Let’s be up front about this. Nashville is known for its honky-tonks, bachelorette parties and hot chicken. But there is so much more. Greenville Chamber staff recently conducted a three-day fact-finding tour, learning why Nashville is also known as “It City.” The Chamber’s 2023 Intercommunity Leadership Visit to Nashville (September 20 -22) will help us prepare for our own growth. Whether we like it or not, another 220,000 residents will be living in Greenville County by 2040. Are we ready?

Our visit in the fall will focus on how we can:

1. Ensure a more inclusive economy.

2. Accelerate rates of educational attainment.

3. Enhance the entrepreneurial ecosystem.

4. Maintain a vibrant city and high quality of life.

Nashville has a history of making big bets on itself. By doubling down on the Music City brand, their tourism sector generates $9B annually. But Nashville continues to experience success beyond Lower Broadway. Recently, they recruited AllianceBernstein from NYC, landed Amazon HQ3, approved a plan for the new Titans Stadium as well as a campus for Oracle. Even the Nashville Soccer Club has a new home at Geodis Park. Business is booming. And the population has grown by 20% since 2010!

With success comes challenges and opportunities. We can learn from Nashville’s experience.

Like Greenville, Nashville has embraced a vision of inclusive prosperity. Their community-wide focus includes new city procurement policies, a Minority Housing Developer accelerator supported by Amazon’s Housing Equity Fund and the Table, a new model for taking action in the DEI space.

Like Greenville, Nashville is focused on educational attainment. Residents can take the next step in their educational journeys through Re-Connect Nashville, in partnership with several community and technical colleges. The number of 4-year institutions in the community, including HBCUs, have given Nashville its other nickname - “Athens of the South.”

Like Greenville, Nashville is committed to growing its entrepreneurial ecosystem. The Nashville Entrepreneurship Center is a national model, attracting the attention of Steve Case’s “Rise of the Rest” initiative. Vanderbilt’s Wondr’y provides the community with innovation space and services.

Like Greenville, Nashville seeks to maintain a vibrant city and strong quality of life. Leadership is addressing multiple issues at once: “transpotainment” services, short-term rentals, safety, homelessness, affordable housing, and traffic congestion. Some efforts have worked. Others have not.

Nashville is much larger. Nashville has a combined form of government. Nashville has had less continuity in leadership. Nashville has experienced major flooding, tornadoes, a bombing, a school shooting and much more. But that has not stopped them from making big bets and reaping the rewards.

Let’s take an opportunity to hear lessons learned from a metro a decade or two ahead of us in terms development.

What’s our bet?

We will be providing additional details on these issues and the visit over the next few months. If you would like to receive additional information on the visit directly, contact [email protected].