Adam Poe, Vice President, Highlands Economic Partnership
In an interview with Invest:, Adam Poe, vice president of Highlands Economic Partnership, shared how the region balances a strong traditional economy with a passion for helping people find meaningful work. He stressed a focus on quality jobs, early career exploration and a “we before me” mindset.
What makes the Highlands region unique?
The biggest differentiator here is the balance between the traditional economy and the passion economy. Figuring out what people love to do and connecting them with opportunities that align with that in the future is like lightning in a bottle. We start this all the way down in first grade and foster that growth through career exploration until they make a professional decision, whether that’s graduating high school and going into skilled trades, community college, or Tennessee Tech. Figuring out the right path for each person sets this region apart.
Personally, it’s an absolute blessing to live here. In my past work, I’ve been to 44 states and five countries, and there’s no place like this. It feels like the last piece of Americana. No matter how much we grow, we’re committed to keeping this culture because people here always think about creating a better tomorrow. It’s always “we” before “me,” and I feel blessed to be part of it.
How does your investor-driven model help retention and collaboration?
As a region, we don’t seek a thousand jobs that pay $10 an hour. Instead, we focus on bringing in jobs that provide a great quality of life. Tourism, education, local government, our chambers and our economic partnership are all aligned on creating a better tomorrow. Recruiting a lot of low-wage jobs won’t do that, as it compounds stress. Our goal is to have alignment with all stakeholders to build real quality of life, and I can say all our partners are committed to that.
How would you describe the regional economy?
The regional economy is great, but what separates good from great is very small, and complacency is the risk. If a region gets comfortable, others will pass it by. We stay forward-looking, always asking how we can do things better or more efficiently to create a better business environment. Our tile and ceramics industry cluster has seen the most growth over the last three years. That’s thanks to our location, where we can access a third of the U.S. population within a day’s drive, and our natural assets like the limestone and loam in our soil. We also have a strong connection between high school students who want to enter skilled labor and local industries. When companies ask about unskilled labor, we tell them we don’t really have that here because we focus on upskilling people early.
How does Tennessee Tech support the talent pipeline?
Tennessee Tech is one of the largest economic drivers in our region. Last year alone, the college provided over $45 million in research and development for local businesses looking to expand. Dr. Oldham leads from the front — he’s gone on company recruitment visits with us and always supports campus expansions and out-of-the-box thinking. Tech is also deeply involved in hands-on learning at our 8th-grade career fair and is always at our industry roundtables. It provides critical feedback on student success trends in areas like computer science, healthcare, and manufacturing, which helps industry and education communicate, and that’s when special things happen. These conversations allow industry to say what skill gaps they see, and education to figure out how to bridge them. Every year brings a new opportunity to think strategically about how to solve problems together.
How do you support entrepreneurs and small businesses?
Being part of conversations at chamber events across our four counties is key. Our chambers are excellent at creating networking platforms, but without a driver to connect people to resources, momentum can stall. Our economic development team, chambers, and business incubator, The Biz Foundry, keep that communication flowing. That’s what keeps all these pieces working together.
What are the top priorities on your legislative agenda?
A lot of those priorities come out of our roundtables. We host 12 a year across our industry clusters and include local government and HR. Whether it’s Medicare/Medicaid expansion or property annexation, we focus on saying one thing 5,000 times instead of 5,000 things once. Our network circulates a unified, powerful message because it comes from all stakeholders working together. It’s not just about organizations. It’s about the families and employees affected.
What are you most excited about for the region’s future?
We’re seeing a lot of improvements in infrastructure. The key is looking 50 years ahead, not just five. Schools and education expansions are also on the horizon. Our superintendents are committed to connecting students with their passions and building environments where they want to come to school. You’ll see more expansion of CTE programs and general studies at the middle and high school levels. We’re also working to grow the next step of entrepreneurship, from co-working spaces to distribution and manufacturing facilities. We want a stepped-up ecosystem so businesses can go from an idea to a co-working space, then grow into larger buildings and ultimately move into the business park. It’s about recruiting the right businesses that will support what’s already here and provide a great quality of life for families for generations.
