The Nashville Chamber of Commerce is using job growth figures to defend its “Partnership 2010″ fund. The Chambers says in the last year and a half nearly 13,000 jobs have been created for middle Tennessee, and that the Partnership played a crucial role in proactively recruiting those jobs.
Metro Government has recently come under fire for investing in the Partnership: $1.5 million over the last five years, about 10% of the fund. Critics say the government can no longer afford a private investment of that size, especially when many of the recruited jobs go outside of Davidson County.
But a spokesperson for the Chamber says while it can showcase the area, it’s up to companies to choose the exact spot where they relocate.
Tim Neiman says he understands. His company, Nashville-based Dynamic Edge, contributes money into Partnership Twenty Ten. He says even if new businesses don’t come directly into the city, everybody still wins.
“The more businesses that are here, the more investment there is, the more customers we’ll potentially have. But there’s not a direct correlation for us as an investor. We do it because we think it’s the right thing to do. ”
The Chamber will unveil its new recruitment strategy, Partnership 2020, in July. Metro government has yet to confirm its financial commitment to that plan.
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