#JacksonTN! The votes were counted last week and our great city advanced to the Elite 8 in the 2023 Strong Towns "Strongest Town" Competition! Let's continue the momentum and get more votes in this round! Vote by clicking/tapping the "Go To Link" button at the top of this event page. Let's show the nation that we are indeed the Strongest Town! Voting ends at noon on Thursday, March 30, 2023.
Direct Voting Link: https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2023/3/27/stc2023-r2-hershey-jackson
Facebook Event: https://fb.me/e/17aN8CrOI 
"Team Madison County (City of Jackson, Madison County, Jackson Energy Authority and Greater Jackson Chamber) has worked with this company since it opened in Jackson, and we are grateful for the investment the company continues to make in its team members and in this community," stated Mandy White, Greater Jackson Chamber Chief Economic Development Officer. "We have had the pleasure of visiting Toyota Boshoku's corporate leadership in Japan twice, and we greatly value our partnership. This expansion is possible because of the positive business environment and talented workforce this area provides."
Governor Lee, Commissioner McWhorter Announce Toyota Boshoku Tennessee, LLC to Expand Manufacturing Operations in Madison County
- Automotive parts supplier to invest $54 million in metal stamping expansion
- Jackson to gain 80 new jobs through project
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Stuart McWhorter and Toyota Boshoku Tennessee, LLC (TBTN) officials announced today the company will invest $54.4 million to expand manufacturing operations at its metal stamping facility in Jackson, Tennessee.
TBTN will create 80 new jobs in Madison County as a result of the project.
The expansion will add an additional 87,000 square feet to TBTN’s existing Jackson facility, which will allow the company to consolidate its stamping operations to become a lower arm seat supplier while also supporting Toyota Boshoku America’s subsidiary locations.
Headquartered in Jackson, Tennessee, and one of Toyota Boshoku America’s subsidiary operations, Toyota Boshoku Tennessee, LLC specializes in metal stamping for the automotive industry. Upon completion of the project, TBTN will employ more than 600 Tennesseans.
Since 2019, TNECD has supported nearly 25 economic development projects in Madison County, resulting in approximately 1,600 job commitments and $1.1 billion in capital investment.
QUOTES
“Tennessee’s strong business climate and unmatched workforce continue to cement our state’s position as a leader in the automotive industry. I thank TBTN for its continued investment in Jackson and commitment to job creation across Southwest Tennessee.” – Gov. Bill Lee
“When a company chooses to expand in our state, it is not only a testament to Tennessee’s workforce and business climate, but also to the community that company calls home. Today’s announcement underscores that Jackson and Madison County have the right assets in place to continue facilitating TBTN’s growth and success.” – TNECD Commissioner Stuart McWhorter
“This marks another significant milestone for our company. This expansion will allow us to increase manufacturing for our high-quality metal seat frame components and will strengthen the local economy in adding new jobs. We are proud to be an employer of choice in Jackson.” – Masami Ito, President, Toyota Boshoku Tennessee, LLC.
“TVA and Jackson Energy Authority congratulate TBTN on its decision to expand operations in Madison County. It’s always an exciting day when we can celebrate a company’s continued commitment to growth in the region. We are proud to partner with the Jackson Chamber, City of Jackson and the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development to support companies, like TBTN, and look forward to its continued business success in the Valley.” – John Bradley, TVA senior vice president of Economic Development
“I am very pleased that these jobs are coming to Madison County. This is a sizable investment. I congratulate Toyota Boshoku Tennessee, LLC and all our state and local officials who helped secure these jobs. We will continue to make job creation a top priority in the General Assembly by maintaining our business-friendly environment.” – Sen. Ed Jackson (R-Jackson)
“Businesses are thriving in Tennessee, and this expansion is further proof of that. With this additional investment in Jackson, TBTN will create even more jobs and economic opportunity in our community. I congratulate the company on this announcement and look forward to its continued success in Madison County.” – Rep. Chris Todd (R-Madison County)
About the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development
The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development’s mission is to develop strategies that help make Tennessee the No. 1 location in the Southeast for high quality jobs. To grow and strengthen Tennessee, the department seeks to attract new corporate investment to the state and works with Tennessee companies to facilitate expansion and economic growth. Find us on the web: tnecd.com. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn. Like us on Facebook. Subscribe to our YouTube channel. The inaugural Vintage Makers Music and Arts Festival, a free two-day event celebrating art, music, and community, will take place in Jackson, Tennessee on May 6th and 7th.
This unique festival, curated by event organizers Lakyn Bowman, Ashley Kate Adams, and Stephanie Riley, will feature over 30 vendors selling art and vintage goods at the Farmer's Market, multiple food trucks and an exciting lineup of live music performances at the Amp on Saturday night from 4-9 PM.
The artist lineup for the festival includes an eclectic mix of talent from No Reverse Records, including LOLO, Kyle Lacy Band, Kipani, Music by Kota, and Hub City hero, Hunter Cross. Notably, the Kyle Lacy Band and Kipani are New York City-based artists who will be bringing their distinctive sounds to the event.
The Vintage Makers Music and Arts Festival is proudly presented by No Reverse Records and The Nine Oh Six, with headline sponsors Jackson Hidden Tracks and B3 Creative Agency. The event is poised to become an annual highlight for the local arts and music scene, showcasing the vibrancy and creativity of the Jackson community.
The festival aims to offer something for everyone, from art enthusiasts to music lovers and families. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore the diverse range of vintage goods and artistic creations, while also enjoying live music performances in a festive atmosphere. For more information about the Vintage Makers Music and Arts Festival, please visit the official website at VintageMakersFest.com. The website offers details about the event schedule, featured artists, and vendor information.
Don't miss the opportunity to be part of this exciting new event, as the Vintage Makers Music and Arts Festival promises to be a memorable experience for all ages in Jackson, Tennessee. To learn more about Jackson and west Tennessee connect with us at Visit Jackson, TN and download the APP on Itunes or Google Play. The City of Jackson, TN Recreation and Parks Department’s Park Operations Manager Christi David has become a Nationally Certified Playground Safety Inspector through the National Recreation and Parks Association.
“This is another win for our city,” said Mayor Scott Conger. “With Christi’s national certification to be a safety inspector for our playgrounds, we are continuing to move in the right direction for the future and growth of our city.”
Christi will be responsible for inspecting and ensuring that our city’s multiple playgrounds are in compliance with the standards set by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM).
“Christi has made great strides within our Recreation and Parks Department,” said JRPD Director Tony Black. “This certification is just another step for our parks being safe for our citizens.”
Christi attended the two-day course in February with exam content areas including Hazard Identification, Surfacing, Playground Environment, Audit, Inspection & Maintenance, and Risk Management.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve as our city’s new playground safety inspector,” said JRPD Park Operations Manager Christi David. “We want to develop a comprehensive plan to become proactive in addressing issues in our parks and playgrounds.”
For more information on our Recreation and Parks Department visit our website parks website at http://parks.jacksontn.gov. Metal Devastation Promotions, LLC is an umbrella company for Metal Devastation Radio, Metal Devastation PR, and the annual Tennessee Metal Devastation Music Festival. The company is owned by Marietta “Raven” Mounla and her husband, Zachary Mounla.
Metal Devastation Radio is a worldwide online heavy metal radio station that broadcasts from the historic LANA neighborhood in Jackson. The station's website features music from both mainstream and underground heavy metal bands, membership profiles for community building, over a dozen DJs from around the world who host live shows, and interviews with well-known heavy metal musicians and underground bands. The website also hosts a weekly competition for bands to enter for the chance at becoming the MDR “Band of the Month”. MDR was started in 2013 as a hobby, but has grown into many new business opportunities. The radio website has had close to 10 million visitors and has a community of over 50,000 members, continuing to grow each month.
Metal Devastation PR was started in 2020, providing promotional services to heavy metal bands from all over the globe. MD/PR has hundreds of clients and has built a solid reputation among music industry professionals for getting positive results for the bands and musicians they represent. Metal Devastation PR offers several tiers of promotional packages to fit the budget and promotional needs of their clients, and no exclusive contract is required for their services.
The inaugural Tennessee Metal Devastation Music Fest took place on October 8th, 2022 at Beech Lake in Lexington, TN. The family-friendly event featured twelve underground heavy metal bands, over 30 local food, art, and oddity vendors, and they collected items for charity. The event was covered by hundreds of worldwide, online media outlets. Those who attended the event praised it and are looking forward to the second annual festival, which will be held on October 14th, 2023 at The Amp in downtown Jackson, TN. It is Zach and Raven’s hope that this event will continue to grow and become an anticipated event for heavy metal music fans from around the world. They believe that the tourism the event can generate will be very beneficial to the city’s economic growth!
Raven has lived in Jackson for over 20 years and Zach has lived here for 10 years. They enjoy the rich musical heritage of the city, as well as the “small town” atmosphere of the community. They feel that Jackson is full of artistic people, many of whom enjoy heavy metal music. They are excited to bring music events to the area that cater to those who enjoy it. Future plans include opening a brick-and-mortar location that would also house a small recording studio and a heavy metal-themed record/music shop.
Prior to starting Metal Devastation Promotions, Raven worked as a community mental health therapist in the Jackson and Brownsville areas. She is also a working artist whose artwork will be featured on the cover of an upcoming art magazine. Additionally, Raven is a current resident artist of Grey House Gallery, located in Florence, AL.
For more information, contact Raven Mounla at raven@metaldevastationradio.com or visit their website http://metaldevastationradio.com Oviedo, Florida and Jackson, Tennessee will face off in the first round bracket of the Strongest Town
Contest, with voters from across the continent deciding which will advance to the Elite Eight round of this
March Madness-style tournament.
The Strongest Town Contest spotlights and celebrates communities that are continuously becoming more
resilient and prosperous through bottom-up action.
The winner of this year’s Strongest Town Contest will receive accommodations for a representative to
attend the Strong Towns National Gathering in Charlotte, North Carolina, where they will receive an
award and serve as an honored guest. Strong Towns will also produce a special video about the
winning community for a national audience, holding them out as an example of how cities can build
their economic resilience from the bottom-up.
The contest is modeled after the NCAA March Madness tournament, with communities advancing in
single-elimination match-ups each week throughout March and April. The winner will be announced
Friday, April 14.
For more information, visit strongtowns.org/strongesttown. To cast your vote for Jackson to make it to the next round, visit https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2023/3/20/stc2023-r1-oviedo-jackson.
Contact:
Lauren Fisher || Communications Manager for Strong Towns
lauren@strongtowns.org
844-218-1681
Megan Sladek || Mayor of Oviedo, FL
megansladek@gmail.com
(407) 687-3524
Kenneth Cummings || Communications Director for the City of Jackson, Tennessee
kcummings@jacksontn.gov
(731) 425-8572 Miss Teen Volunteer America 2024 was crowned this past weekend at the Carl Perkins Civic Center. Miss
Teen Volunteer America is the teen program in conjunction with the Miss Volunteer America Program
founded by Allison Alderson Demarcus. Miss Volunteer America is a nationwide, service-oriented
scholarship program based in Tennessee that seeks to empower young women across the country through
educational scholarships and extraordinary opportunities.
Forty of the most talented teen contestants between the ages of 13 and 18 from all over the United States
traveled to Jackson, TN to compete for the prestigious national title, scholarship money and endless
opportunities. Many traveled in several days before check-in and registration on Wednesday to get
acclimated to the city of Jackson. Each contestant competes in a private interview with the judges, fitness &
wellness, talent, and evening gown. Thursday night was the first night of preliminary competition. Miss
Iowa Teen Volunteer, Grace Smithey, was awarded the Fitness & Wellness preliminary award and Miss
North Carolina Teen Volunteer, Andi Creech, was awarded the talent preliminary award. Friday night, the
Fitness & Wellness preliminary award was a tie between Miss New Hampshire Teen Volunteer, Eliza Fisher,
and Miss Georgia Teen Volunteer, Kaitlyn Tanner, and the talent preliminary award went home with Miss
California Teen Volunteer, Natalie Miragliotta.
Saturday night, Miss Utah Teen Volunteer, Ayzjiahana Wood, was crowned as the new Miss Teen Volunteer
America. Wood is the owner of BODEM, a company that teaches “Body Embrace” through her clothing line
and specialized hair products. A proud Filipina and African American young woman, Ayzjiahna is a junior at
Clearfield High School who takes advanced classes in the medical field from Weber State University.
Ayzjiahana Wood plans to be certified as a nursing assistant by next year where she will then intern in a
dermatology clinic. When she isn’t running her business or working on her education, you can find her
cheering alongside her varsity cheer squad, snowboarding, playing the ukulele, singing her favorite music,
or visiting her extended family in the Philippines. She was the youngest Delegate at Miss Teen USA Class of
2021. "We are thrilled to have Ayzjiahna Wood as our new Miss Teen Volunteer America," said Allison
DeMarcus, founder and CEO of the Miss Volunteer America pageant system. "Her unwavering dedication to
service and exceptional leadership skills make her an ideal role model for young women everywhere."
In addition to the teen pageant being held, several of the 51 Miss contestants who will be vying for the title
of Miss Volunteer America were in attendance to watch their teens compete and prepare for their
upcoming national pageant in June. The Miss contestants attended a workshop where they learned more
about pageant week, the Volunteer America system and had the opportunity to get to know each other.
For more information on Miss Teen Volunteer America and Miss Volunteer America, visit their website:
missvolunteeramerica.net. To learn more about Jackson and west Tennessee connect with us at Visit Jackson, TN
and download the APP on Itunes or Google Play. For the past 72 years West Tennessee Healthcare has provided nationally ranked, high quality and compassionate healthcare to the area. Since 1950 the company has strived to “improve the health and wellb-eing of the communities” they serve day in and day out.
“On August 11, 1950, Jackson-Madison County General Hospital opened its doors to serve our first patient. The organization was born when the need for a new, modern hospital in Jackson, TN became critical during World War II,” said Amy Garner, Chief Compliance & Communications Officer. “Over the past seven decades the system of hospitals comprising West Tennessee Healthcare has grown from one 123-bed hospital with 166 employees to a system now with over 7,000 dedicated employees that serve 500,000 people in the region.”
In its 72 years of operation, West Tennessee Healthcare has provided millions of dollars in free care to low income patients. A unique aspect of this particular hospital system that calls Jackson its home, is that when they claim free care to patients they mean it! “When other hospitals in our state provide essential free services, they ask the local government to pick up the tab—often draining $40 million from city and county budgets every year. At West Tennessee Healthcare, we choose to do the exact opposite. In addition to our charity care, we have poured over $20 million into the City of Jackson and Madison County alone!” said Garner.
Offering nationally ranked heart & vascular services, the region’s only Joint-Commission certified stroke center, and the region’s only certified comprehensive cancer center, West Tennessee Healthcare goes above and beyond to provide care for its patients and the citizens of this region of TN.
With over 90 locations throughout West Tennessee, visit www.wth.org for information about services, locations, and their giving back initiatives! The Jackson-Madison County Community Economic Development Commission (CEDC) will be accepting Tourism Grant requests for the FY 2024. Applications are accepted from non-profit, non-governmental organizations, and for-profit businesses that demonstrate the ability to complete the proposed event or activity within Madison County. FY2024 GRANT OVERVIEW and the FY2024-Application.
If you would like to request funds from the CEDC, please complete the enclosed Grant Application and supplemental items and return to the address listed below prior to 12:00 p.m. on Friday, March 24, 2023:
Jackson Convention and Visitors Bureau / Visit Jackson, TN
CEDC Grant Applications
197 Auditorium
Jackson, TN 38301
Upon receipt, all applications will be reviewed and considered for the FY 2024 budget. Please note an economic impact analysis will be completed on each event by calculating the room nights booked.
Please provide the following in order:
- CompletedFY2024-Application and Event Description
- Copy of your non-profit status if eligible
- Project Budget
- Financial Statement or the most recent Audit
- In the absence of an Audit please include the organization’s overall budget
- If you are utilizing funds for a program of work, please identify specific projects for which the funding will be utilized
All Applicants are required to submit event information, including promotional materials for inclusion in Jackson’s marketing and social media campaign. Additionally, the Visit Jackson, TN logo is to be included in the applicant’s promotions. Should you have questions, please contact Jackson Convention and Visitors Bureau / Visit Jackson, TN at 731.425-8333. Miss Teen Volunteer America Pageant
Welcomes 40 Contestants From Across The United States
Jackson, Tennessee welcomes 40 contestants from across the United States to the Carl Perkins Civic Center to compete in the Miss Teen Volunteer America Pageant. Contestants, directors and family members began arriving in Jackson over the past several days.
The pageant begins Thursday, March 9 and continues on Friday, March 10, both events begin at 7:00 pm. The new Miss Teen Volunteer America will be crowned during the final competition on Saturday, March 10, beginning at 3:30 pm.
To view the 2022 crowning click here.
For ticket information click here.
To learn more about Jackson and west Tennessee connect with us at Visit Jackson, TN and download the APP on Itunes or Google Play.