With a national recession only slowly easing its chokehold, Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce officials chose a well-armed candidate as the new president of the organization.
Paul Latture III carries many arrows in his quiver as he moves from the top chamber position in Jackson to Murfreesboro come the first of August.
Latture has worked at chambers in Clarksville and Memphis prior to Jackson and also served as assistant commissioner in the Tennessee Department of Economic Development, a notable asset.
The current difficulties prove conclusively that no community can be too economically diverse, broad-based or prepared. Too many factors well beyond any community’s control can strike as the economic well being of even the most prosperous places in the country, indeed the world.
Rutherford County prospered at a phenomenal rate for more than two decades, slowing almost imperceptivity during times that had other communities struggling mightily with personal, business and area pocketbook issues.
With a huge housing industry, tremendously diverse industry, strong medical services and a major state university, Rutherford County stood about as stably as any community economy can stand.
But, national credit crisis and other factors well beyond area control struck deeply at almost all our economic pillars.
While we are unquestionably faring better than almost all our neighbors, most other high-growth communities and probably most of the nation, we have experienced a lot of loss and hurt economically in the past 18 months.
While some indications and predictions are for better times by September, the rebound will come faster and better to those communities best positioned and prepared for it.
Latture brings great promise due to his deep and extensive background in economic development at the chamber and state department level and the experience and perspective gained from working in different areas of the state.
He will know the strong points and weaknesses of other areas in the ongoing competition for economic development that will allow him to best market our community in the global marketplace.
Latture will obviously know quite well the selling points, the issues and the shortcomings of a Tennessee location.
Moving any community forward in these challenging times will be a difficult task, but chamber officials have done well in choosing a candidate with a formidable resume and array of assets to help our community return to overall prosperity. |
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