• Wendell Mask, Mulligans, 9:00pm
• Karaoke Contest, Ricochet Bar, 9:00pm
• Will Burton, John Paul Winstead, & Skyelor Anderson, The Tap, 9:00pm
• The Allen Warren Band, Pine Ridge (Medon), 9:00pm
• Jessie & The Holy Smokes, Twin Oaks (Brownsville), 9:00pm
• Karaoke, MT Bottles (Bradford), 9:00pm
• Dagger, Chequers (Dyersburg), 10:00pm
• Farmers Market Blues Band, The Downtown Tavern, 10:00pm

Students from South Side High School tour LyondellBasell's Jackson facility during Manufacturing Day.

Students from Jackson-Madison County Schools were part of 23 area high schools that participated in Manufacturing Day, coordinated by Jackson State Community College (JSCC) and the Jackson Chamber on October 20. Manufacturers from Henry to McNairy County held tours and informational sessions to educate students about the skills needed for today’s jobs.

“The goal for this program is to promote modern manufacturing and expose students to great career options,” said Vicki Bunch, manager of workforce development, Jackson Chamber.

The event attracted more than 250 students total to facilities in the area. An additional 100 students were educated with industrial tours on October 6.

South Side High School students toured LyondellBasell, a global company that manufactures plastics, the bulk of which are supplied to the automotive industry. Students gained additional insight into a typical workday from Andrew Pettit who is a maintenance apprentice that graduated from the Advanced Maintenance Technician (AMT) program at JSCC. He is working his way through the company to become a Maintenance Technician.

“LyondellBasell in Jackson, Tennessee is proud to be a part of our local Manufacturing Day activities,” says Becky White, plant manager. “We are happy to host high school juniors and seniors, along with participants in Jackson State’s Advanced Maintenance Technician (AMT) program kwo play online casino, and show them our manufacturing operations. In addition to seeing the manufacturing processes, they have a change to meet employees who perform a wide variety of roles to support manufacturing. Our employees enjoy sharing what they do for LyondellBasell, a global corporation that provides high paying careers and offers multiple opportunities to these students.”

Luis Mendez and Grant Young, both students with JSCC’s AMT program, were on hand to talk with the students and offer their insights. Mendez is working at TBDN Tennessee Company, while Young is set to start in 2018 with LyondellBasell through this program.

Perhaps you’ve heard of the Tennessee Promise, where eligible high school students have a chance to receive an award at an eligible postsecondary institution toward tuition and mandatory fees. But, did you know that these students need mentors to keep them on track to attain this goal?

tnAchieves is the partnering organization to the TN Promise Scholarship in 84 of the 95 counties in Tennessee. Its mission is to increase higher education opportunities for Tennessee high school students by providing last-dollar scholarships with mentor guidance.

Mentor positions are filled by volunteers. In Jackson-Madison County, a total of 141 mentors are needed for high school seniors. Time requirements to be a mentor include one hour or less per month to help high school seniors transiton to post-secondary opportunities next year. Mentors receive training, attend two required meetings and send deadline reminders to the students, along with answering any questions they may have by text or email.

“tnAchieves is a great avenue for becoming a mentor for today’s youth,” says Vicki Bunch, manager of workforce development, Jackson Chamber. “Currently, Madison County has reached 55% of its goal, but still needs 63 mentors. I can’t think of a better way to make a difference in our community than to positively influence our young people.”

Deadline to apply as a mentor is December 1, 2017.

For more information and to apply, click here for the TNAchieves application.

Leaders Credit Union has purchased the former First South Bank building in Thomsen Farms. Plans are to be fully operational by the end of the year.

"When we had the opportunity to purchase this building, we knew it would be a great fit for our growing membership," said Todd Swims, president and CEO of Leaders. "We are constantly looking to forecast the needs of our members so we can lead the way on their behalf and continue to provide top-level service."

This will bring total physical branches in Jackson to five plus a separate mortgage center located on Stonebridge Boulevard. Office locations are also in Union City and Bartlett. Leaders is expanding in Gibson County and recently broke ground in Milan. The corporate office on Murray Guard Drive and the e-branch which assists members through phone, mobile and online options serve all of West Tennessee.

Leaders Credit Union is celebrating 60 years of service to West Tennessee. For more information on Leaders, please visit leaderscu.com.

The 4,100-acre Memphis Regional Megasite could eventually be home to factories that bring thousands of jobs to rural West Tennessee. (Photo: Submitted by the Tennessee Department of Cconomic and Community Development.)

Securing a tenant has eluded the Memphis Regional Megasite, but Toyota and Mazda’s decision to build a $1.6 billion manufacturing plant in the U.S. has presented the Megasite another opportunity to land a major tenant.

The plant is expected to create 4,000 jobs and be in operation by 2021, which would transform any region — and would change the face of West Tennessee.

“We’re very interested in having the proposed Toyota/Mazda plant come here,” Gov. Bill Haslam said. “We would love to see that happen. It’s a very competitive process. There’s a lot of states that are interested in a plant with that amount of investment and that amount of employees. We’re actively pursuing that, and we’ll do everything we can to show people why this is the best automobile site in the country, we think.”

The Megasite, located 30 miles outside Memphis and 12 miles outside Brownsville, has had Hankook Tire Co. and Sentury Tire Americas look at the site in recent years, but those companies picked Clarksville and LaGrange, Georgia, respectively.

What could West Tennessee offer?

The 4,100-acre site is right on Interstate 40, which connects to Interstates 55, 24 and 65, making it easier for a tenant to reach suppliers, one of several advantages for the Megasite, according to Jackson Chamber President/CEO Kyle Spurgeon.

“The Memphis Regional Megasite was acquired and the infrastructure was developed with an automotive assembly plant in mind,” Spurgeon said. “There is no better large track of industrial land in the United States.”

An available workforce for the magnitude of the project is critical, and there is an estimated 1.6 million people within an hour’s drive of the Megasite.

Spurgeon said Tennessee has made strides in workforce development, and high schools, universities and colleges are better preparing students to transition into the workforce long term.

“It’s not just about 4,000 employees on day one when they open,” he said. “You’re ramping up to that number, but you have to make sure you’re supplying that workforce 10 years from now. Because companies make investments for decades. The things that Governor Haslam and his team have put in place to ensure a pipeline of trained workers is something that separates Tennessee from other states, especially from the South.”

Toyota recently announced it's investing $14.5 million in Jackson’s Toyota Bodine plant, which solidified its long-term future in West Tennessee. Spurgeon said that further validated the region’s workforce.

“Toyota has operated here for over 10 years,” Spurgeon said. “They continue to expand. They’re great corporate citizens here, and on the other side they’ve invested in Tupelo, Mississippi. You’re looking at a Megasite that is going to be between two investments that Toyota has already had and been very successful with.”

excerpt from article by Omer Yusuf, USA TODAY NETWORK – Tennessee

Read more with The Jackson Sun.

MISSION:

POSITION DESCRIPTION:

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Motivate adults to return to college to complete their education using TN Reconnect

• Provide advising, support, assistance, follow-up, and referrals to clients

• Initiate and maintain a high volume of email and phone contact with prospective and current students, including cold calls, outreach and follow-up

• Utilize client relationship management system in capturing data, advising, monitoring client progress, as well as managing and monitoring self and team workflow

• Provide timely reports on services rendered to clients of Northwest Tennessee Reconnect

• Present workshops, and participate in workshop development

• Coordinate and execute events

• Participate in community events

• All other duties as assigned

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor (BA, BS, etc.) required, Master’s degree preferred in related field (education, counseling, social work, etc.)

• Minimum two years advising experience. Client management experience is a plus.

• Self-motivated starter with a positive attitude, able to work independently while functioning well as part of a team.
• Proven performance based on results and metrics, and close adherence to schedules and commitments.

• Effective phone skills.

• Detail oriented.

• Experiential or professional understanding of academic and non-academic issues surrounding adult learners and specifically adult college students.

• Some understanding of college admissions, academic advising, transcript analysis, and financial aid as they pertain to adult students is a plus.

• Ability to provide developmental advising to adult students and encourage outcomes-directed solutions is a plus.

• Ability to work with individuals with various values, lifestyles, socioeconomic and ethnic backgrounds.

• Demonstrated excellence in written and verbal communications.

• Facility using Microsoft Office and web platforms.

• Excellent organizational skills.

• Knowledge of the Southwest Tennessee region, community-based organizations, and organizations in the region related to educational attainment and student success preferred.

• Local travel required. Work hours will include some evenings and occasional weekends.

AVAILABILITY:

Interviewing will start immediately. This position is paid through an 18-month grant period. Please email resumes to vbunch@jacksontn.com. NO phone inquiries please.