CHATTANOOGA ENGINEERS CLUB
http://www.utc.edu/~engrcs/cec/cec.htm
Volume LI			June 19, 2000		12:00 noon
						The Cellar at Union Square

THIS WEEK__________________________________________________________________
Dr. Richard Casavant will present "Economic Development of Hamilton
County."  Dr. Casavant  will become Dean of the College of Business
Administration on July 1, 2000. He has been a UTC business professor since
1977. He also serves as a Hamilton County Commissioner and serves on the
County Commission's Economic Development Committee and as Chair of the
Education Committee.
Dr. Casavant will speak on our economic development and UTC's role in the
economic health of our area.



LAST WEEK___________________________________________________________________
Dr. Larry Ettkin, Professor and Head of Management Department, School of
Business Administration, at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, as part
of Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce's Porter cluster study participant
presented on the status of the study.  The study utilizes database with
information on existing industries to analyze growth and potential growth.
Dr. Ettkin provided a summary of Dr. Michael Porter's theory and the
progress that's been made here in the Chattanooga region.
Dr. Porter's database and analysis defined the following clusters:
* Tourism and hospitality
* Baking and confectioners
* Medical services
* Logistic, transportation and fulfillment
* Carpet and floor covering
* "funky" trucks (electric buses and tow trucks)
More may be defined at a later date. Companies in the defined clusters have
been meeting to look at needs of the whole cluster, input and output from
like companies.  The meetings will attempt to answer some questions:
* What is the situation for this industry cluster in this region?
* What are the cluster's strengths?
* What holds the cluster back from doing even better?
* What can be done to remove those barriers, and who will do it?
Michael Porter's cluster model poses the same questions to each cluster,
expecting that each cluster will develop its own set of answers. These
unique answers represent the beginning of a strategy to grow the regional
economy by growing the region's industry clusters.
The cluster meetings will identify challenges the companies are facing in
promoting growth. Some of the issues already presented are lack of air
transportation into Chattanooga, inadequate public education.  Some of the
cross cutting issues in all clusters are information technology and
workforce development.
What Dr. Ettkin presented is the beginning of a big project.  Dr. Michael
Porter will be presenting some of the findings on July 12.
For more information on Chattanooga Chamber of Commerce study, see
www.chattanooga-chamber.com/agenda/mayjune00/multi-industry.htm

COMING PROGRAMS________________________________________________________

June 26 - Ken Flynn, Tennessee Department of Transportation, "Update of
Highway Construction in Chattanooga, I - 75 and Highway 153, and widening of
the Olgiati Bridge."






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