Lamar Alexander explains how important it is to celebrate the Oak Ridge Corridor brand
He spoke on Monday to more than 30 people who attended a special meeting of the board of a new economic development organization.
“It’s not just a road; it’s a concept,” former U.S. Senator and before that Tennessee Governor Lamar Alexander told a little more than 30 people who were invited to a special meeting of the board of directors of the Oak Ridge Corridor Development Corporation on Monday.
Alexander, who also served as the President of the University of Tennessee and U.S. Secretary of Education, was referencing a term he coined nearly 40 years ago that has been adopted as the name for the new economic development organization created by Anderson and Roane Counties along with the City of Oak Ridge.
“Who has a better brand than Oak Ridge?” Alexander asked. “The region has the most visited national park in the country at one end of the corridor and the largest science and energy lab at the other end. Only the Knoxville region can have an Oak Ridge Corridor.”
Shortly before he left office in January of 1987, Alexander said that the part of the Knoxville region that was not being celebrated was “its brainpower advantage (including today in nuclear). Cities were trying to be what they weren’t and not celebrating what they were.” One example from his two terms as Governor was Nashville which he said, “was trying hard not to be Music City.”
He found funding for a new bridge across I-40 that literally allowed for the completion of what is referred to as the Oak Ridge Corridor.
Today, the economic development group that bears that name is focused on advanced or new nuclear which has exploded in Oak Ridge in the past several years with new companies coming to town, and Alexander believes that offers an opportunity to further enhance the brand for the Oak Ridge Corridor.
He drew a parallel between the automotive industry that first blossomed during his gubernatorial years and nuclear energy today.
When he took office three days early in January 1979, Tennessee had the third lowest per capita income in the country. Then, first Nissan and later General Motors’ Saturn built plants in Tennessee. One of the biggest advocates for the Nissan plant was the Nashville Chamber of Commerce, even though the plant would be located in neighboring Rutherford County.
The General Motors plant now make other products. In addition, Volkswagen came along with its announcement years later and now Ford’s BlueOval City is set to open in the next few years in West Tennessee.
Alexander urged the board to start talking about the Oak Ridge Corridor and not be afraid to not only use but emphasize the term. Other suggestions included:
- Celebrate nuclear, particularly President Donald Trump’s recent executive orders.
- Think about things like workforce preparedness or another big idea that could be championed by Governor Bill Lee during his remaining 18 or 19 months in office.
- Invite other communities to join the conversation to learn more about what the Oak Ridge Corridor Development Corporation is doing and hopefully eventually engage.
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