As a Regional Director, Clay is responsible for recruiting new industry and capital investment to the State of Tennessee and he helps existing businesses with strategies to become more profitable. Clay has a passion for making a personal difference by helping people in Tennessee communities thrive.

One of Clay’s accomplishments has been to attract more than 4,000 new jobs and  $350 million in capital investments. He was a winner of the Memphis Region State of Tennessee INCITE Business Accelerator grant to oversee suburban and rural entrepreneur and mentor outreach. In addition, Clay has facilitated the focus of state efforts on creating a skilled labor market for medical device manufactures, building an ecosystem to advance the development of new Life Science technology and start-up companies in Tennessee.

This podcast explores Clay’s perspective on what it takes to be a successful economic development professional, what the industry challenges are, the changing role of incentives and the importance of attracting and retaining skilled labor for communities to be competitive.