Historic Trade Mission in Germany

41 representatives of government and communities from across Tennessee will participate in the trade mission to Germany, including Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen and Commissioner of Economic and Community Development Matt Kisber.

Of course a NewsChannel 9 crew, John Pless and brent McDonald, are already in germany in advance of the historic trade mission that was organized following an invitation by the leadership of Volkswagen AG.

Governor Bredesen and others will visit the company's global headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany. Following that visit to Wolfsburg on October 22, the delegation will hold briefings about Tennessee for the automaker's supplier community in Dusseldorf on October 23, Frankfurt on October 24 and Munich on October 27.

Of course NewsChannel9.com will bring you the latest from Germany all week. Click the links to the right for the stories sent from overseas so far.

During his visit to the VW global headquarters in Wolfsburg, Governor Bredesen is scheduled to meet with Dr. Martin Winterkorn, chairman, Board of Management of Volkswagen AG; Dr. Jochem Heizmann, member, Board of Management with responsibility for Group Production; and with Frank Fischer, chief executive officer of the Chattanooga production facility.

"This trade mission is an important step in Tennessee's relationship with Volkswagen and its suppliers," said Governor Bredesen. "I'm convinced that if we make suppliers aware of Tennessee's nationally recognized business climate, we can create even more good paying jobs for the people of Tennessee."

"Interest in Tennessee is strong," said Commissioner Kisber. "Our state has a ready supply of productive, trainable workers, available industrial sites and a competitive array of incentives that we believe suppliers will find attractive."

Participants in the trade mission include:

• Governor Phil Bredesen
• ECD Commissioner Matt Kisber
• Bill Adams, Tennessee Valley Authority
• Tom Ballard, U-T Battelle, ORNL
• LaDue Boldin, mayor, Grundy County
• Andy Burke, Regional Alliance for Economic Development, Blountville, Tenn.
• Joe Conner, Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, Nashville, Tenn.
• Roger Cook, H&M Construction, Jackson, Tenn.
• Bryan Daniels, Economic Development Board of Blount County
• Kim Denton, Oak Ridge Economic Partnership
• Gary Farlow, Cleveland/Bradley County Chamber of Commerce
• Ted Hackney, Industrial Board of Coffee County
• George Halford, Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce
• Trevor Hamilton, Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce
• Jack Hammontree, McMinn County Economic Development Authority
• Ron Hammontree, Tellico Reservoir Development Agency
• Leslie Henderson, The Roane Alliance
• Brock Hill, mayor, Cumberland County
• Beth Jones, Southeast Industrial Development Agency
• Stephen Kulinski, Gresham, Smith and Partners
• Doug Lawyer, Knoxville Chamber of Commerce
• Ron Littlefield, mayor, City of Chattanooga
• Bob McCain, SSOE, Incorporated
• Janet Miller, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce
• Howell Moss, mayor, Marion County
• Allen Neel, East Tennessee Economic Development Agency
• Billy Ray Patton, mayor, Rhea County
• John Payne, Franklin County Industrial Development Board
• John Pelham, mayor, Warren County
• Patrick Phillips, Loudon County Economic Development Agency
• Claude Ramsey, mayor, Hamilton County
• Gregg Ridley, mayor, Bledsoe County
• Pete Sain, Sain Construction Co.
• Mark Smith, Miller, Martin, LLC
• Alicia Summers, Northeast Tennessee Valley Regional Industrial Development Association
• Joe Thrasher, Volkert and Associates
• Tom Trent, Boult, Cummings, Conners and Berry, Nashville, Tenn.
• Richard Venable, NETWORKS Sullivan Partnership
• Nathan Ward, Fayetteville-Lincoln County Industrial Development Board
• Sam Wills, EMJ Corporation
• Walt Wood, Shelbyville-Bedford Co. Chamber of Commerce

The cost of travel and hotel accommodations is the responsibility of each delegate and their sponsoring organization.

About the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development

The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development's mission is to create higher skilled, better paying jobs for all Tennesseans. The department seeks to attract new corporate investment in Tennessee and works with Tennessee companies to facilitate expansion and economic growth. To find out more, go to www.tnecd.gov.