FORT PAYNE Takes Green to a New Level
FORT PAYNE Takes Green to a New Level
FORT PAYNE has been designated as a Valley Sustainable Silver Community in Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) economic development program. Fort Payne recently completed the program sponsored by TVA and developed and administered by consultant Boyette Strategic Advisors (BSA.) “This takes Fort Payne’s economic development marketing efforts to prospective and existing sustainably-focused companies to a whole new level,” said Jimmy Durham, Executive Director of DeKalb County Economic Development Authority.
The Valley Sustainable Communities Program, now in its third year, was initiated by TVA Economic Development as part of its community preparedness offerings to assist communities in evaluating existing sustainable programs, cataloging their sustainable assets, and increasing future commitments to sustainability. The goal of the program is to document a community’s assets and increase the likelihood that they will be viewed as progressive and competitive by companies looking to invest in new or expanded locations.
“We are proud that Fort Payne has successfully completed the Valley Sustainable Communities Program,” said Del Boyette, President/CEO of Boyette Strategic Advisors. “The silver level designation recognizes that a community has community-wide sustainability initiatives in place, with programs available to support the existing business community and promote economic development.”
Sustainability has become a key issue for economic development organizations and communities as more corporations have demonstrated an increasing commitment to sustainability. More than 90 percent of corporate real estate executives who responded to a CoreNet Global survey on sustainability said that it is a consideration in their company location decisions. The typical reasons for this corporate commitment are reduced operating costs for increased profitability and greater employee satisfaction.
“This program is the first of its kind to connect the dots between corporate America’s commitment to sustainability and its impact on economic development, which ultimately will ensure that our communities are more prepared to compete in global markets,” added John Bradley, TVA senior vice president of Economic Development. “We are seeing that more and more companies have an increasing business emphasis on sustainable operations, and are adding this component to their RFIs as they search for a community where they can locate, grow, and enhance their company and employee sustainability commitments.”
At the conclusion of this year’s cycle, a total of 28 communities across the Valley will have been recognized in the program. In addition to completing the inventory of sustainable assets and utilizing the Valley Sustainable Communities designation in their marketing materials, communities that complete the program also receive marketing support from TVA Economic Development.
“One of the Jacksonville State University goals at the Little River Canyon Center is to promote sustainability and so it has been really fantastic to work with the City of Fort Payne, TVA, and our many partners to establish a model for other municipalities. Communities will now look to Fort Payne and hopefully follow a similar cost saving and lower impact path.” said Pete Conroy, Director JSU Canyon Center.
ABOUT FORT PAYNE ALABAMA: Fort Payne is a city of great opportunity and ideally located to service a wide range of industries. Located in the growing Southeast, Fort Payne is only an hour from Chattanooga, Tennessee, less than two hours from Huntsville and Birmingham, Alabama, and less than 3 hours from Atlanta, Georgia. Fort Payne welcomes you to review some of our world class companies that already call us home and to consider us for your future needs.
