Opportunity Marshall

Marshall County Economic Development Pushes Hard for I-69 Funding at Delta Conference

2010-04-09T07:48:00.000-07:00

Last week during the Mississippi Delta Grassroots Conference at the Clinton School of Public Service in Little Rock, Arkansas, Marshall County Economic Development's Josh Tubbs had the opportunity to speak to Congressional delegates as well as key members of the Delta Region on the economic impact of funding for I-69 on Marshall County. I-69 has long been an important interstate system concept allowing increased transportation from the Southeast to the Northeast United States. What makes the interstate so attractive and beneficial to Marshall County is its intersection with I-24 in Calvert City. Furthermore, the developing port and rail access in Calvert City would be an added benefit in the development of a trimodal hub for Marshall County resulting in future development opportunities for industry and workforce.

Kentucky Dam Lock Project to Create

2010-03-08T07:08:00.000-08:00

A groundbreaking ceremony for the ARRA funded lock project at Kentucky Dam was held Friday, March 5, at Kentucky Dam. What began as a $40.7 million project was announced to actually be a $46.5 million project by Lt. Col. Anthony Mitchell. This project will create 200 direct jobs and 262 indirect jobs with roughly 85% of those employed being local labor. This project will also benefit local contractors throughout its construction. Thalle Construction Company of Hillsborough, North Carolina, were awarded the project.

Tubbs speaks at first Chamber Breakfast of 2010

2010-03-08T07:06:00.000-08:00

Tubbs speaks at first Chamber Breakfast of 2010

Thursday, 04 March 2010 16:58 Misti Drew

Josh Tubbs, MC Economic Delevopment Coordinator

The first Marshall County Chamber of Commerce Breakfast of 2010 took place this week, featuring Marshall County Economic Development Coordinator Josh Tubbs as guest speaker.
To a crowd of about 40 local business representatives, Tubbs updated the county’s progress relating to economic development and outlined plans for the coming years. Tubbs said development in general was down last year in the county, with employment rates being nothing short of “horrible.”
But with projects such as the I-69 Corridor and Calvert City Riverport development on the horizon, Tubbs said he is optimistic about the county’s future.
Tubbs said another promising bit of information comes from a recent study conducted by TVA which concluded that numerous companies nationwide, many having headquarters in the north and distributorships in the south, were looking to consolidate somewhere in between. According to the study, of those polled, the number one chosen destination was Western Kentucky. Tubbs said this study indicates the time is right to be aggressively targeting those companies. One tool he said would prove useful in doing such is the county’s new economic development website, www.opportunitymarshall.com.
According to Tubbs, the site was designed to provide pertinent information to interested corporations. He cited studies indicating that some 80 percent of all information collected by corporate market scouts is gathered online. Tubbs said his office has also partnered with social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to create a more broad online presence and help to better inform the public about local economic development.
Tubbs said he is currently participating in a regional effort committed to economic development, which he says has already shown early signs of success. He said it allows development to expand beyond county lines and added, “What’s good for our neighbors is good for us.”
If you would like more information about economic development in Marshall County, contact Tubbs at 527-2009 or e-mail joshtubbs@ky.gov.

Marshall County Economic Development Strategic Plan

2009-12-07T12:49:00.000-08:00

With the help of resources from the Tennessee Valley Authority and as a follow up to a community assessment conducted in September 2009, Marshall County Economic Development will be implementing a strategic plan for economic development across Marshall County.

The plan will consist of implementation strategies for increased community participation and awareness, retention and expansion of existing industries, the development of sites and buildings, effective marketing and recruitment, and the enhancement of the Marshall County Economic Development Office.

'We are putting the finishing touches on the plan and hope to have a deliverable in January. We are excited about the finished product and think that our existing industries, potential industries and the community will be collectively excited as well,' says Josh Tubbs, Director of Economic Development. 'We are very grateful to the community leaders and TVA for participating in such a productive and enlightening community assessment in September and have tried to incorporate those discussions into our plan.'

If you have any questions about economic development in Marshall County, Kentucky, please feel free to call Josh Tubbs at 270-527-2009.

Director Josh Tubbs participates in Mississippi Delta Grassroots Caucus with Dr. Tim Todd of MSU

2009-09-17T13:01:00.000-07:00

Mississippi Delta Grassroots Caucus

“Western Kentucky Local Leaders to Participate in Delta Conference on Health Care and Economic Recovery, to Feature 12 Members of Congress, Obama Administration Officials"

Washington, DC—Dr. Tim Todd, Dean of the College of Business and Public Affairs at Murray State University, and Josh Tubbs, Director of Marshall County Economic Development in Benton, Kentucky will play an important role in the Delta Grassroots Caucus conference in Washington, DC on health care reform and economic recovery on Sept. 15-16, featuring 12 Members of Congress, several executive branch officials, and grassroots leaders from across the region. The Delta Caucus is a nonprofit, grassroots coalition promoting economic development and improved health care in the vast region from southern Illinois to New Orleans, Louisiana.

"We are glad to have Dean Todd of Murray State University as one of the speakers on economic development in western Kentucky and the rest of the Delta region, because of his university's important work in expansion of broadband access, greater use of renewable fuels, and education" said Lee Powell, Caucus director. "Murray State University has been a stalwart supporter of regional efforts to promote economic progress and we are glad to have Dean Todd helping us to advocate for the region to the national powers that be in Washington," Powell said.

"We are working with people like Josh Tubbs of the Marshall County Economic Development office in promoting completion of the Interstate 69 Corridor, which will improve transportation and economic growth from western Kentucky, through western Tennessee, as well as much of Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana, and we are glad to have Josh Tubbs' participation in Washington," Powell said. "We know that Congressman Ed Whitfield (R-KY) is a strong supporter of I-69 and we look forward to making progress on this vital artery for the improvement of not just the regional but the national transportation network."

The annual conference will focus on a wide range of issues, including improved health care for underserved areas of America like the Delta and economic recovery for the vast region from southern Illinois and western Kentucky to New Orleans. Twelve Members of Congress and Obama administration officials from Health and Human Services and USDA will be among the speakers, including Rep. Costello (IL), Rep. Mike Ross (D-AR) (the leader of the pivotal Blue Dog Democrat group on health care), Rep. Marion Berry (D-AR), Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), and Mark Pryor (DAR), Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO), Rep. Joseph Cao (R-LA) (Rep. Cao and Rep. Emerson are two of the few Republicans who are working for a bipartisan compromise), Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS), Rep. Artur Davis (D-AL), and Caya Lewis, President Obama’s appointee as Director of Outreach and Health Policy for the HHS Office of Health Reform to present the administration’s position on health care reform.

“We will have many speakers who are strategically situated to play a powerful role in the debates over health care reform and economic recovery, from leaders of the Blue Dog Democrats Mike Ross and Marion Berry of Arkansas, President Obama’s colleague Rep. Jerry Costello and others with good ties to the President, Senators Lincoln and Pryor, to Rep. Jo Ann Emerson, a Republican from Missouri who is trying to support a bipartisan compromise, Sen. Thad Cochran, the ranking Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, to Caya Lewis, President Obama’s Director of Outreach and Health Policy at the HHS Office of Health Reform,” said Lee Powell, Caucus Director.

“We would like to see a health care bill passed, and appreciate the efforts of the Obama administration, Rep. Ross, Berry and other Blue Dogs, Sen. Lincoln, and others to bring about a compromise that will take care of the underserved rural areas and smaller cities in the Delta,” said Desha County Judge Mark McElroy, Caucus co-chair. “President Obama said he was open to compromise, and a middle-of-the-road approach like consumer-owned health care cooperatives or another compromise has broad-based support. We are hurting badly from inadequate health care in the Delta and we need the national powers that be to come through for us and all the needy people in America,” McElroy said.

Recovery from the recession will be the other main theme for the Delta events, with the economic downturn having made the already depressed Delta economy even worse. “We look forward to hearing from the Members of Congress and Obama appointees such as USDA Under Secretary Pearlie Reed, Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Kevin Concannon, Deputy Under Secretary for Rural Development Victor Vasquez about how to combat the recession in east Arkansas and the rest of the impoverished, eight-state Delta region,” Powell said.

The opening session is 5:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday evening, Sept. 15, at Room B-339 Rayburn House of Representatives building. The Senate session is Wednesday morning, Sept. 16, SD G11 Senate Dirksen building, 8:30 to noon, when Dean Todd of Murray State University and Josh Tubbs will be participating. The USDA session is Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 16, 1:15 p.m. to 4:15 p.m., Room 104-A USDA Whitten building, the Willamsburg Room, at national USDA headquarters on the mall.

The Delta Caucus also continues to urge the Obama administration to appoint the Federal CoChair and Alternate Federal Cochair of the Delta Regional Authority. “We are now nine months into the Obama administration, and these key appointments need to be made as soon as possible because President Obama needs his own appointees to head the important work on economic development and health care work of the DRA,” Powell said.

McElroy said “We need to make sure that rural areas get federal reimbursement rates equal to other areas, because the rural hospitals and health care providers are already in bad shape, we have trouble recruiting doctors, and the Delta is getting a raw deal on health care.”

OpportunityMarshall.com

2009-08-31T10:48:00.000-07:00

The development of the official Marshall County Economic Development website, OpportunityMarshall.com, is near completion. The website will contain information on demographics, financial incentives, maps, and recent news important to anyone looking to locate a business or industry in Marshall County, Kentucky.

The site is a joint project between the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, Marshall County Economic and Community Economic Development, and the Marshall County GIS Department.

Once completed, this website will serve as a tremendous asset to the community and economic development from large industries to small entrepreneurs. The site will also contain links to other pertinent agencies and institutions in Marshall County for the convenience of the reader.

$1.1 Million To Improve Developing Port Corridor

2009-08-31T10:45:00.000-07:00

The latest news from the Kentucky Infrastructure Authority and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was good news to the Marshall County-Calvert Riverport Authority and the Marshall County Economic and Community Development Office.

$1.1 Million has been awarded to Marshall County-Calvert Riverport Authority to extend waste water treatment service to the port corridor along Shar-Cal Road in Calvert City. This expansion of service will not only be a welcomed addition to the new development but also a much needed utility to existing industry along the proposed route.