1 00:00:00,210 --> 00:00:05,190 Intro: The following program is brought to you by the Tennessee Broadband Association. 2 00:00:05,190 --> 00:00:10,590 Lead Tennessee Radio, conversations with the leaders moving our state forward. 3 00:00:10,740 --> 00:00:18,270 We look at the issues shaping Tennessee's future: rural development, public policy, broadband, 4 00:00:18,270 --> 00:00:22,800 health care and other topics impacting our communities. 5 00:00:23,520 --> 00:00:28,200 Carrie Huckeby: Hello, I'm Carrie Huckeby, the executive director of the Tennessee Broadband Association. 6 00:00:28,230 --> 00:00:34,020 In this episode of Lead Tennessee Radio, we're taking a look at a new organization in our state. 7 00:00:34,050 --> 00:00:41,610 The Tennessee Business Forum launched in January to provide business leaders with a forum to connect with one another, but to 8 00:00:41,610 --> 00:00:44,760 also connect with policy makers on the national level. 9 00:00:44,970 --> 00:00:52,950 Joining me today are strategic consultants Bess McWherter and Brad Bishop of The Ingram Group, which created and facilitates 10 00:00:52,950 --> 00:00:57,120 the forum. Bess, Brad, thank you for being here this morning. 11 00:00:57,660 --> 00:00:58,090 Bess McWherter: Thank you. 12 00:00:58,260 --> 00:00:59,340 Brad Bishop: We're excited to be here. 13 00:01:00,670 --> 00:01:02,230 Carrie Huckeby: Well, Brad, start us off. 14 00:01:02,380 --> 00:01:09,160 Give us a background on The Ingram Group, its role in creating the forum and why such a group was needed. 15 00:01:09,190 --> 00:01:12,040 Brad Bishop: Yeah, well, first of all, thank you, Carrie, for having us today. 16 00:01:12,040 --> 00:01:13,930 We really do appreciate it, and we're excited to have this opportunity. 17 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:20,620 It's great to join you and, obviously, thank you to the Tennessee Broadband Association for being a member of the 18 00:01:20,620 --> 00:01:21,910 Tennessee Business Forum. 19 00:01:21,940 --> 00:01:27,390 We really appreciate you joining the group and your participation in our first year as we launched. 20 00:01:27,390 --> 00:01:34,810 Bess and I both work at The Ingram Group, which is a general strategic consulting and bipartisan government relations firm. 21 00:01:34,840 --> 00:01:36,900 It's been around for about 40 years. 22 00:01:36,910 --> 00:01:42,670 We are based out of Nashville, Tennessee, but we also have a presence in Washington, D.C. 23 00:01:43,060 --> 00:01:49,810 And basically we provide communication support, government relations services, organizational reviews, leadership 24 00:01:49,810 --> 00:01:57,790 development and strategic economic development advice to a wide array of clients that spans across corporate 25 00:01:57,790 --> 00:02:03,940 clients, nonprofit clients, higher education clients, and other types of nonprofit organizations. 26 00:02:04,600 --> 00:02:11,530 So we count many state based organizations as clients, but also a wide array of national and even multinational corporations as 27 00:02:11,530 --> 00:02:16,060 clients. So as you can see, we have a pretty diverse background. 28 00:02:16,210 --> 00:02:24,130 Our staff is comprised of about 12 people, and we have a very diverse background in where we've worked in both the 29 00:02:24,130 --> 00:02:30,280 corporate world, as well as the government relations world, as well as in both local government, state government and the 30 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:31,300 federal government. 31 00:02:31,510 --> 00:02:39,300 We consider ourselves to be generalists, and our team is really kind of set to fix any problem that our clients come at us with. 32 00:02:39,310 --> 00:02:44,590 So that's basically a little bit about The Ingram Group, and I'm going to pass it off to Bess to talk a little bit about the 33 00:02:44,590 --> 00:02:49,630 Tennessee Business Forum due to the fact that she is pretty much the founder and chief of it. 34 00:02:50,500 --> 00:02:54,400 Bess McWherter: Well, thanks, Brad, and thank you again, Carrie, for having us today. 35 00:02:54,640 --> 00:02:56,770 We're excited to join you. 36 00:02:56,770 --> 00:03:04,150 Carrie, the idea to create the Tennessee Business Forum was actually brought to The Ingram Group by business 37 00:03:04,150 --> 00:03:12,040 leaders in Tennessee who already participate in other similarly structured organizations 38 00:03:12,040 --> 00:03:13,120 in other states. 39 00:03:13,120 --> 00:03:20,020 And they felt like there was no organization singularly focused on 40 00:03:20,710 --> 00:03:28,660 federal policy issues that could bring leaders together from the state to talk about how those issues impact 41 00:03:28,690 --> 00:03:31,210 Tennessee and the country overall. 42 00:03:32,110 --> 00:03:39,790 And as Brad mentioned, our team is composed of people, including myself, who have worked in 43 00:03:39,790 --> 00:03:42,550 many roles within the federal government. 44 00:03:42,550 --> 00:03:50,170 And really, after extensive research and a lot of planning on our end, our team agreed that this is a 45 00:03:50,170 --> 00:03:58,000 gap for our state's continued economic development, and we felt like our team was positioned to fill 46 00:03:58,000 --> 00:03:59,530 that gap effectively. 47 00:04:00,490 --> 00:04:07,150 This is such an exciting time for Tennessee as we continue to see just such rapid growth throughout the state. 48 00:04:07,150 --> 00:04:14,710 So that open line of communication between the state and Washington is really as important now as it's ever been. 49 00:04:14,710 --> 00:04:22,600 So that was sort of the background on why we created the Tennessee Business Forum and launched early last year. 50 00:04:23,690 --> 00:04:31,100 Carrie Huckeby: Well, there's definitely a need there that that you saw and being able to bring people together so. 51 00:04:31,460 --> 00:04:34,760 And as you said, Ingram Group has a very long history. 52 00:04:34,760 --> 00:04:42,740 And I did see that your team has a very diverse background bringing this experience from all areas so. 53 00:04:44,240 --> 00:04:48,980 And on that note, Bess, congratulations on being named executive director of the forum. 54 00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:54,240 And you have had this extensive bipartisan career in government. 55 00:04:54,260 --> 00:05:00,860 Share your background with our listeners, beginning with the commitment to public service that you saw modeled in your own 56 00:05:00,860 --> 00:05:01,310 family. 57 00:05:01,310 --> 00:05:02,900 Bess McWherter: Yeah. Thanks, Carrie. 58 00:05:02,900 --> 00:05:03,950 I appreciate that. 59 00:05:04,430 --> 00:05:12,230 I'm really honored to have worked for some incredible people throughout my career, and I'm particularly 60 00:05:12,230 --> 00:05:14,390 thrilled to be on my current team with The Ingram Group. 61 00:05:14,390 --> 00:05:20,630 My colleagues, as you hear from Brad, they're truly outstanding, so I'm very excited to be where I am. 62 00:05:20,630 --> 00:05:28,190 But I'm originally from Jackson, Tennessee, and I attended Vanderbilt University for my undergraduate 63 00:05:28,190 --> 00:05:35,990 studies. But while in school, I interned for Congressman Jim Cooper, who's, of course, the Democrat that has 64 00:05:35,990 --> 00:05:42,620 represented Nashville since 2003, but he will be retiring at the end of this term. 65 00:05:43,070 --> 00:05:50,030 But that program was really where I caught the quote unquote "bug" to work on Capitol Hill. 66 00:05:50,030 --> 00:05:54,320 But to your point, Carrie, I've been around politics my entire life. 67 00:05:55,250 --> 00:05:58,010 My grandfather was governor of the state. 68 00:05:58,130 --> 00:06:00,410 My cousin is a former congressman. 69 00:06:00,410 --> 00:06:04,010 My own father ran for governor. 70 00:06:04,550 --> 00:06:12,050 My mom actually worked on Capitol Hill for a member of Congress from West Tennessee for more than a decade. 71 00:06:12,050 --> 00:06:16,670 So it's definitely in my blood on both sides of my family. 72 00:06:16,670 --> 00:06:19,760 But Jim Cooper really sealed the deal for me. 73 00:06:19,760 --> 00:06:25,010 So after I graduated, I moved to D.C. 74 00:06:25,250 --> 00:06:32,750 I got a job with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee under the chairmanship of former Senator Bob Corker, 75 00:06:33,170 --> 00:06:39,830 to whom I will always be grateful for taking a chance on me in that period of time. 76 00:06:40,490 --> 00:06:47,630 I stayed on the committee for a few years, and then I went to work for PepsiCo, the food and beverage company. 77 00:06:48,500 --> 00:06:52,400 I was working on their government affairs and communications teams. 78 00:06:52,400 --> 00:06:57,140 And then I returned to work on Capitol Hill as an advisor to Congressman Cooper. 79 00:06:57,470 --> 00:07:04,640 And I handled a pretty extensive legislative portfolio for him, including foreign policy, intelligence, 80 00:07:05,270 --> 00:07:11,420 trade, transportation, education, small business, women's issues, all good stuff. 81 00:07:12,080 --> 00:07:19,760 And then I joined The Ingram Group in June of last year while completing my master's in International Business and Policy 82 00:07:19,760 --> 00:07:22,910 from Georgetown University's School of Business. 83 00:07:22,910 --> 00:07:27,860 So it has been a very fun and wild ride and very busy. 84 00:07:27,860 --> 00:07:35,810 But as we've mentioned, all of my colleagues who help run the business forum each have their own real 85 00:07:35,810 --> 00:07:38,030 unique Washington journeys. 86 00:07:38,240 --> 00:07:45,260 You know, collectively, our team has worked for Senate leadership, the Obama administration, the Trump administration. 87 00:07:45,260 --> 00:07:49,070 We've worked as chiefs of staff, in US embassies. 88 00:07:49,880 --> 00:07:57,500 Some have led government relations for big corporations in the country, and as well as 89 00:07:57,770 --> 00:08:00,080 big political organizations in the United States. 90 00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:07,790 So we've all kind of been around the block, and it's well positioned us for this opportunity to help serve more 91 00:08:08,150 --> 00:08:11,420 members of Tennessee's economic community. 92 00:08:12,410 --> 00:08:18,990 Carrie Huckeby: Yes, I was very impressed with your extensive background and all the experience that you bring. 93 00:08:18,990 --> 00:08:26,030 And also looking at your family history, I thought, well, it would have been difficult for you to go into anything but public 94 00:08:26,030 --> 00:08:26,600 service. 95 00:08:26,600 --> 00:08:29,360 Bess McWherter: It was this or my parents sell beer. 96 00:08:29,360 --> 00:08:30,770 So it was this or beer. 97 00:08:32,930 --> 00:08:37,340 Carrie Huckeby: So the forum launched with 15 founding partners. 98 00:08:37,340 --> 00:08:44,900 Brad, talk about the mix of businesses represented and the vision that they had and have for the organization. 99 00:08:45,380 --> 00:08:49,220 Brad Bishop: So diversity of thought and composition was really a goal for the forum's membership. 100 00:08:49,220 --> 00:08:56,720 And I think we're very, extremely pleased with the results that we've seen over the past year as we've grown from 15 members 101 00:08:56,950 --> 00:08:58,640 to now 30. 102 00:08:58,970 --> 00:09:06,050 Our membership includes a bunch of different organizations that represent a bunch of different industries across the state. 103 00:09:06,350 --> 00:09:14,180 Among our membership, we count multinational corporations, a professional sports team, the state's flagship university, two of 104 00:09:14,180 --> 00:09:20,720 Nashville's fantastic HBCUs, a few local chambers of commerce, several health care organizations. 105 00:09:20,720 --> 00:09:23,240 And even a handful of nonprofit associations. 106 00:09:23,390 --> 00:09:26,660 So as you can see, membership really runs the gamut. 107 00:09:26,660 --> 00:09:30,740 And that was exactly the goal that we set out when we first started the Tennessee Business Forum. 108 00:09:30,740 --> 00:09:36,590 And I think we've done a really good job of achieving that goal, and this really allows us to have some really wonderful events 109 00:09:36,590 --> 00:09:42,470 that benefit, I think, both the delegation and also our membership, because everyone's trying to to hear what both these 110 00:09:42,470 --> 00:09:45,380 organizations are doing in the state and what they're doing for the state. 111 00:09:45,380 --> 00:09:49,460 And then they also have the opportunity to hear from the membership of how they're representing them up in Washington, 112 00:09:49,460 --> 00:09:50,000 D.C. 113 00:09:51,040 --> 00:09:52,240 Carrie Huckeby: Yeah, I think you're right. 114 00:09:52,570 --> 00:10:00,220 When I looked over the list of businesses that are part of the forum, there's such a diverse group that those conversations 115 00:10:00,220 --> 00:10:08,050 between those businesses are, you know, you'd like to be in on every conversation that goes on because of 116 00:10:08,050 --> 00:10:13,940 the diversity of those companies and what they bring to the forum so. 117 00:10:13,940 --> 00:10:17,230 The next Tennessee Business Forum meeting is next week in D.C. 118 00:10:17,230 --> 00:10:23,320 and your guest speaker is US Representative David Kustoff from Tennessee's eighth district. 119 00:10:23,350 --> 00:10:30,190 He's the newest member of the influential House Ways and Means Committee, and he plans to talk about the committee's work. 120 00:10:30,190 --> 00:10:36,670 Although the forum is not a lobbying group, what do you hope your members will accomplish through this event and those like 121 00:10:36,670 --> 00:10:37,000 it? 122 00:10:37,420 --> 00:10:38,740 Bess McWherter: Yeah. Thanks, Carrie. 123 00:10:39,190 --> 00:10:46,480 We're extremely excited and very honored to host Congressman Kustoff and his staff next week. 124 00:10:46,900 --> 00:10:54,280 We've hosted four other similar events this year, and we do plan to host one more in November. 125 00:10:54,910 --> 00:11:02,290 The goal is really to have candid, off the record conversations with policymakers like Congressman 126 00:11:02,590 --> 00:11:07,300 Kustoff in hopes of cutting through that typical D.C. 127 00:11:07,330 --> 00:11:14,980 rhetoric and really forging partnerships with lawmakers and amongst our forum members. 128 00:11:15,580 --> 00:11:23,550 One of the great qualities about the forum is that it's not a traditional advocacy organization, like you mentioned. 129 00:11:23,550 --> 00:11:27,790 Not every member has the same opinions or priorities. 130 00:11:27,790 --> 00:11:34,630 So our conversations are real, and they're interesting, and they're never pre-baked. 131 00:11:35,230 --> 00:11:43,090 And to Brad's point, we also hope that it gives policymakers and congressional staff a chance to engage 132 00:11:43,090 --> 00:11:50,770 with groups from across the state, some of whom they may never have connected with outside of events like this. 133 00:11:50,770 --> 00:11:57,430 Carrie Huckeby: I and several other members of the TNBA met with the representative earlier this year in April. 134 00:11:57,430 --> 00:12:01,630 We were in D.C. for the NTCA Legislative and Policy Conference. 135 00:12:01,720 --> 00:12:08,470 We had a really good conversation about broadband, workforce development, supply chain challenges. 136 00:12:08,470 --> 00:12:15,190 He was really attentive, engaged, asked really good questions, so I know your meeting will really go well next week. 137 00:12:15,460 --> 00:12:17,110 Bess McWherter: We're really excited. Thanks. 138 00:12:18,310 --> 00:12:26,050 Carrie Huckeby: So, as you know, the Tennessee Broadband Association is composed of independent and cooperatively-owned companies 139 00:12:26,230 --> 00:12:29,440 that connect about 30% of the state. 140 00:12:30,040 --> 00:12:37,990 Together, these companies have invested more than $400 million in recent years to connect rural Tennesseans 141 00:12:37,990 --> 00:12:39,670 to fiber networks. 142 00:12:39,730 --> 00:12:47,200 And another $300 million will be invested in fiber infrastructure in the next 3 to 5 years, 143 00:12:47,410 --> 00:12:55,330 thanks in part to the recently announced grants from the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. 144 00:12:55,630 --> 00:13:03,220 With more work remaining to be done here in our state to connect residents and businesses to an 145 00:13:03,220 --> 00:13:08,020 infrastructure that we know impacts so many facets of modern life. 146 00:13:08,740 --> 00:13:16,210 Tell us, Brad, why you think it's important for these business leaders to get involved in the legislative process at the 147 00:13:16,210 --> 00:13:21,790 national level, not just the state where so many of these funding decisions are made? 148 00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:24,460 Brad Bishop: Yeah, I think it's a really great, great question, Carrie. 149 00:13:24,460 --> 00:13:31,720 And it kind of gets at the core of the work that both the Tennessee Business Forum and The Ingram Group hope to achieve. 150 00:13:31,720 --> 00:13:38,350 And I don't think everyone realizes how impactful engagement with your representative is within every level, whether that be 151 00:13:38,350 --> 00:13:40,570 federal, state or local. 152 00:13:40,570 --> 00:13:44,080 I know everyone says the old adage is always that politics is local. 153 00:13:45,100 --> 00:13:50,260 And you know, it's true that people's lives are most noticeably impacted by the decisions made by local officials. 154 00:13:50,260 --> 00:13:51,550 That is true. 155 00:13:51,850 --> 00:13:57,460 But it's a little bit different once you start getting into some of those large organizations that are seeking to conduct business 156 00:13:57,790 --> 00:14:02,360 throughout the Southeast or even nationally or even internationally. 157 00:14:02,360 --> 00:14:08,680 For these groups, you know, the federal government plays an enormous role in the work that they are doing, both the 158 00:14:08,680 --> 00:14:10,900 congressional and the executive branch. 159 00:14:12,070 --> 00:14:17,070 The actions that they take have a massive impact on what these organizations are doing every day with their operations, 160 00:14:17,200 --> 00:14:22,300 operations and the decision making that they are taking at the state every single day. 161 00:14:22,720 --> 00:14:27,790 So take, for example, taxes or health care policy, or I know you just mentioned infrastructure. 162 00:14:28,630 --> 00:14:35,440 Congress passed a bipartisan infrastructure bill recently, which is now funding countless projects within the state. 163 00:14:35,830 --> 00:14:43,660 Our delegation increasingly relies on constituent engagement to kind of discern what's helpful within the state versus what 164 00:14:43,660 --> 00:14:46,660 isn't exactly necessary to bring back into the state. 165 00:14:46,660 --> 00:14:52,940 So expanding businesses often need to engage with those legislative processes, even if it's as simple as saying, you 166 00:14:52,940 --> 00:14:55,730 know, don't touch this thing that works for us. 167 00:14:55,970 --> 00:15:02,630 That constant flow of communication is extremely helpful for both the member of Congress, but as well as the businesses within the 168 00:15:02,630 --> 00:15:05,780 state. They're trying to secure some of that funding for projects that they have. 169 00:15:06,470 --> 00:15:11,270 I think another really important thing that is often overlooked is that constituent feedback. 170 00:15:11,540 --> 00:15:18,500 Everyone thinks of constituent feedback being calling your local congressman and asking him to support X or Y bill. 171 00:15:18,500 --> 00:15:22,940 But that also includes businesses meeting with members inside of their offices. 172 00:15:23,120 --> 00:15:28,730 That plays an important role in Washington's landscape, especially since decision makers in Congress and the executive 173 00:15:28,730 --> 00:15:35,660 branch are largely outside of Tennessee and up in Washington and can't see the things that are going on inside of their district 174 00:15:35,660 --> 00:15:41,780 every single day. So bringing those issues to the top of a congressman's inbox and and kind of getting in person, having 175 00:15:41,780 --> 00:15:48,440 that relationship is extremely important and securing some of that funding, getting some of those projects that you see as 176 00:15:48,440 --> 00:15:53,810 important, but that congressmen may not see them every single day happening inside of the district. 177 00:15:53,810 --> 00:15:56,720 So it's important to to get in front of them and have those meetings. 178 00:15:57,140 --> 00:16:02,450 And, you know, we've harped on it quite a bit, but the state is just currently in a boom. 179 00:16:02,450 --> 00:16:06,680 And that just means that more opportunity is coming to the state, especially from the federal level. 180 00:16:06,680 --> 00:16:10,490 And it really puts an emphasis on the need for engagement right now in our nation's capital. 181 00:16:11,540 --> 00:16:18,740 Carrie Huckeby: True. And I think the busier that Tennessee gets and the more successful the state is, our 182 00:16:18,740 --> 00:16:23,250 legislators cannot be experts on every field. 183 00:16:23,250 --> 00:16:24,620 You know, they just can't. 184 00:16:24,620 --> 00:16:30,860 So it relies on those conversations that you have with them to say, "Hey, this is where we're coming from. 185 00:16:30,860 --> 00:16:33,200 This is the challenges we're facing. 186 00:16:33,200 --> 00:16:40,910 This is where we need help." So I completely agree that those conversations are the only way to make things 187 00:16:40,910 --> 00:16:41,540 happen. 188 00:16:41,660 --> 00:16:42,590 Brad Bishop: Absolutely. 189 00:16:43,500 --> 00:16:51,180 Carrie Huckeby: So while the forum was created to facilitate these conversations among the business leaders and the policymakers, it 190 00:16:51,180 --> 00:16:58,590 also hopes to create opportunities for partnerships between these companies and within the state. 191 00:16:58,590 --> 00:17:05,490 And that's really the reason the Tennessee Broadband Association joined just to meet more businesses and have more 192 00:17:05,490 --> 00:17:13,440 conversations. Have any projects or collaborations between the members come out of these conversations that 193 00:17:13,440 --> 00:17:16,110 might not have happened on their own, Bess? 194 00:17:16,140 --> 00:17:18,550 Tell us about any success stories. 195 00:17:18,570 --> 00:17:19,890 Bess McWherter: Yeah. Thanks, Carrie. 196 00:17:20,280 --> 00:17:28,260 Absolutely. I can think of a couple of instances off the top of my head where we've had sort of a 197 00:17:28,260 --> 00:17:35,820 member to member project drawn up at one of our events, simply to your point, by our members 198 00:17:35,820 --> 00:17:38,430 attending and networking in the same room. 199 00:17:39,030 --> 00:17:46,230 One in particular that I'm thinking of stemmed from a truly simple conversation about a 200 00:17:46,230 --> 00:17:53,550 shared federal priority that has the opportunity to 201 00:17:54,120 --> 00:17:57,660 provide statewide collaboration between these two entities. 202 00:17:57,660 --> 00:18:03,840 And truly, it stemmed from the topic of conversation at one of our events. 203 00:18:03,840 --> 00:18:11,760 So that was unlikely to have happened without being in the same room in Washington with these members of 204 00:18:11,760 --> 00:18:16,320 Congress and with these other organizations that are members of the business forum. 205 00:18:16,320 --> 00:18:20,880 So that one in particular has been really fun to follow already. 206 00:18:21,240 --> 00:18:27,750 But there are quite a few examples of great collaboration happening behind the scenes because of the forum. 207 00:18:27,750 --> 00:18:35,310 And that's again, one of the best aspects of joining is that members have this opportunity to come together in a very unique 208 00:18:35,310 --> 00:18:40,980 setting and really prioritize both the state's economic development and its people. 209 00:18:41,400 --> 00:18:43,650 So it's been great to follow and great to watch. 210 00:18:44,520 --> 00:18:51,300 Carrie Huckeby: Yeah. Sometimes the best ideals come out of just an aha moment when you're having a conversation with someone else. 211 00:18:51,300 --> 00:18:52,440 Bess McWherter: Exactly, and I watched it happen. 212 00:18:52,440 --> 00:18:53,640 It was great. 213 00:18:54,360 --> 00:18:58,800 Carrie Huckeby: That must have been great is as the executive director of this forum. 214 00:18:59,310 --> 00:19:02,220 So that was exactly what you were looking for. 215 00:19:02,250 --> 00:19:03,360 Bess McWherter: Yeah, absolutely. 216 00:19:03,570 --> 00:19:03,900 Yeah. 217 00:19:04,410 --> 00:19:09,810 Carrie Huckeby: So with the forum in its first year, Brad, how do you feel about the progress that's being made? 218 00:19:09,960 --> 00:19:13,380 Are you meeting expectations regarding number of members? 219 00:19:13,560 --> 00:19:15,870 I know you said you're up to 30 now. 220 00:19:16,380 --> 00:19:22,450 Is the participation where you wanted and the accomplishments like you planned in the beginning? 221 00:19:22,470 --> 00:19:29,820 Brad Bishop: Yeah. You know, truthfully, we've been pleasantly surprised by the reception that we've gotten, both from the concept and the 222 00:19:29,820 --> 00:19:34,980 actual forum services have received in the first nine months of our existence. 223 00:19:35,160 --> 00:19:37,290 As you mentioned, our membership has grown. 224 00:19:37,740 --> 00:19:40,920 We originally hoped to secure five founding partners. 225 00:19:40,920 --> 00:19:42,150 We have 15. 226 00:19:42,390 --> 00:19:46,980 We'd hope to have 15 members total by the end of this year, and we already have 30. 227 00:19:47,550 --> 00:19:54,270 I think it's clear that the need and the desire are there, and I think we are pretty glad that we're able to fill that gap rather 228 00:19:54,270 --> 00:20:01,230 effectively. But we're always looking to grow and are excited about 2023 and excited about the future opportunities that next 229 00:20:01,230 --> 00:20:02,580 year is going to present to us. 230 00:20:03,630 --> 00:20:08,640 Carrie Huckeby: Well beyond 2023, where do you hope to see the forum in three years or five years? 231 00:20:08,670 --> 00:20:14,340 Brad Bishop: Yes, you know, we always will be driven by our membership, and we'll be responsive to their needs first. 232 00:20:14,580 --> 00:20:20,370 But we are looking to grow our numbers because I think to our points earlier, the participants we have, the more participants 233 00:20:20,370 --> 00:20:22,920 we have, the more collaborations that are possible. 234 00:20:23,130 --> 00:20:28,200 And at the end of the day, that's the goal, is more collaboration between both membership and the delegation. 235 00:20:28,740 --> 00:20:36,010 We hope to also offer additional services beyond our events, and I know we haven't mentioned it yet, but our weekly newsletter 236 00:20:36,010 --> 00:20:42,960 which we send out weekly to forum members, and it really kind of gets at what's driving the headlines in D.C. 237 00:20:42,960 --> 00:20:47,520 that week. I'm including what's happening in Congress and at the White House and just all around Washington. 238 00:20:47,520 --> 00:20:52,710 It's all the news events, and we send that out each week, and I think our membership finds that extremely helpful. 239 00:20:53,460 --> 00:21:00,600 But we also have found that our members, large and small, really are looking for some new opportunities. 240 00:21:01,230 --> 00:21:07,170 We kind of took a poll and found out some new things that people were looking to achieve in 2023. 241 00:21:07,170 --> 00:21:08,940 And I think we're going to capitalize on some of that. 242 00:21:08,940 --> 00:21:13,740 For example, we plan to offer some additional media opportunities within the next year. 243 00:21:13,740 --> 00:21:21,480 So that'll be a new opportunity coming in 2023 outside of our quarterly events and then our weekly newsletters. 244 00:21:21,480 --> 00:21:25,440 So we are very excited about moving on in the next year and all the opportunities it presents. 245 00:21:26,400 --> 00:21:34,260 Carrie Huckeby: Well, as a member, I do appreciate your newsletter because I do read it, and it keeps me on top of 246 00:21:34,260 --> 00:21:41,430 what's going on because sometimes I can't make those meetings, especially if they're in Washington, if my travel schedule 247 00:21:41,430 --> 00:21:43,560 doesn't allow that. 248 00:21:43,560 --> 00:21:48,020 So I like reading those newsletters to see what's going on, so I appreciate that. 249 00:21:48,030 --> 00:21:52,860 Brad Bishop: Yeah, you may not always want to know what's happening in Washington, but it's important that you do. 250 00:21:53,160 --> 00:21:54,270 Carrie Huckeby: Well, that's true. 251 00:21:54,280 --> 00:21:56,430 But it's better to know than not know. 252 00:21:56,460 --> 00:21:57,210 Brad Bishop: Exactly. 253 00:21:57,510 --> 00:22:05,400 Carrie Huckeby: Yeah. So to wrap up our conversation, Bess tell our listeners how a business qualifies to join and where they can go 254 00:22:05,400 --> 00:22:07,500 to get more information about the forum. 255 00:22:07,500 --> 00:22:08,610 Bess McWherter: Yeah. Thanks, Carrie. 256 00:22:09,060 --> 00:22:16,740 Membership is open to any business, nonprofit or educational entity in the state that 257 00:22:16,740 --> 00:22:19,770 wants to engage on the national level. 258 00:22:19,770 --> 00:22:27,030 You don't necessarily have to be headquartered in Tennessee, but a Tennessee connection to be part of the Tennessee Business Forum 259 00:22:27,030 --> 00:22:29,150 is always helpful. 260 00:22:29,150 --> 00:22:36,780 And not all of our members necessarily advocate for something or have a particular goal for 261 00:22:36,780 --> 00:22:44,760 participating. You know, some just frankly want to be in the room and hear the discussion about the direction of the state 262 00:22:44,760 --> 00:22:48,450 and really how it fits in with the national picture. 263 00:22:48,450 --> 00:22:52,710 So all motivations can be different, but all are welcome. 264 00:22:53,250 --> 00:23:00,780 Membership dues are based on the size of the entity that's joining, and we have a discount for our 265 00:23:00,780 --> 00:23:02,190 nonprofit friends. 266 00:23:02,190 --> 00:23:10,110 So you can find more information about membership and our events and joining at our website which is 267 00:23:10,440 --> 00:23:14,910 www.TennesseeBusinessForum.com. 268 00:23:14,910 --> 00:23:21,240 Or you can email me at bess@IngramGroup.com for additional information. 269 00:23:23,230 --> 00:23:30,970 Carrie Huckeby: Great. So as we end here, is there anything else you two would like to 270 00:23:30,970 --> 00:23:37,510 add that maybe we didn't cover in our questions, or anything that you want to talk about? 271 00:23:37,900 --> 00:23:45,880 Bess McWherter: I will only add that I think, as Brad mentioned, for 2023, we're looking to do a lot 272 00:23:45,880 --> 00:23:49,090 of the same, but change it up a little bit for the better. 273 00:23:49,540 --> 00:23:57,250 So we're hoping to host maybe one or two more events in Tennessee, Carrie, for hopefully your travel 274 00:23:57,250 --> 00:24:03,190 schedule or the benefit of your travel schedule and other groups like yours so they can attend more events. 275 00:24:03,190 --> 00:24:11,170 But as I mentioned, we're driven by our membership, so we always strive to be flexible and 276 00:24:11,290 --> 00:24:12,940 accommodating towards them. 277 00:24:12,940 --> 00:24:15,270 So we're looking to grow our numbers. 278 00:24:15,280 --> 00:24:23,170 We're excited about where we've been and where we're going, and it's a true team effort, so we're happy to be 279 00:24:23,170 --> 00:24:26,080 here to serve Tennessee's business community. 280 00:24:26,260 --> 00:24:28,720 Carrie Huckeby: Well, congratulations to you both. 281 00:24:28,760 --> 00:24:34,540 I know that when you launched it in January, you were hoping where it would end up. 282 00:24:34,540 --> 00:24:39,520 And as Brad said, you hope to have a number of members at the end of the year. 283 00:24:39,550 --> 00:24:43,390 Sounds like you've exceeded that, and you're going in a great direction. 284 00:24:44,020 --> 00:24:47,620 So I congratulate you Bess as the executive director. 285 00:24:47,620 --> 00:24:51,040 And Brad, your participation and the communications. 286 00:24:51,040 --> 00:24:52,660 Keep that newsletter coming. 287 00:24:53,440 --> 00:24:55,400 Brad Bishop: Will do. Carrie, thank you. 288 00:24:55,420 --> 00:24:58,750 Carrie Huckeby: So thank you both for joining me this morning. 289 00:24:58,750 --> 00:25:05,560 My guests have been Bess McWherter, executive director of the Tennessee Business Forum, and Brad Bishop, communications 290 00:25:05,560 --> 00:25:07,510 consultant for The Ingram Group. 291 00:25:07,540 --> 00:25:14,500 You've been listening to Lee Tennessee Radio, produced by the Tennessee Broadband Association, cooperative and independent 292 00:25:14,500 --> 00:25:19,720 companies connecting our state's rural communities and beyond with world class broadband.