Maury County Achieves Quadruple Crown in SmartAsset's 2024 Rankings

Issue #023

11 Mar

In this What’s Up Columbia issue…

📆 Mega List of Upcoming Events!

🌤 Columbia Weather - Partly cloudy with a high of 61

🙌 Maury County Achieves Quadruple Crown in SmartAsset's 2024 Rankings

📰 South Central Tennessee Tourism Association Introduces Innovative 501(c)(3) Initiative

🚨 Missing 7-Year-Old Iris Crum Found Safe in Texas

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Upcoming Local Events

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Maury County Achieves Quadruple Crown in SmartAsset's 2024 Rankings

In a rare feat, Maury County emerges as the top performer in all four Incoming Investment Categories for the State of Tennessee, according to SmartAsset's 2024 findings. The categories encompass Business Growth, GDP Growth, New Building Permits, and Overall Incoming Investment.

On a national scale, Maury County achieves an impressive No. 3 ranking in Incoming Investment and claims the 7th spot in Business Growth out of over 3,000 counties across the United States.

SmartAsset's methodology assesses changes over a three-year period, reflecting sustained performance. For more details on the methodology employed for these rankings, visit their site here.

Travis Groth, Vice President for Economic Development at the Maury County Chamber & Economic Alliance, emphasizes that the SmartAsset report highlights a decade of continuous growth for Maury County. He attributes this success to robust teamwork and strong economic development partnerships at the local, regional, state, and TVA levels. Groth expresses pride in Maury County's economic performance and anticipates even more growth as the community shifts its economic development focus from growth to enhancement.

Analyzing the change in the number of businesses established over a three-year period, SmartAsset assesses whether new business ventures are thriving in the county. GDP growth is examined using real growth (inflation adjusted) in the local economy. For investment and development in the local residential real estate market, SmartAsset calculates the number of new building permits per 1,000 homes.

SmartAsset officials explain their scoring methodology, where each county's performance on these factors contributes to a final ranking. The county with the highest incoming investments is assigned a value of 100, while the county with the least investment activity receives a zero.

South Central Tennessee Tourism Association Introduces Innovative 501(c)(3) Initiative

Ryan French, Executive Director of the South Central Tennessee Tourism Association, recently introduced the Tennessee Tourism Investment Project, a 501(c)(3) organization aimed at broadening SCTTA's philanthropic capabilities. The non-profit's executive director, Dominic Gialdini, will lead the initiative, focusing on securing funding, developing sustainable tourism projects, and implementing programs to enrich tourism in the SCTTA's influence area.

The Tennessee Tourism Investment Project's mission is to create educational, professional, and transformative tourism opportunities that foster a culture of tourism entrepreneurship in south central Tennessee. Functioning as a 501(c)(3), it relies on financial support from sponsors who share the values of enhancing tourism and creating opportunities in the region. The program focuses on education, job creation, workforce development, grant support, and transformative projects/asset development, with an additional Endowment Fund for long-term funding.

Ryan French expressed enthusiasm for the initiative, highlighting its potential to support impactful projects and build sustainable tourism for future generations. Dominic Gialdini, with a background in sustainable tourism development, emphasized the collaborative effort to enhance the region and the excitement surrounding the launch of the Tennessee Tourism Investment Project.

Missing 7-Year-Old Iris Crum Found Safe in Texas

Photo on right: Ethen Czereda, 33

Iris Crum, the missing 7-year-old, was found safe and sound on Sunday in League City, Texas, according to Rutherford County Sheriff’s Detective Sgt. Joseph Duncan. Expressing his relief, Duncan shared, “She looks as happy as can be. She’s awaiting her dad to pick her up.”

The non-custodial mother, Khaila Czereda, 30, was taken into custody in League City on charges of felony child abduction from San Diego County, Calif., and custodial interference from Rutherford County. League City, a Houston suburb, became the site where Iris was located with the help of the Texas Rangers and League City Police.

Sheriff Mike Fitzhugh commended the dedication and tenacity of detectives and law enforcement partners for their efforts in bringing Iris home. The missing child was reported on March 1, believed to be with her mother from Rutherford County, prompting the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to issue an endangered child alert on March 2, later upgraded to an Amber Alert.

After interviewing Khaila Czereda’s husband, Ethan, sheriff’s detectives and deputies followed investigative leads to a home in Texas. The Texas Rangers and local police apprehended Khaila, returning Iris to safety. Ethan Czereda, 33, of Fall Parkway near Walter Hill, faces charges of felony aggravated kidnapping, accessory after the fact, and false report/information to officers, with a hearing scheduled for May 13 in General Sessions Court.

Detective Duncan acknowledged the collaborative effort of TBI, the Sheriff’s Office, Texas officers, and law enforcement agencies nationwide. He expressed gratitude for the community's support and the tips that played a crucial role in the successful resolution of the case.