Clarksville, TN – On Monday evening, Dr. Mark Green and Joe Pitts announced that the Aspire Clarksville Foundation had garnered nearly $4 million in pledges, surpassing the current goal, and previous campaigns, by a wide margin.
Aspire Clarksville, an economic development foundation to benefit Clarksville-Montgomery County, Tennessee, officially announced in February that the goal for the entire Aspire V “Focus On The Future” Campaign was $3.8 million.
The total, to date, in campaign pledges is $3,992,500. The expectation is to surpass $4 million by the end of the summer.
“Our leaders in Clarksville-Montgomery County have shown a strong commitment to the growth and prosperity of this community,” said Cal Wray, Executive Director of Aspire and the Economic Development Council (EDC). “I want to thank Mark and Joe for their leadership in this campaign.”
The pledged dollars will be essential for local business development, which is anticipated to bring over 3,500 jobs and $1.3 billion in new capital investment to the area over the next five years. The projected return on investment for this campaign is nearly $80.00 for every $1.00 invested.
After 17 years, Aspire has a proven track record of making positive changes happen through its ability to fund the work of the EDC and its partners, to include the Industrial Development Board (IDB), Chamber of Commerce, and the Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB).
Announcements, such as the recruitment of Agero and the Hankook Tire facility and expansions of existing industries including Bridgestone Metalpha USA, Jostens and Akebono Brake, can be directly attributed to the work of the EDC and the Aspire Foundation. The community not only saw great success during the Aspire IV campaign but also has poised itself for unprecedented success moving forward.
“The strategic plan set in action by our founding Aspire members in 1996 is seeing returns everyday in our community, from the exponential increase in our local per capita income, to the level of white collar jobs available and quality of life assets we have put into place,” said Wray. “Our investments are seeing a return and our community and business leaders are seeing the value of being a part of the work of the Aspire Foundation.”
The Foundation was created as an initiative of the Clarksville-Montgomery County Economic Development Council to improve the economy and livability of the community by attracting significant capital investment and expansion by business and industry, thereby creating better opportunities and jobs.
Over the course of the next five years, Aspire V will focus resources on four fundamental strategies:
- Global Business Development
- Community Development
- Marketing & Communications
- Tourism
