In 2003, the Chattanooga Area Chamber of
Commerce embarked on its first proactive, multi-year economic development initiative designed to market the Chattanooga region as a premiere business location. The Tell the World! initiative has been instrumental in raising the awareness of site selection consultants and corporate real estate executives. They now have a clear understanding of Chattanooga’s beautiful setting, quality of life, low cost of living, strategic southeast We compete with communities that have engaged in aggressive economic development marketing for 20 years or longer. What Chattanooga, Hamilton County

and more than 180 private sector investors have accomplished in the short time since Tell the World! began istruly remarkable. In just three years, over 10,000 jobs have been created in the region; Enterprise South, a1,600-acre industrial park, has been certified as a "Megasite" suitable for a major automobile manufacturer; andthe number of prospects considering expansions or relocation to the region has increased by 33%.

The Chattanooga Chamber is marketing the region nationally and internationally using the Chattanooga CANDO business brand. Chamber leaders decided that the second four-year economic development initiative should also carry the CAN DO name, a change that will integrate fundraising efforts, investor relations programs, existing business support and international marketing and recruitment efforts under one unified banner.

An important addition to the $10 million Chattanooga CAN DO comprehensive economic development initiative for 2007-2010 is an Education Initiative designed to improve the ability of schools (kindergarten through college) to graduate well-prepared workers. By fostering closer cooperation between business leaders and educators and working to achieve broad-based support for education, the Chamber’s Education Initiative will assist schools in producing a local labor pool for the 21st Century.

This is an exciting time in the history of Chattanooga, Hamilton County, and our surrounding region. Existing businesses are expanding and new companies are coming to our region in greater numbers. Chattanooga CANDO is designed to sustain and accelerate that momentum.

We invite you to become familiar with the goals and objectives of Chattanooga CAN DO. Join us in building on the economic growth our region is experiencing by participating in the second phase of the region’s first (and only) comprehensive job creation strategy. Together we will enrich our regional economy and ensure a prosperous business environment for our companies and the citizens who work for them.

Frank V. Schriner
Co-Chairman Chattanooga CAN DO

Mike Butler
Co-Chairman Chattanooga CAN DO