Putnam County Represents Highlands at US-Canada Economic Alliance
HIGHLANDS — The footprint of
Thanks to special invitations from top state officials, two Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce representatives were selected to participate in the high-level inaugural conference of the Southeastern United States-Canadian Provinces Alliance held recently in
Chamber President/CEO George Halford and Algood-based MJF Media CEO Marty Toombs were invited by Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen and Economic & Community Development Comm. Matt Kisber to be among about 500 delegates from six southeastern states and seven Canadian provinces to help launch the SEUS-Canada organization.
Toombs' company is a Toronto-based wholesale book and media distributor located in Algood's One-Eleven Business Park. It is one of the most recent companies recruited to the
The mission of the SEUS-Canada alliance is to promote trade, investment, tourism, educational and friendship ties between the southeastern states and Canadian provinces. The states are
The roots of the alliance go back to November 2007, when Premier Jean Charest of
SEUS-Canada is patterned after the highly successful SEUS-Japan Trade Alliance, formed in the mid-70s and cited as the forerunner and catalyst of many Japanese investments, especially automotive, in the South. Today
The Chamber's Halford and MJF s Toombs characterized the inaugural meeting of SEUS-Canada as "historically significant."
"We believe the alliance will yield long-term economic benefits, much like our SEUS-Japan alliance," Halford said. "Canada is already Tennessee's and the Souths number one trading partner, and this is a great initial step in recruiting more Canadian companies, jobs and investments to Putnam County and the rest of the Highlands. We believe this is relationship marketing at its best."
