College Town Profile™ Home Page | About our Company | Products and Services | Community eStore | vpmobile.us®

Business & Industry

Johnson City and Washington County are home to a stable, highly diversified economic climate, represented by such major employers as Mountain States Health Alliance, East Tennessee State University, Citi, the VA Medical Center, A.O. Smith, Frontier Health, Advanced Call Center Technologies and local school systems. The county is recognized as having one of the fastest growing economies in the region.

The unemployment rate within the county remains a low 4.1 percent, well below the increasing national average. This is due in part to a growing and diverse economy featuring employment sectors ranging from manufacturing and wholesale and retail to education, technology and health care. Plus, a highly trained and knowledgeable workforce—products of an outstanding local school system and several area institutions of higher learning—only adds to the appeal.

Health care is a multi-billion dollar industry in this region, led by the city’s thriving Med-Tech Corridor. The corridor is a five-mile stretch of land that has been set aside specifically for medical and high-tech business. Since 1998, more than $3 million has been invested in the enhancement and development of the corridor. The southern portion is home to the Millennium Centre, while the northern section comprises the new 130-acre Med-Tech Business Park. The center of the corridor is lined with a host of leading medical resources, including the Johnson City Medical Center, the VA Medical Center, and ETSU’s James H. Quillen College of Medicine and University Innovation Park.

Johnson City also boasts a strong wholesale/retail and dining sector, with an annual revenue generation of more than $1.6 billion. The City has increased investment in the Downtown District, known as Blue Plum Village, which has led to improved economic activity, plus the installation of new businesses and jobs. The City adopted the Main Street Program in 2004, and has since put nearly $8.2 million into the Downtown development.

All of this and more has greatly contributed to Johnson City’s continual recognition among one of the finest places to live and do business. Johnson City was ranked #10 Best Smaller Metro Area for Business and Careers by Forbes Magazine, Inc. The magazine acknowledged the city as one of the nation’s Top 40 Hottest Small Cities for Entrepreneurs, and Business TN Magazine ranked Johnson City #7 in the Top 50 Cities for Doing Business in Tennessee. Johnson City has also been listed as a Best Performing City in the Tri-Cities and a Top 40 Best Performing Small Metros: Most Affordable by the Milken Institute.

JOHNSON CITY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (JCDA)

The JCDA is a significant element in the economic vitality of Johnson City, as it works to conduct the various development and redevelopment initiatives happening throughout the City, specifically in the historic downtown district. The organization was developed 20 years ago and is led by a 16-member Board appointed by the City Commission. Since its establishment, the JCDA has stuck by its mission to assist businesses and investors interested in relocation and expansion in Johnson City; to provide insight on how to improve the business community of the area and enhance downtown; and to recruit new business and development opportunities to the city and its downtown area. Learn more about the JCDA and its projects by calling (423) 928-2988 or visiting online at www.jcdevelopment.org.


Be sure to visit CollegeTownProfile.com® often to preview Colleges and Universities across America!