Improves TVA Sustainable Community
Status from Silver to Gold
The
city of Lewisburg, Tenn., has been named a Valley
Sustainable Gold Community by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) – up
from Silver Level status earned in 2013.
The
Valley Sustainable Communities Program initiated by TVA Economic Development
helps communities document and improve existing sustainability programs to
increase their competitiveness when companies are considering investing in new
or expanded locations.
Lewisburg
completed the program sponsored by TVA, which was developed and administered by
consultant Boyette Strategic Advisors (BSA), in 2013. At that time, the
community achieved a Silver Level Valley Sustainable Community status.
This
year, TVA and BSA opened the program again for new communities and for those
seeking to upgrade their current status. Lewisburg recognized that the
community leadership had implemented several new sustainability programs with
even more being planned. With this information, the Sustainable Community
Committee re-applied and was pleased to discover that Lewisburg moved up to
Gold Level status.
“We
are proud that Lewisburg has completed the Valley Sustainable Communities
Program,” said Del Boyette, president and CEO of Boyette Strategic Advisors.
“The Gold level designation recognizes that Lewisburg has community-wide
sustainability in place, with some programs available to support the business
community and take advantage of economic development opportunities.”
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.
“TVA
Economic Development’s mission includes working with Valley communities to help
prepare them to be ready for economic growth opportunities,” said John Bradley,
TVA SVP 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’s sustainability commitments.”
By the end of 2015, 28 communities in the TVA
Region have achieved either Silver, Gold or Platinum level Valley Sustainable
Community status through the program. Lewisburg will now become one of 14
communities to obtain Gold Level status, including nearby communities such as
Franklin and Murfreesboro and larger communities such as Memphis, TN and
Huntsville, AL.
Lewisburg
Sustainable Community Team members include, Mayor Jim Bingham, Barbara Woods,
Lisa Jackson, JECB Director Mike Wiles and Lewisburg ED Director Greg Lowe. The
team will receive the TVA Sustainable Community Gold Level Award at a luncheon
on December 1 in Nashville.
“This
kind of recognition validates our efforts to become a progressive,
business-friendly and environmentally sound community,” said Lewisburg Mayor
Jim Bingham. “We are going to continue efforts such as this as we move forward
with more plans and projects to make Lewisburg the best city to live, work and
do business.”
