Leaders bullish about benefits of hiring full-time economic developer for Carter County

ELIZABETHTON — Carter County and Elizabethton leaders are bullish about the difference a full-time economic development professional will make for a community that hasn't had someone in that role for roughly a decade. Whether it's recruiting new employers, helping existing ones expand or stay or maximizing the county's tourism potential, the mayors of both the county and the city say a funded position is long overdue. "The problem we have is if someone is interested in investing in Carter County, whether it be a small business, an entrepreneur or an industry, we don't have [one designated person] they can contact," Carter County Mayor Patty Woodby said. "And we don't have an inventory of our county of what's available, what land's available, what buildings are available." Carter County Mayor Patty Woodby says the addition of a full-time economic developer to represent the county and city of Elizabethton should pay major dividends over time. JEFF KEELING/SIX RIVERS MEDIA Now, they're just days from advertising a $90,000-a-year position they hope will more than pay for itself. Since the now-defunct Northeast Tennessee Regional Economic Partnership formed in 2017 and combined efforts for Washington, Carter and Unicoi counties, Carter County hasn't had its own dedicated position. Woodby, Elizabethton Mayor Bill Carter and other members of the county's Joint Economic and Community Development Board (JCEDB) hope the story's much different a year from now. By then, the board's employee will have been on the job for up to nine months. That should be enough time for them to get their feet wet, get the lay of the land in a county where tourism has become a much more significant economic sector than it was 10 years ago and begin really making an impact. After the city approved its share of an overall $263,750 annual budget Thursday night, everything is in place for the board to recruit for the job. And, Elizabethton's Carter said, representatives from both governments and the private sector seem pretty aligned right now — including on the importance of tourism in a community that once relied much more heavily on industry. Riders on the Tweetsie Trail in Elizabethton, Tenn. Oct. 9, 2026. Members of Carter County's Joint Community and Economic Development Board say tourism will be a major focus for the full-time economic development director that could come on by early 2027. JEFF KEELING/SIX RIVERS MEDIA "The tourism, I think, is really our number one strong suit," said Carter, who hopes that one outcome of the now-funded JCEDB will eventually be a new hotel in Elizabethton. "The generation that's now here is used to being without much industry, so I think mentally we're ready now. If we can get any industries, we've got buildings, we need to do that as well." Woodby, who has been county mayor since 2020, has long beaten the drum for tourism to become a major part of the county's economic development strategy. With two rivers, two state parks, one of the Tennessee Valley Authority system's most picturesque lakes and an expanding Tweetsie Trail, she believes the current economic benefits from that are just scratching the surface. "My focus with them is going to be on the outdoor rec arena because we have so much to offer and I think it's an untapped resource here in Carter County," she said. "The problem we have is we need someone who's reaching out and finding these things, including grant opportunities. We're just waiting on someone to call us and, you know, the phone's not ringing. It doesn't work that way." Woodby, too, said industrial development won't be abandoned. "We want to make sure that that industrial park stays full, and if they are looking to expand, we're right there immediately to help incentivize that expansion with ECD (Economic and Community Development) at the state level." Cornerstone Building Brands in the Carter County Industrial Park, Elizabethton, Tenn. JEFF KEELING/SIX RIVERS MEDIA She pointed to the decision by manufacturer AY McDonald to move to Sullivan County for a planned expansion as one example of an employer that could potentially have stayed put if a position like the one being created had existed last year. "Nobody knew that was going to happen because nobody was having communications with them," Woodby said. "They're landlocked where they were, but if we had someone who knew those early conversations were happening, they could at least have tried to find a solution to keep them here." Whoever does come on board will have a comprehensive strategic vision the JCEDB spent months developing. They'll also have a board with representatives from workforce development, like TCAT-Elizabethton President Heath McMillan, and private sector folks like downtown Elizabethton business owner (and Chamber of Commerce President) Frankie Bailey. "Since I've joined the [JCEDB], it's been very specific in what we're wanting to accomplish," Bailey said. "There's been goals, and we're following through. All of our partners that come to the table are invested." Bailey said the county commission's unanimous approval of more than $120,000 a year in recurring funding for the effort "is showing that there's trust being built, which I can stand behind."