Tenn. Program FastTracks Business Inquiries
Published Apr 07, 2004
Jill Swenson of Goodlettsville started a new business with the help of FastTrack. Strickland Place – developed by Swenson and her business partner, David Pepper – is a re-created vintage village in White House, Tenn., complete with general store, toy museum, soda shop and various retail shops.
So what’s all this talk about riding Tennessee’s FastTrack?
Well, first of all, it’s not just talk.
It’s the state’s answer to handling business inquiries at the speed of business, not bureaucracy, and it’s a concept that’s leaving the competition in the dust.
The program recently garnered attention in Southern Business and Development magazine as one of “the Top 10 Economic Development Initiatives in the Southeast.”
“It’s been a tremendous success,” says Matt Kisber, Commissioner of the Department of Economic and Community Development. “The program guarantees a complete response to business inquiries within three days, but we’ve been able to file down that time even more.”
As a stimulant to job growth, Gov. Phil Bredesen signed an executive order creating Tennessee’s FastTrack initiative in December 2003. The program developed from ideas during roundtable discussions through the state’s traveling Jobs Cabinet team and is designed to cut government red tape for existing or prospective businesses seeking to expand or invest in Tennessee jobs.
Jill Swenson, president of Shophar Construction Inc. in Goodlettsville, says she believes the state is definitely on the right track in its customer service efforts. Swenson has used the state’s FastTrack hotline in her efforts to start a new business in the tourism industry.
“It was very helpful in assisting me with [locating the right] areas to call,” Swenson says. “I didn’t know about the different training programs, and I’m not sure that they would actually apply to me, but having this [FastTrack] resource to find out information on grant programs is helpful.”
Using the FastTrack service is simple. All that existing and prospective businesses have to do is pick up the phone, call the toll-free number (1-877-4TN-FAST) and explain their request. A representative will respond within three business days of the initial inquiry, with a large majority of inquiries being addressed within 24 hours.
Each agency of Bredesen’s Jobs Cabinet, in addition to the Department of Revenue, has a designated FastTrack representative. The representative works closely with ECD to help respond to businesses seeking information on possible building sites and locations, job training programs, infrastructure development and other needs.
In addition to tracking communication between state agencies involved in job growth, ECD is also committed to tailoring job training programs for businesses within five business days of the business providing detailed information about its training needs and a written commitment to invest in new jobs.
“Never before have we placed such an emphasis on teamwork, and never before have we seen results like those we are seeing now,” Kisber says. “FastTrack is about how Tennessee does business. We are fortunate to have a governor who understands the business world and respects the fact that, in business, ‘time is money.’ ”
Story by K. Dawn Rutledge Jones
Photo by Wes Aldridge
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