Fighting to Keep Energy Clean with Cortney Piper

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Welcome everybody to another episode of Connect the Knox.

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I'm Julia Hurley, Connecting Knoxville to the Nation.

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Today's guest is one of the most influential women in the Knoxville area.

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Somebody I know you've maybe seen, but didn't know the story

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behind the legend of Cortney Piper with Piper Communications.

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Cortney, thank you for being here with us today.

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Julia, thank you so much.

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That was a great introduction.

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I'm going to, you're just, you're going to have

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to introduce me the next time I speak somewhere.

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Yes, please.

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Just, I'll be a tag along.

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You tell me what event it is.

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It'll be, I'll be right there.

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Great, great.

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Or a package deal now.

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I like it.

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I love it.

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I love it.

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Ladies, ladies leading together.

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All right, everybody.

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Cortney's been here a very long time.

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She is true orange through and through, and as you know, our podcast

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is about bringing local leaders and local entities to the nation.

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We have so many people moving here.

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We have so many people interested in Knoxville.

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I want to make sure that you get to know the local people.

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So Cortney was a swimmer for the University at Tennessee.

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I love to start there.

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And I know that I feel like college was yesterday for me.

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It was about 22 years ago, just being honest.

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However, it is truly amazing to know how many people started

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with the university and moved forward in leadership in Knoxville.

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Let's start how that shaped you and where you, where you are today.

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Well, I came to the University of Tennessee on a swimming scholarship.

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I'm originally from Michigan, and when I was getting recruited

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by schools, the final five that I chose were in the Southeast.

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And it was really intentional because I did

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not want to be a big fish in a small pond.

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At the time, the SEC conference was the best, most competitive

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conference, and so I really wanted a reality check on my abilities.

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So, the University of Tennessee was the last recruiting trip that I took.

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I was here in October, beautiful fall weekend.

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There was a home game.

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I mean, it was amazing.

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I fell in love.

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So, packed up my stuff, August 1998, came down to the University

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of Tennessee, swam here for four years, went to school for five,

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I got two degrees, and, you know, the experiences that I had

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at the University of Tennessee, both swimming and academically,

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really set me up for a wonderful professional life and adulthood.

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You know, Immediately going to a campus in a completely different state and

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having 20, 40 immediate best friends, there's no better feeling like it.

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There is no better feeling like it because

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then you immediately have the support system.

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And what I also really loved about the University of Tennessee, um,

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you know, I talked to a lot of different colleges and universities.

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I went to five of them.

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Every, one of the, well, four of the five that I

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went to, women's athletics felt like an afterthought.

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And I came here and women's athletics had its own identity.

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It had its own support system.

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And they didn't make you feel like, well, you're

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kind of a few steps below men's athletics.

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You know, thank you for being here, pat, on the head.

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The University of Tennessee, the Women's Athletics Department was

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right on par with male athletes and the male athletic department.

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And you just, you felt that when you arrived on campus.

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So...

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Thank God for the leadership of Pat Summitt.

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Pat Summitt, Joan Cronin, Carrie Howell.

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I just, you know,

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and I had the opportunity to go to school and see those

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women in those leadership roles for four and five years.

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And at the time, I don't think I realized how unique of experience that

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was to have that many women in leadership roles that, you know, again, they

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had an athletic department, they had a system, they had a business that was

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treated with the same level of respect as the men's athletic department,

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and so that shaped me in ways that I'm only just now starting to realize.

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So I've interviewed Joan.

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I've done a television series with Joan.

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I've done a lot of leadership with Joan, a lot of speaking engagements

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with her, and with Dana Hart over at the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.

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She obviously works very closely with the athletic departments.

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That is something that I've actually said to Joan before.

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I've said, you know, as I am aging.

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Um, there are things that I absorbed from conversations many

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years ago that have just now started to shape who I am today.

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And the impact that the University of Tennessee Athletic Department, especially

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for women, has had is just now shaping the next leadership section of Knoxville.

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And most of that is women, and we would not be here without them.

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I don't even know how If they truly realize the impact they've had, because

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you can tell them all day, you know, you can tell somebody they've impacted you

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all day, but I don't even know if they truly experience that change and impact.

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Somebody impacted them, they've impacted somebody else.

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So I think that, I think they get the concept of it, but University of

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Tennessee, Knoxville has absolutely shaped female leadership in a capacity

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that Knoxville is completely changing the trajectory of conversation there.

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And you're leading that conversation with your communications company.

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So that is the perfect segue.

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Tell us how you ended up.

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Well, how I ended up here, Julia, is I needed to pay my mortgage, quite simply.

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[laughs] As you know, I ran for county

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commission during the term limit turmoil days.

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Absolutely nobody will remember that, but you and I am sure of it.

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Always a treasure.

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You know, and I got, I got sort of bit by the political bug.

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I was a political science major in college, so I'd always been

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really interested in government and civics, but when I ran for county

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commission, I thought, "Oh, you know, local politics, state, I love this.

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This is, this is exciting."

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And so I was working for a nonprofit at the time and doing

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communications and fundraising, then worked on a U.S.

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Senate campaign.

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And so when all that was done, I sort of looked around and was like, "Okay.

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I think I want to go into the private sector

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part of communications and public relations.

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Let me start talking to some local PR firms."

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Well, it was the end of 2008, and we all know what was happening then.

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There was a giant recession, and so everyone I talked to said,

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"Well, we're not going to be hiring, but thank you very much.

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Come back in a year or two."

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So, I was like, "Well, I have a mortgage to pay now.

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What am I supposed to do?"

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And my, my boyfriend at the time, now my husband

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said, "Well, why don't you just start freelancing?

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And then you do that for about two years.

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The economy will pick back up.

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You find a full time job, and you're good to go."

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And I was like, "Oh, that is brilliant!

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That is a great idea!"

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So that's what I started doing, and I did it for about three months.

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And at that point I went, "Wait a minute, why don't I just make this a thing?

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Why don't I just make this a business?

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I think I can do this."

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And I'd always been really interested in energy, environment, technology.

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And through, through campaigning and just through government stuff, I got

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to know people at Oakridge National Lab, TVA, the University of Tennessee.

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And I thought there are these three amazing energy assets

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here in East Tennessee that's really shaping the world.

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Let alone the country.

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I mean, we're talking country, region, world, everything.

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And I thought, you know, I think with this business, I want

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to pursue a subject matter expertise with clean energy.

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And I wonder if these guys would just let me go

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to things, because I have a lot more to learn.

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At this point, you know, it's the end of 2008.

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I'm just sort of interested in the subject matter,

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but I don't exactly have a lot of expertise.

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And so one of the people that I went to was Tom Ballard,

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who was then the director of partnerships at Oak Ridge

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National Lab, and I told him what I wanted to do.

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And I said, "Look, is there anything here that

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I can go to and just be a fly on the wall?

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Anything where the public might be invited, I have to sign up.

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Whatever."

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And he said, "Yeah, actually, we do have a couple of events like that.

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I'll let you know when they're happening."

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So he let me know, and I went and I heard researchers present.

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I went to user conferences.

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I just went to anything that was happening in the Oak Ridge area where I

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could learn about technology, research, problems, policy, business, anything.

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And that experience really validated that, yes, I'm interested enough

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in this subject matter to have a business about it, and there's

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enough here to have a business with a subject matter expertise.

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So off I went, started Piper Communications.

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And one of the first things that I did was work on

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some climate and energy policy in Washington, D.C.

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And after all that was done, you know, one of my jobs was to organize ad

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hoc business coalitions in 15 states to inform that policy and the positive.

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And when all that was done, I looked at Tennessee, I looked at

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Arkansas, there's South Carolina, there were a couple others too.

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And I thought, you know, there are a lot more what we

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had been calling clean energy companies in these states.

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And I bet anyone had ever realized, I wonder if

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they would find value in all coming together.

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So in Tennessee in particular, I ran focus groups for

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about two or three years and just met with people.

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Um, Would you find value in this?

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What would you want it to do?

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And the resounding answer was yes, we would find value in this

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industry as a whole, getting together and having one voice,

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but we don't need another organization that's going to debate

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whether a particular technology is clean, green, or sustainable.

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We need something that looks at energy innovation

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as a means to economic development and job creation.

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That's where our biggest assets are.

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TBA, UT, Oak Ridge National Lab.

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And if we can have an organization that focuses on that innovation

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as a means to economic development and job creation, we're in.

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And I said, okay, I can do that.

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I can do that, but will you join?

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They said yes.

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That was about 2013.

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That was how the Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council was formed.

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It's a 501c3.

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I serve as executive director of that as well.

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And Piper Communications staffs it.

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So, you know, it's just one of those things where I

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noticed that there was an opportunity to do something,

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and instead of sitting around and going, "Gosh, you know,

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I wonder it would be really great if, what if we were just

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like," no, let's, let's go make something happen, and we did.

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And it's, uh, you know, the organization is doing great things to

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just champion advanced energy as an economic development and job

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creation strategy and do it in a way that brings people together.

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Let's find commonality.

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Let's find common ground.

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Let's look at how innovation can create economic development

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and job, economic development and job creation opportunities.

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So during, during this last decade and a half, growing this

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amazing organization using limited tools at the time, right?

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The, uh, what was it?

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The Innovation Corridor that whatever it was just starting

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those conversations in 2011, 2012, really and truly.

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So you were in the middle of the beginning stages of the best

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and highest use of what E Tech has brought to the table today.

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East Tennessee Environmental, what is it?

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East Tennessee

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Economic Council.

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Economic Council.

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I always say Energy Council.

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It's not.

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It's Economic Council.

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But you have literally created a niche inside of this system that needed to be

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brought together and discuss the end result, not argue the way to get there.

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And during all of this same time, I want to get a little personal

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because I believe it's really important for people moving here.

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And there are 3,000 new employees moving here in this sector alone who will

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want to know who you are and need to know who you are and relate to you.

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You had a wedding, you have a family, you have triplets.

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I do, two girls and a boy.

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And you also started another organization.

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At the same time, within the school districts, tell us a little about that.

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Sure.

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Well, my, my son has autism.

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He's autistic.

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And we took him through Tennessee, uh, early, uh, Early Intervention.

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And then you, once you turn three years old, you go

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through Child Find, which is through the school system.

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And so when he started doing that, uh, in the Pre-K part of his educational

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career, he had something called an individualized education plan.

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And, uh, when he got into kindergarten, the start

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of kindergarten was really, really rough on him.

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And what I had noticed and after several IEP meetings

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is, you know, first of all, he needed more support in

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the classroom and that's what an IEP is supposed to do.

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It's supposed to be individualized and customized to students.

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But we also had his doctor that diagnosed him, um, at

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East Tennessee Children's Hospital prescribed ABA therapy.

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And it's a therapy for children with

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autism, and our insurance was paying for it.

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He was approved for 30 hours a week.

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And I thought, you know, this is the support that he needs in the class.

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And I said, "Look, can we, can his therapist join him in the classroom?"

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It is like, it is free for everybody, you know,

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and these are professionals and they are certified.

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They're professionals.

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My insurance is paying for it.

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The doctor prescribed it.

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And the first response that I got back from the school

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system was, "Well, we have a policy against that.

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Just like we don't allow piano lessons or karate lessons in the school."

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And immediately I was like, listen, absolutely

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no one is going to speak to me that way.

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And second of all, a medical therapy is not

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the same as an extracurricular activity.

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So I just started asking more questions

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within the school district about what is this?

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And I kept getting the same answer.

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We have a policy against it.

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And so I said, can you please show me this policy?

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I'd like to understand it.

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00:13:03,619 --> 00:13:04,439
I'd like to read it.

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I'd like to, you know, figure out how to work with it.

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00:13:06,635 --> 00:13:08,865
So after a couple of months of that, nobody could send me a

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00:13:08,865 --> 00:13:11,715
policy and then finally I got someone from the school system

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00:13:11,715 --> 00:13:14,145
that said, actually, we don't have a policy against it.

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It's more of a practice, and I thought, this is crazy town.

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00:13:17,645 --> 00:13:20,375
So I was able to find a couple other mothers that were

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experiencing the exact same thing and we organized.

282
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We got together, we started going to school board meetings.

283
00:13:27,275 --> 00:13:31,584
We started in February of 2023, and we went to

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00:13:31,655 --> 00:13:35,295
every single school board meeting and we spoke.

285
00:13:35,375 --> 00:13:39,785
And then we had the idea of, well, if Knox County Schools is not going to put

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00:13:39,785 --> 00:13:44,420
together a policy to explicitly allow this kind of thing, Let's draft one.

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00:13:44,550 --> 00:13:48,860
So I hired an attorney that had done some research on this matter.

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And I said, listen, if you were drafting a public policy to allow

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00:13:52,810 --> 00:13:55,790
ABA professionals in the classroom, like what would it look like?

290
00:13:55,790 --> 00:13:59,439
I feel like we need to give Knox County schools a jumping off point, and he'd

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00:13:59,439 --> 00:14:02,879
done a lot of research and found that the state of Louisiana allowed this.

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And listen, as somebody that went to the University of

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00:14:05,050 --> 00:14:07,480
Tennessee for Louisiana to be ahead of us on something,

294
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I was like, that can't, it just can't be, it cannot be.

295
00:14:10,564 --> 00:14:12,814
You know, and so he found other school

296
00:14:12,814 --> 00:14:14,925
districts in the state, across the country.

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00:14:14,944 --> 00:14:16,505
And so he had a lot of good information.

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00:14:16,515 --> 00:14:19,515
He drafted a policy and we put that in front of the school board and that's

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00:14:19,515 --> 00:14:23,255
what finally got them to say, okay, well maybe we should draft a policy to

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00:14:23,255 --> 00:14:27,435
allow not only these kinds of therapists, but other private practitioners.

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And so we were just like, you know, finally, you know, we met with the mayor,

302
00:14:31,515 --> 00:14:34,984
we met with the county commission chair, we met with the superintendent.

303
00:14:34,985 --> 00:14:39,589
In addition to going to every single school board meeting and speaking.

304
00:14:39,890 --> 00:14:44,170
So finally, in June 2023, the school board passed a policy to allow

305
00:14:44,180 --> 00:14:48,169
private practitioners, ABA therapists being one of the practitioners,

306
00:14:48,630 --> 00:14:52,069
into the school so that, you know, children with autism can get

307
00:14:52,159 --> 00:14:55,369
all the support that they need to be successful in the classroom.

308
00:14:55,369 --> 00:14:58,099
So, you know, that was a really rewarding experience.

309
00:14:58,099 --> 00:15:00,839
And because of that, the school system, I guess, in their

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00:15:00,839 --> 00:15:04,125
infinite wisdom, Also put me on a special education task force

311
00:15:04,145 --> 00:15:07,165
which has morphed into a special education council where we're

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00:15:07,175 --> 00:15:12,084
providing feedback and input on how to improve special education.

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00:15:12,525 --> 00:15:15,785
The chairwoman of the Knox County Board of Education

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00:15:15,794 --> 00:15:19,344
actually put forward and passed a resolution to make Knox

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00:15:19,344 --> 00:15:22,464
County a model school district for special education.

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00:15:22,475 --> 00:15:26,385
So we are working diligently to that end to make sure that it happens

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because When if you have a child with special needs, the public school

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00:15:29,995 --> 00:15:34,315
system is the absolute best place for them to be when we get it right.

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00:15:34,335 --> 00:15:38,245
And it does take a lot of parent involvement and advocacy to get it right.

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00:15:38,245 --> 00:15:40,714
So I'm confident that we can get there.

321
00:15:41,185 --> 00:15:42,664
It's going to take a lot of work and it's going

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00:15:42,665 --> 00:15:44,655
to take a lot of engagement, but we'll get there.

323
00:15:44,975 --> 00:15:49,125
We all know that real estate is location, location, location.

324
00:15:49,765 --> 00:15:53,355
Our team at Just Homes Group has the true expertise,

325
00:15:54,055 --> 00:15:56,935
pairing buyers and sellers with the right opportunity.

326
00:15:58,305 --> 00:16:01,445
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327
00:16:01,445 --> 00:16:07,284
in Knoxville, Lenore City, Clinton, or Farragut, we have

328
00:16:07,295 --> 00:16:10,585
the expertise throughout every Knoxville surrounding area.

329
00:16:11,645 --> 00:16:13,495
Call Just Homes Group today.

330
00:16:14,800 --> 00:16:15,850
This is a good lesson.

331
00:16:15,850 --> 00:16:17,699
People always ask, how can I get involved?

332
00:16:17,720 --> 00:16:18,910
How do I change things?

333
00:16:18,920 --> 00:16:20,270
I don't understand this process.

334
00:16:20,370 --> 00:16:25,590
Listening to you list off the consistency of meetings, effort,

335
00:16:25,640 --> 00:16:28,790
conversations, and of course during all of those times elections

336
00:16:28,790 --> 00:16:32,619
happen, people get re elected, reappointed, not appointed, moved.

337
00:16:32,999 --> 00:16:36,110
Um, so you're always starting from almost a

338
00:16:36,170 --> 00:16:39,030
new space every time you walk in the door.

339
00:16:39,060 --> 00:16:42,109
So how long did it take you from start to finish to start?

340
00:16:42,350 --> 00:16:46,250
To really ingrain this conversation, get it drafted,

341
00:16:46,380 --> 00:16:48,400
get it passed, and get the alliance started.

342
00:16:48,540 --> 00:16:51,749
So my first email when I was just sort of flying

343
00:16:51,749 --> 00:16:55,010
solo to the school district was August of 2022.

344
00:16:55,890 --> 00:17:01,070
And then it was somewhere around December or Jan, December

345
00:17:01,070 --> 00:17:05,569
2022 or January 2023 where I started finding other people.

346
00:17:05,734 --> 00:17:10,085
And somewhere between December and February is where we really

347
00:17:10,194 --> 00:17:13,984
gained momentum, and we found about half a dozen of us first.

348
00:17:14,065 --> 00:17:17,395
And, uh, so it was, I mean, it, yeah, it took less

349
00:17:17,395 --> 00:17:20,615
than a year for everybody to get involved and engaged.

350
00:17:20,665 --> 00:17:23,664
But once we started finding each other, we were

351
00:17:23,664 --> 00:17:26,635
very intentional about, okay, there's the six of us.

352
00:17:26,724 --> 00:17:27,855
There's got to be more of us.

353
00:17:27,865 --> 00:17:29,655
How do we find more of us?

354
00:17:29,975 --> 00:17:30,435
Facebook.

355
00:17:30,465 --> 00:17:31,675
We started a Facebook group.

356
00:17:31,935 --> 00:17:35,635
So, we're going to meetings, we need to have a plan for meetings, we need

357
00:17:35,635 --> 00:17:39,715
to have a consistent message when we speak in front of the school board.

358
00:17:40,424 --> 00:17:42,844
We also need to make sure that we're always there, that at least

359
00:17:42,855 --> 00:17:46,525
two people can constantly show up and be there to share their story.

360
00:17:46,575 --> 00:17:50,365
Well, now we need to form individual relationships with school board members.

361
00:17:50,365 --> 00:17:51,555
Who is your school board member?

362
00:17:51,555 --> 00:17:52,655
Who is your school board member?

363
00:17:52,655 --> 00:17:56,935
Who do you know through other things that you can also add on to your list?

364
00:17:57,110 --> 00:18:01,070
And making sure that as our group grew, they understood the importance of

365
00:18:01,070 --> 00:18:03,820
reaching out to their school board member and just sharing their story.

366
00:18:03,900 --> 00:18:05,000
It can be via email.

367
00:18:05,110 --> 00:18:06,150
You can give them a call.

368
00:18:06,409 --> 00:18:08,860
If you want to, you can go grab coffee with them, but

369
00:18:08,860 --> 00:18:11,079
just share your story with that school board member.

370
00:18:11,079 --> 00:18:13,320
So, you know, All told, it did.

371
00:18:13,760 --> 00:18:17,300
It's actually a little bit remarkable thinking about it, but it took less

372
00:18:17,300 --> 00:18:21,750
than a year, but we were always very, very consistent, and we always had

373
00:18:21,750 --> 00:18:24,630
a plan, and we were always really intentional about what we were doing.

374
00:18:24,730 --> 00:18:27,270
Never underestimate the power of a female who needs

375
00:18:27,270 --> 00:18:28,769
to pay her mortgage and take care of her kids.

376
00:18:30,489 --> 00:18:31,110
That is true.

377
00:18:31,750 --> 00:18:32,700
That is true.

378
00:18:32,820 --> 00:18:36,245
During the, so we're transitioning, you went from Choosing

379
00:18:36,245 --> 00:18:39,205
UT, or maybe really UT wanted you so badly it chose you.

380
00:18:39,205 --> 00:18:41,345
You came at the perfect time, with the perfect home game, and the

381
00:18:41,355 --> 00:18:44,675
perfect feel of the outside in the fall, and everything was great.

382
00:18:45,014 --> 00:18:46,195
Everything came together.

383
00:18:46,195 --> 00:18:48,335
You stayed, and we're so pleased that you did.

384
00:18:48,564 --> 00:18:51,165
Started Piper Communications, put together

385
00:18:51,195 --> 00:18:54,174
this, I'm not going to say nuclear alliance, but

386
00:18:54,424 --> 00:18:54,864
Clean energy, yes.

387
00:18:55,784 --> 00:18:58,860
Ya know, started a family, have stayed here, started an

388
00:18:58,860 --> 00:19:01,670
alliance within the school districts, what's the next move?

389
00:19:01,670 --> 00:19:06,410
I had, and I asked that with a little bit of a caveat and purposeful

390
00:19:06,419 --> 00:19:10,339
redirection of the NOW Conference, which is where I ran into you, and asked

391
00:19:10,340 --> 00:19:16,190
you to be on this podcast, because your relevancy, Um, during my time as well,

392
00:19:16,230 --> 00:19:19,170
so during the time that you were starting all of your stuff is when I was

393
00:19:19,170 --> 00:19:23,750
also running for my first political office, so the growth and the relevancy

394
00:19:23,750 --> 00:19:29,280
there of knowing kind of the battle that you've fought through that specific

395
00:19:29,290 --> 00:19:34,409
section of, of the energy sector, I could say, um, and watching you grow

396
00:19:34,409 --> 00:19:38,330
this amazing business on top of everything else that you're doing, Thank

397
00:19:38,330 --> 00:19:42,175
you Running into you at the NOW Conference was such a fortuitous moment.

398
00:19:42,385 --> 00:19:45,685
Explain what that is to everybody, why you were

399
00:19:45,685 --> 00:19:48,325
there, what your role is and where it's going.

400
00:19:48,414 --> 00:19:51,325
The NOW Conference is the Nuclear Opportunities Workshop.

401
00:19:51,334 --> 00:19:54,394
It's put together by ETEC, the East Tennessee Economic Council.

402
00:19:54,824 --> 00:19:57,354
I just happened to be chair elect this year.

403
00:19:57,355 --> 00:19:59,195
I will be the chair next year.

404
00:19:59,865 --> 00:20:01,525
So I was there in that capacity.

405
00:20:01,525 --> 00:20:03,525
I was also there because the Tennessee Advanced

406
00:20:03,525 --> 00:20:06,185
Energy Business Council was a supporter of the event.

407
00:20:06,555 --> 00:20:09,425
We run something in partnership with Launch Tennessee called the

408
00:20:09,435 --> 00:20:13,115
Energy Network, where we provide mentoring to energy entrepreneurs.

409
00:20:13,525 --> 00:20:16,855
And so we were there to promote our organization and

410
00:20:16,855 --> 00:20:20,334
those services and a bunch of different services that

411
00:20:20,334 --> 00:20:23,525
Launch Tennessee also has to support energy entrepreneurs.

412
00:20:23,815 --> 00:20:26,435
Nuclear energy entrepreneurs, of course, being a big

413
00:20:26,455 --> 00:20:30,115
focus for east Tennessee, because we have so many assets.

414
00:20:30,235 --> 00:20:37,154
And, you know, in terms of what's next, it has been remarkable to see how

415
00:20:37,235 --> 00:20:41,585
what we've called the advanced energy industry grow in the state of Tennessee.

416
00:20:41,585 --> 00:20:43,805
And nuclear energy is certainly part of that.

417
00:20:43,905 --> 00:20:46,504
The last time the Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council

418
00:20:46,504 --> 00:20:48,875
released an economic impact report, we found that there

419
00:20:48,875 --> 00:20:52,935
were more than 20,000 businesses in the advanced energy.

420
00:20:53,055 --> 00:20:57,765
Sector and it employs nearly 394,000 Tennesseans.

421
00:20:57,935 --> 00:21:01,695
So this is a really, really, really big part of our economy and

422
00:21:01,705 --> 00:21:05,084
what we're starting to see now in particular with nuclear in

423
00:21:05,085 --> 00:21:08,185
East Tennessee is all of our assets are getting on the same page.

424
00:21:08,265 --> 00:21:09,345
They are getting aligned.

425
00:21:09,735 --> 00:21:14,035
We've got the Department of Energy that has property and land that's available.

426
00:21:14,385 --> 00:21:18,765
We've got local governments, Roane County, Anderson County, the City of Oak

427
00:21:18,765 --> 00:21:23,105
Ridge are all on the same page in terms of economic development and recruitment.

428
00:21:23,185 --> 00:21:26,735
They have You know, and it's taken a lot of work, but they've all been

429
00:21:26,735 --> 00:21:31,355
able to collaborate on, listen, we've got goals for economic development.

430
00:21:31,605 --> 00:21:34,175
We want to build an advanced nuclear cluster.

431
00:21:34,465 --> 00:21:38,504
That means we might have to say no to some things that would give us an easy

432
00:21:38,504 --> 00:21:42,304
win, but it's not going to be a long term fit for what we want to build here.

433
00:21:42,384 --> 00:21:47,504
And you know, Terry Franks, Warren Gooch, Wayne Creswell, to their

434
00:21:47,895 --> 00:21:51,924
credit, they have been able to work together to bring home some big, big,

435
00:21:52,235 --> 00:21:54,065
big wins in advanced nuclear.

436
00:21:54,065 --> 00:21:55,535
So my hat is off to them.

437
00:21:55,655 --> 00:21:59,105
And you know, I believe, and I'll, I'll take just a wee bit of credit

438
00:21:59,105 --> 00:22:02,225
for this, I think it's, you know, organizations like ours that are

439
00:22:02,225 --> 00:22:06,455
championing energy as an economic development and job creation strategy.

440
00:22:06,755 --> 00:22:10,025
And you don't have to pick one, you know, in East Tennessee, nuclear

441
00:22:10,025 --> 00:22:15,275
energy are assets tend to align there in west Tennessee with, uh, Ford's

442
00:22:15,275 --> 00:22:19,685
Blue City, they're going all in on electrification and electric vehicles.

443
00:22:19,915 --> 00:22:21,895
All of this is part of the bigger picture.

444
00:22:21,955 --> 00:22:26,165
All of this is going to provide better job opportunities for all Tennesseans.

445
00:22:26,305 --> 00:22:30,665
And so the more that you can elevate that message of innovation as a means

446
00:22:30,665 --> 00:22:34,275
to economic development and job creation, the more wins we will see in

447
00:22:34,275 --> 00:22:38,865
Tennessee, the more intellectual property we will see stay in this state

448
00:22:38,895 --> 00:22:43,160
and in this country, and the more opportunities you give in our case,

449
00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:46,960
Tennesseans, to just have better careers and provide for their families.

450
00:22:47,200 --> 00:22:50,390
Where can people find more information about your organization?

451
00:22:50,390 --> 00:22:52,830
I feel like as we continue to grow, and I know

452
00:22:53,079 --> 00:22:56,450
that Wade and Terry have been working very hard.

453
00:22:56,780 --> 00:22:58,939
I mean, we've all been working very hard pretty

454
00:22:58,940 --> 00:23:00,829
much for the past 20 years to make this happen.

455
00:23:00,829 --> 00:23:05,670
I know the governor's initiative to make Tennessee the nuclear, you know, space.

456
00:23:06,155 --> 00:23:06,625
Yes.

457
00:23:06,655 --> 00:23:07,175
Oh my gosh.

458
00:23:07,195 --> 00:23:09,095
I can't, I cannot forget Governor Lee.

459
00:23:09,175 --> 00:23:10,585
Give credit where credit is due.

460
00:23:10,715 --> 00:23:15,135
He made that Nuclear Energy Opportunity Fund, which was not a small lift.

461
00:23:15,165 --> 00:23:19,225
I mean, this was not a small ask of the Tennessee General Assembly.

462
00:23:19,684 --> 00:23:24,995
A very large investment pot of money to go into an industry that can

463
00:23:25,194 --> 00:23:28,730
pay off in spades, but that needs that that kind of incentive in order

464
00:23:28,730 --> 00:23:32,159
to locate here and for Tennesseans to realize the benefits of it.

465
00:23:32,540 --> 00:23:37,729
So he did that for our Orano, which is one of the newest announcements.

466
00:23:37,740 --> 00:23:39,470
He did that for Type One Energy.

467
00:23:39,629 --> 00:23:42,419
He also did that for for Blue Oval City and a host

468
00:23:42,419 --> 00:23:45,040
of other kind of battery related and electric.

469
00:23:45,555 --> 00:23:49,435
electric vehicle related economic development wins across the state.

470
00:23:49,435 --> 00:23:52,355
So Governor Lee also deserves a lot of credit.

471
00:23:52,365 --> 00:23:56,325
He sees the potential of advanced energy and energy innovation

472
00:23:56,325 --> 00:23:59,554
across all sectors as a means to lift Tennesseans up.

473
00:23:59,564 --> 00:24:02,805
And he has put together some very strategic

474
00:24:03,144 --> 00:24:06,185
programs, policies, and initiatives to get us there.

475
00:24:06,274 --> 00:24:08,835
He has some really great advisors like Cortney Piper.

476
00:24:08,835 --> 00:24:13,665
We've been very lucky to have two great governors in a row.

477
00:24:14,700 --> 00:24:16,060
Another one to continue this on.

478
00:24:16,429 --> 00:24:19,149
I feel like all the initiatives that we've all taken

479
00:24:19,360 --> 00:24:22,639
over the last 20 years to move Tennessee into a space.

480
00:24:23,124 --> 00:24:26,465
That would be energy friendly and in a leadership position

481
00:24:26,485 --> 00:24:29,534
are finally culminating with the right people around them.

482
00:24:29,715 --> 00:24:33,705
So Cortney, thank you very much for being a massive part of that because

483
00:24:33,715 --> 00:24:38,114
without you this entire organization may or may not have been started,

484
00:24:38,114 --> 00:24:41,794
but it has definitely gotten to the point where it is better communicated.

485
00:24:41,915 --> 00:24:44,585
With Piper Communications, people understand what

486
00:24:44,585 --> 00:24:46,605
the goal is and they want to be a part of it.

487
00:24:46,675 --> 00:24:50,665
And having leadership that allows all people to be involved is

488
00:24:50,675 --> 00:24:53,965
something that is very relevant, something that you are very good

489
00:24:54,224 --> 00:24:58,215
at making sure that there is inclusivity and great communication.

490
00:24:58,234 --> 00:25:00,474
So again, thank you so much for everything that you do.

491
00:25:00,795 --> 00:25:03,535
We're going to wrap it up because I've taken a very large

492
00:25:03,655 --> 00:25:05,705
part of your time this morning, and I appreciate that.

493
00:25:05,705 --> 00:25:06,915
But where can people find you?

494
00:25:06,915 --> 00:25:07,885
How can they get involved?

495
00:25:07,885 --> 00:25:10,445
And what can they do to help you move this forward?

496
00:25:10,565 --> 00:25:14,225
Well, I'm all over the internet, so if you Google my name, you will find me.

497
00:25:14,465 --> 00:25:16,514
The Tennessee Advanced Energy Business Council,

498
00:25:16,514 --> 00:25:19,384
you can find out more at TNAdvancedEnergy.

499
00:25:19,385 --> 00:25:19,825
com.

500
00:25:20,175 --> 00:25:22,525
And Piper Communications is Piper Energy.

501
00:25:23,225 --> 00:25:25,195
Communications with an S dot com.

502
00:25:25,385 --> 00:25:26,945
Again, you can also Google my name.

503
00:25:26,945 --> 00:25:30,024
I don't have a U in it and it'll take you to LinkedIn and everything else.

504
00:25:30,034 --> 00:25:32,155
So Julia, thank you so much for this opportunity.

505
00:25:32,155 --> 00:25:33,075
This has been fun.

506
00:25:33,235 --> 00:25:33,825
Been very fun.

507
00:25:33,855 --> 00:25:34,754
I thank you very much.

508
00:25:34,774 --> 00:25:37,645
Count on us being part of the NOW Conference next year and anything

509
00:25:37,645 --> 00:25:41,405
you need between now and then we are always happy to help everyone.

510
00:25:41,405 --> 00:25:44,695
This has been another episode of Connect the Knox.

511
00:25:44,955 --> 00:25:47,205
Connecting Knoxville to the nation.

512
00:25:47,395 --> 00:25:48,425
Until next time.

513
00:25:49,245 --> 00:25:51,005
Thank you for tuning into the show.

514
00:25:51,285 --> 00:25:54,715
Make sure to like and subscribe, leave a five star review

515
00:25:54,715 --> 00:25:57,655
on your podcast player of choice, and if you would like

516
00:25:57,655 --> 00:26:01,344
information on moving to Knoxville, send me a private message.

517
00:26:01,644 --> 00:26:05,705
As always, this is Julia Hurley connecting Knoxville to the nation.