Why Tennessee keeps winning deals it shouldn’t | ‪@TennesseeEDU‬

Most of us think of the University of Tennessee as a place we send our kids, or a team we root for on Saturdays. Very few of us think of it as one of the biggest reasons companies and jobs keep landing in this state. But across all five campuses, that’s exactly what the UT system has quietly become. Economic development means a lot of different things to different people. So what role does a university play in it? That’s the question I brought to Victoria Hirschberg, the Chief Economic Development Director for the University of Tennessee System. In this episode, we get into how a university system spread across the whole state became a real engine behind Tennessee’s economy. You’ll hear: 📌 How a university ends up in the room when a global company is choosing its new home 📌 Why manufacturers from South Korea and Japan keep choosing this state 📌 How the UT system is preparing for nuclear energy to become Tennessee’s future 📌 The “Team Tennessee” mindset that turns long-shot projects into wins Our state’s advantage isn’t a single tax break or incentive. It’s the people across all five campuses and all 95 counties deciding to do the hard work and keep the wins here at home. That’s the UT system a lot of folks never get to see. Have a Tennessee story worth mapping out? Reach out at https://bit.ly/archabouttn-ep21 Get the latest episode and a few other things worth knowing about Tennessee, straight to your inbox. Sign up at https://bit.ly/newsletter-ep21 00:00 Introduction 01:24 Meet Victoria Hirschberg 04:24 Why universities matter to economic development 08:06 Her proudest projects at TNECD 13:17 Opportunity Appalachia and small-town Tennessee 17:34 Nuclear energy and Tennessee's future 23:24 Keeping talent home and the campus building boom 27:08 Recruiting the world: foreign investment 33:39 Helping existing Tennessee businesses grow 39:42 The "secret sauce" (why companies choose Tennessee) 43:14 Victoria's leadership philosophy 46:42 The deal we weren't supposed to win 50:50 What's next for the UT System 52:53 Why a New Yorker calls Tennessee home 57:53 Debrief #tennessee #universityoftennessee #economicdevelopment #education #workforcedevelopment #thevolunteerroadmap