Prosperity Through Innovation is the theme of a newly launched five-year plan by the Knoxville Chamber. It focuses on economic opportunities through innovation that can produce business growth for the area and better quality of life for the workforce.

“We believe that the execution of this plan will allow Knoxville to take a significant step toward positioning itself as an economic leader,” said Dave Miller, Knoxville Chamber board chair and First Horizon EVP of bank strategy and performance. “Investors in the Knoxville Chamber should be proud of the work they are funding as it supports a commitment to building a brighter tomorrow.”

Specific priorities listed include:

  • Raise average annual pay 30 percent in Knoxville by 2030
  • Lower poverty rate 25 percent in Knoxville by 2030
  • Increase 25- 54-year-old population 7 percent in Knoxville by 2030
  • Raise Knoxville’s ranking in the Milken Institute’s Best-Performing Cities to the top ten by 2030 (currently 69th)
  • Raise innovation ranking in the Innovation Cities Index 20 places by 2030 (currently 63rd)
  • Align with the 2030 Protocol

Prosperity Through Innovation stresses the importance of using technology to grow businesses, train the workforce and give everyone a chance to be a part of what the Chamber calls a computing-based economy.

The plan calls for creating a partnership between Knoxville, Chattanooga and the Tri-Cities for economic development. It also calls for attracting and keeping young professional talent in East Tennessee.

This five-year plan builds on the previous one called the Path to Prosperity that the Chamber released in 2020. It included The 2030 Protocol that focused on more digital literacy for more adults. The Chamber notes that more help is needed for small businesses to grow and create even more skilled jobs.

You can read the Prosperity Through Innovation report at the Knoxville Chamber website.

Anne Brock is marketing coordinator for Solar Alliance, which designs and manages solar installation projects for large manufacturers and small businesses. She can be reached at abrock@solaralliance.com or 865-221-8349.