Tennessee Economic Development Update
More evidence of my prediction that Gov. Phil Bredesen is prepping the ground for a push to revamp Tennessee's economic development incentives package: He's promising West Tennessee and other regions of the state will get a tailored approach to economic development, saying "one size fits all" policies don't work as well. Reports the Memphis Commercial Appeal:

The governor used his luncheon speech to about 250 members of Lipscomb University's Business Leadership Council in Nashville to outline his jobs creation plan. "Tennessee is so big and diverse that one size does not fit all. We've got to approach economic development regionally, with an ultimate goal of assuring that every community, rural and urban, shares in the growth," Bredesen said.

In the six months since his inauguration, the governor has participated in nine announcements for business expansions and relocations that will create up to 4,000 new jobs. But the largest of those have been in Middle Tennessee, including an expansion of Nissan's plants in Smyrna and Decherd that will add 1,500 jobs and the relocation of a Verizon Wireless call center to Murfreesboro with 400 jobs. The major industrial plum announced for West Tennessee during the last six months is Toyota subsidiary Bodine Aluminum's planned $124 million engine block manufacturing facility in Jackson, with 200 jobs.

Nashville City Paper also has coverage.