I guess Nashville gets another win. I find it ironic that the State of Tennessee put in almost $86 million to the effort, but TDOT wouldn't fix Lamar Ave for the same price. I think we all know by now where the State's focus is, if anyone didn't already know. Of course Memphis had no shot at Amazon anyway based on what they were looking for in a workforce.

Amazon Operations Center to Nashville

(11-13-2018 03:22 PM)tigerlands Wrote:  I guess Nashville gets another win. I find it ironic that the State of Tennessee put in almost $86 million to the effort, but TDOT wouldn't fix Lamar Ave for the same price. I think we all know by now where the State's focus is, if anyone didn't already know. Of course Memphis had no shot at Amazon anyway based on what they were looking for in a workforce.

Amazon Operations Center to Nashville

I worked for the state legislature in '87, the state has been preparing Nashville to be the next Atlanta (tgeir words, not mine) since then- probably before. I was told this multiple times by state officials.

I'm sure Nashvillians are going to be even more thrilled with the traffic since they voted down that light rail system (which IIRC was one of the requirements Amazon had, so what gives?)

With the job being downtown, it don't think it would be much worse than it is now and I would expect that many of the employees would work around the area. What will happen is further spike in real estate in Nashville. Avg pay is going to be around 150k a year....if Memphis could get something like this it would be the game changer

(11-14-2018 03:51 PM)newtiger Wrote:  ....if Memphis could get something like this it would be the game changer

Agreed. Sadly, the state legislature won't lift a finger to assist Memphis.

(11-14-2018 04:22 PM)tigergreen Wrote:  

(11-14-2018 03:51 PM)newtiger Wrote:  ....if Memphis could get something like this it would be the game changer

Agreed. Sadly, the state legislature won't lift a finger to assist Memphis.

Yep. Any town west of West Nashville gets 0 support from the state. It’s honestly shameful. Never seen anything like it.

We've got a start of the art Amazon distribution center, with 2 more in progress.

Starting pay is more than almost all other warehouses in town.

Amazon is changing the compensation dynamics of a distribution heavy city.

(11-14-2018 08:12 AM)BinghamptonNed Wrote:  

(11-13-2018 03:22 PM)tigerlands Wrote:  I guess Nashville gets another win. I find it ironic that the State of Tennessee put in almost $86 million to the effort, but TDOT wouldn't fix Lamar Ave for the same price. I think we all know by now where the State's focus is, if anyone didn't already know. Of course Memphis had no shot at Amazon anyway based on what they were looking for in a workforce.

Amazon Operations Center to Nashville

I worked for the state legislature in '87, the state has been preparing Nashville to be the next Atlanta (tgeir words, not mine) since then- probably before. I was told this multiple times by state officials.

They are getting what they wanted.

Amazon is awful.

They ruin everything.

(11-18-2018 01:44 PM)AlonsoWDC Wrote:  Amazon is awful.

They ruin everything.

Yep. 5,000 jobs paying an average of 150k a year is a terrible thing. What was Nashville thinking.

(11-14-2018 05:57 PM)uofmcamaro Wrote:  

(11-14-2018 04:22 PM)tigergreen Wrote:  

(11-14-2018 03:51 PM)newtiger Wrote:  ....if Memphis could get something like this it would be the game changer

Agreed. Sadly, the state legislature won't lift a finger to assist Memphis.

Yep. Any town west of West Nashville gets 0 support from the state. It’s honestly shameful. Never seen anything like it.

Actually, the State of Tennessee has invested $106 million (most recently $40M in bonds) on the MegaSite in Haywood Co and it is just one of many West Tn (including Memphis) economic development projects.

(11-21-2018 04:08 PM)Tiger1983 Wrote:  

(11-14-2018 05:57 PM)uofmcamaro Wrote:  

(11-14-2018 04:22 PM)tigergreen Wrote:  

(11-14-2018 03:51 PM)newtiger Wrote:  ....if Memphis could get something like this it would be the game changer

Agreed. Sadly, the state legislature won't lift a finger to assist Memphis.

Yep. Any town west of West Nashville gets 0 support from the state. It’s honestly shameful. Never seen anything like it.

Actually, the State of Tennessee has invested $106 million (most recently $40M in bonds) on the MegaSite in Haywood Co and it is just one of many West Tn (including Memphis) economic development projects.

They did that to keep up appearances. There is not a single industry or tenet on the site. They never really finished it and the state isn't really working very hard to get anybody on it. They would rather have anyone that would be interested in that site go to middle TN. I'm sure sooner or later something will finally end up there, but it will be awhile.

I agree that the state has bypassed Memphis time and time again. But Memphis needs to take ownership of its own problems as well. City leadership gets out smarted time and time again. It isn’t just Nashville that beats Memphis for jobs. It’s cities all over the US. Memphis leadership lacks vision and hustle. But boy we sure do invest in that dang river front, time and time again. How bout we invest in education and creating the best school district the state has ever seen? Let’s create an educated and skilled labor force. I’ll also add that no company like amazon is going to come here and be told what demographics they have to hire. And for the elephant in the room, These companies hire the best and will not be bullied by civil rights groups in Memphis. Therefore they stay away. Let that sink in.

(12-31-2018 03:17 PM)tigerlands Wrote:  

(11-21-2018 04:08 PM)Tiger1983 Wrote:  

(11-14-2018 05:57 PM)uofmcamaro Wrote:  

(11-14-2018 04:22 PM)tigergreen Wrote:  

(11-14-2018 03:51 PM)newtiger Wrote:  ....if Memphis could get something like this it would be the game changer

Agreed. Sadly, the state legislature won't lift a finger to assist Memphis.

Yep. Any town west of West Nashville gets 0 support from the state. It’s honestly shameful. Never seen anything like it.

Actually, the State of Tennessee has invested $106 million (most recently $40M in bonds) on the MegaSite in Haywood Co and it is just one of many West Tn (including Memphis) economic development projects.

They did that to keep up appearances. There is not a single industry or tenet on the site. They never really finished it and the state isn't really working very hard to get anybody on it. They would rather have anyone that would be interested in that site go to middle TN. I'm sure sooner or later something will finally end up there, but it will be awhile.

I can assure you that the MegaSite received significant attention by the Haslam Administration and the Legislature. It was the focus of budget and legislative hearings. It is a tough project to sell for many reasons.

However, in general, there are significant numbers of the General Assembly not in the mood now to go out of their way to help Memphis and Shelby Co.

(01-03-2019 01:10 AM)BIGDTiger Wrote:  I agree that the state has bypassed Memphis time and time again. But Memphis needs to take ownership of its own problems as well. City leadership gets out smarted time and time again. It isn’t just Nashville that beats Memphis for jobs. It’s cities all over the US. Memphis leadership lacks vision and hustle. But boy we sure do invest in that dang river front, time and time again. How bout we invest in education and creating the best school district the state has ever seen? Let’s create an educated and skilled labor force. I’ll also add that no company like amazon is going to come here and be told what demographics they have to hire. And for the elephant in the room, These companies hire the best and will not be bullied by civil rights groups in Memphis. Therefore they stay away. Let that sink in.

^^^^^^^Checkmate....close the thread. ^^^^^^^

I was reading the commercial appeal and read an editorial that complained about Memphis and west Tennessee being given lots of "pork". I found it amusing that the guy would single us out for wasteful government largess, then I read who he was at the end.

"Ron Shultis is policy coordinator for the Beacon Center in Nashville."

BBQ not the only 'pork' benefiting Memphis

Quote:While no area of the state was without its share of controversies, one could argue that Memphis and West Tennessee took the cake for the most wasteful spending last year.

For example, state and local officials have spent $144 million of your hard-earned tax dollars on the Memphis Regional Megasite, which still sits vacant after eight years of trying to develop an empty field. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to stop $30 million of additional money spent last year to improve the area’s wastewater treatment.

Perhaps instead we should allow the free market to work and let companies decide for themselves what land is valuable to build on or not.

Or take ServiceMaster, which the state gave $5.5 million to move from the edge of town to renovate and relocate to the old Peabody Place Mall. Now I love HGTV renovation shows, but that doesn’t mean the government should be giving people’s tax dollars away to help companies with their open concept office space renovations, especially when ServiceMaster did not even have to promise to create any new jobs in exchange for the handout.

(01-08-2019 03:05 PM)JerryJeff Wrote:  I was reading the commercial appeal and read an editorial that complained about Memphis and west Tennessee being given lots of "pork". I found it amusing that the guy would single us out for wasteful government largess, then I read who he was at the end.

"Ron Shultis is policy coordinator for the Beacon Center in Nashville."

BBQ not the only 'pork' benefiting Memphis

Quote:While no area of the state was without its share of controversies, one could argue that Memphis and West Tennessee took the cake for the most wasteful spending last year.

For example, state and local officials have spent $144 million of your hard-earned tax dollars on the Memphis Regional Megasite, which still sits vacant after eight years of trying to develop an empty field. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to stop $30 million of additional money spent last year to improve the area’s wastewater treatment.

Perhaps instead we should allow the free market to work and let companies decide for themselves what land is valuable to build on or not.

Or take ServiceMaster, which the state gave $5.5 million to move from the edge of town to renovate and relocate to the old Peabody Place Mall. Now I love HGTV renovation shows, but that doesn’t mean the government should be giving people’s tax dollars away to help companies with their open concept office space renovations, especially when ServiceMaster did not even have to promise to create any new jobs in exchange for the handout.

FWIW, the Beacon Center rails against economic incentives in all parts of the State. My guess is he focused on West Tennessee because he wrote the column for the CA - a Memphis media outlet.

(01-08-2019 03:05 PM)JerryJeff Wrote:  I was reading the commercial appeal and read an editorial that complained about Memphis and west Tennessee being given lots of "pork". I found it amusing that the guy would single us out for wasteful government largess, then I read who he was at the end.

"Ron Shultis is policy coordinator for the Beacon Center in Nashville."

BBQ not the only 'pork' benefiting Memphis

Quote:While no area of the state was without its share of controversies, one could argue that Memphis and West Tennessee took the cake for the most wasteful spending last year.

For example, state and local officials have spent $144 million of your hard-earned tax dollars on the Memphis Regional Megasite, which still sits vacant after eight years of trying to develop an empty field. Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to stop $30 million of additional money spent last year to improve the area’s wastewater treatment.

Perhaps instead we should allow the free market to work and let companies decide for themselves what land is valuable to build on or not.

Or take ServiceMaster, which the state gave $5.5 million to move from the edge of town to renovate and relocate to the old Peabody Place Mall. Now I love HGTV renovation shows, but that doesn’t mean the government should be giving people’s tax dollars away to help companies with their open concept office space renovations, especially when ServiceMaster did not even have to promise to create any new jobs in exchange for the handout.

The guy is in error when writing about the Mega site. They didn't improve on the wastewater treatment, they DON'T have any waste water treatment, which is mind blowing. He needs to research more. There is NO infrastructure at all on the site, its just a plot of land.

Also, The State of Tennessee just offered an initial $77 million to Amazon to come to Nashville. I don't have a big issue with the whopping $5 million they used to help with ServiceMaster stay in Memphis.

Quote:The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development provided information showing Shelby County had more state projects than any other county in the state since 2011, 128 with 14,774 job commitments and $5.5 billion in capital investment, not including Indigo Ag.

https://www.dailymemphian.com/article/24...ight-years