Nearly 80 leaders from the Charleston region recently traveled to Nashville as part of the Charleston Metro Chamber’s Metro Leadership Visit. The delegation included both public and private sector representatives who aimed to learn from Nashville’s experiences over three decades of growth.
During two days of sessions, participants discussed several topics including transportation, attainable housing, workforce issues, affordable childcare, and entrepreneurship. These are areas where both cities face similar challenges.
Kevin T. Sheilley, President & CEO of the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce, described the importance of the visit: “That is the basis for the Charleston Metro Chamber’s Metro Leadership Visit. We know that if we take a group of public and private sector leaders to another community to learn from their successes and misses, it will inspire new ideas, approaches and partnerships that can help move our region forward.”
Reflecting on lessons from Nashville, Sheilley cited a key question local leaders often ask themselves: “What if we do nothing?” He elaborated on this by stating: “What will be the impact if we don’t find a way to fund transportation needs, especially expanding mass transit? What if we don’t figure out solutions to ensure residents have access to affordable housing? What if we don’t nurture, support and invest in local entrepreneurs? What if we don’t find creative solutions to address the skyrocketing cost of childcare?”
Sheilley noted that Nashville has not solved all its problems but continues to work on them. He added: “The response to each was the community would be significantly worse if leaders did nothing. This is not to say that Nashville has solved all these challenges, however they are tackling them. While I believe Charleston is ahead in some ways, our leaders were inspired and motivated by the approach Nashville is taking.”
He also observed how Nashville maintains its identity while growing in multiple sectors: “Finally, leadership in Nashville made it clear that they embrace growth and the alternative, decline, was not an option. While embracing this growth, they continue to fully embrace being the Music City. They understand that they can remain an entertainment hub while also being a healthcare magnet and a tech center and a manufacturing powerhouse. In fact, this multi-faceted identify has created synergy, further invigorating the other sectors.”
Sheilley concluded by encouraging Charleston to apply insights gained from Nashville as it seeks continued economic diversity and growth.
