Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

The Knoxville Chamber hosted its quarterly briefing, inviting community members, investors, and business owners to learn about initiatives and upcoming programming.

This quarter, the team kicked off with an explanation of the 2030 Protocol (see teknovation.biz article here). In short, the plan will heavily focus on the recruitment and retention of a technically skilled workforce.

“We think we have about four to five years to prepare ourselves for the next industrial revolution – which in this case is going to be the Imagination Age,” said Mark Field, the Senior Vice President of Investor Development & Experience for the Knoxville Chamber.

The plan encourages all schools from elementary to university level to increase curriculum and exposure to technology, computing, and engineering as viable career paths. Why? Field said there’s virtually no sector of business that hasn’t been impacted by computing. People with those skills will be highly sought after.

Additionally, those skilled employees will be needed to support recent, and future economic development initiatives. This year, the Chamber has already welcomed three big business expansions into the region: Greenheck Group, VOITAS, and Beehive Industries, all of which are looking to hire more local people.

That’s really where Amy Nolan and her team come in. She is the Vice President of Regional Enhancement and focuses almost exclusively on making Knoxville a better place to live and work. She examines several sectors such as infrastructure, housing, transportation, childcare, and more.

“Our goal is to make this a place where people and businesses want to come,” she said, explaining that a lot more goes into the choice to live in Knoxville aside from employment.

Though, Lauren Longmire insists that employment is really important, too. She’s spent the last few years as the Director of Regional Enhancement, with a strong focus on recruitment, retention, and finding solutions to workforce issues.

“Workforce has been the buzzword in Knoxville the past few years, and we hear that from our business community loud and clear. As a Chamber, we are doing many things to try and help the problem,” Longmire said.

Most recently, an example would be the launch of HireupKnox.com, which serves as a job listing and connection resource for job seekers. Longmire also said it’s one of the first internship databases in the city, helping connect young talent with local companies and opportunities.

These topics represent only a few of the Chamber’s ongoing programming and initiatives. To stay up to date with the Knoxville Chamber, visit the website.

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