New faces for economic development in UC

From left, George Halford, Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce President/CEO; Angela Regitko, business development consultant, Tennessee ECD; Cody Huddleston, regional director, Upper Cumberland, ECD; Stephanie Hamby, Southeast Valley regional development consultant, TVA; and Stephen Crook, VP of economic development, Highlands Economic Partnership
From left, George Halford, Cookeville-Putnam County Chamber of Commerce President/CEO; Angela Regitko, business development consultant, Tennessee ECD; Cody Huddleston, regional director, Upper Cumberland, ECD; Stephanie Hamby, Southeast Valley regional development consultant, TVA; and Stephen Crook, VP of economic development, Highlands Economic Partnership

COOKEVILLE – There are a pair of new faces working in the area of economic development in Upper Cumberland.

Cody Huddleston has been named Upper Cumberland regional director for Tennessee Economic and Community Development, while Stephanie Hamby has been named a regional development consultant for the Tennessee Valley Authority, respectively.

In his new position, Huddleston will be responsible for recruiting new industry and facilitating existing business expansion efforts in Macon, Clay, Pickett, Jackson, Overton, Fentress, Smith, Putnam, DeKalb, White, Cumberland, Cannon, Warren and Van Buren counties.

He replaces Rebecca Smith, who took a job in the private sector.

In April 2011, Gov. Haslam announced the Jobs4TN initiative, which directed ECD to form nine regional jobs base camps to serve as a point of contact for Tennessee companies seeking state services. The regional offices also work with economic developers in Tennessee to encourage participation in broader regional economic development strategies.

Huddleston is a familiar face in the Upper Cumberland. He joined ECD in 2012 as a business development consultant for the Upper Cumberland region and worked with new and existing industries to encourage business investment and expansions. During his tenure with the state, he has assisted with numerous expansion and recruitment projects, both domestic and international companies, resulting in over 2,000 new jobs and $500 million in new capital investment. Notable project successes include Harry’s Fresh Foods, General Mills, and A.O. Smith Corporation.

Prior to TNECD, Cody was an account executive for Comdata Corporation, where he managed and grew more than 2,500 existing accounts valued at $2.2 million annually, and prior to that Averitt Express customer service. He holds a BBA from Tennessee Technological University and an MBA from Norwich University.

On the TVA front, Hamby will serve 17 counties in the Southeast Valley region, which includes the Upper Cumberland. Hamby will work with local power companies, community leaders and state and regional economic development partners to attract and retain jobs and capital investment. She previously served as a community development consultant for ECD, helping communities take advantage of economic growth opportunities through leadership development, technology assessments and site-visit preparation.

Before joining the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), Hamby worked for U.S. Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) as a constituent services representative, assisting in addressing and resolving constituent concerns with federal and state agencies as well as private organizations. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, majoring in finance with international business collateral and minoring in English.

She replaces Bess Rickman-Hubbard.

“Cody and Stephanie certainly follow in the footsteps of some great partners, and we look forward to carrying on the great work that has already begun,” said Stephen Crook, VP of economic development for the Highlands Economic Partnership, formally the Highlands Initiative.“Our partnership with local city and county government teams has been wonderful for many years. The Tennessee Valley Authority and the state of Tennessee have been instrumental in each of the economic development projects in our area. They have brought prospects, assisted in existing industry growth, supported us in site development and marketing, and much more. All of us on a local level certainly enjoy a robust relationship.”

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