Memphis, TN – On October 22, 2015, the Memphis Area Association of Governments (MAAG) and the Economic Development Growth Engine (EDGE) Industrial Development Board of the City of Memphis and County of Shelby, Tennessee entered a partnership to promote economic growth and prosperity in West Tennessee.
“We are excited to partner with MAAG to better our region,” said Reid Dulberger, President and CEO of EDGE. “Both our organizations strive to create a stronger Memphis and Shelby County and working together strengthens the West Tennessee region as a whole.”
MAAG, the designated Development District, covers a 6-county region that includes (Memphis and Shelby County) represented by EDGE. Of those six counties, four are in Tennessee (Shelby, Tipton, Lauderdale and Fayette), one in Arkansas (Crittenden), and one in Mississippi (DeSoto). MAAG and EDGE agreed to collaborate on various economic development initiatives in the four Tennessee counties to enhance the Memphis region.
“Our organizations collaborating will create more opportunities for economic growth throughout the region,” said Ralph Moore, Executive Director of Memphis Area Association of Governments. “Working together we are able to explore and identify more opportunities to create a Memphis Regional Megasite.”
The two organizations identified potential opportunities for cooperation and collaboration, including federal and state grant applications, workforce development, bond and loan programs, Tax Increment Financing, foreign-trade zone, export promotion, and other areas for development.