Greater Memphis Chamber Seizes “Clean” as an Opportunity for Business Growth, Cost Savings

The Greater Memphis Chamber is no stranger to creating a brighter, cleaner future.

Since 2014, the 2,200-member organization has taken the lead in an initiative known as “Memphis Clean by 2019” in partnership with the non-profit, Clean Memphis, which has a goal of making Memphis the cleanest city in the nation. 

More recently, after Amazon—one of the world’s top renewable energy purchasers—announced that they were accepting proposals for a new $5 billion headquarters, Memphis jumped at the opportunity to apply.

And, increasingly, the Chamber is working to help member businesses save money through energy innovation.

Phil Trenary, President & CEO, Greater Memphis Chamber

“At the Greater Memphis Chamber, we have a commitment to economic growth for all,” said Phil Trenary, President and CEO. “And we recognize that the growing opportunities in clean energy are an important part of that mix for our members.”

One way they have done this, for example, is by working closely with the local utility, Memphis Light, Gas and Water, to promote energy workshops for member companies to learn how they can make their workspaces more energy efficient.

One well-known member company, IKEA, also recently installed the largest solar panel array in state of Tennessee. Companywide, IKEA plans to invest $2.5 billion in renewable energy by 2020, reflecting growing corporate demand for clean energy across the nation.

With the work being done to seize the economic development opportunities in renewables by the Memphis, Bartlett and Chattanooga Chambers, Tennessee could soon be a hub for clean energy development in the South.

Local Chambers Honor Amazon, Google, NC Rep. Steinburg and More

Local chambers of commerce in North Carolina have first-hand experience with the benefits that come from the rising demand for, and investments in, clean energy.

So when Amazon was named as a 2017 Clean Energy Champion at this year’s annual Clean Energy Awards event hosted by Conservatives for Clean Energy and Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy, it was welcome news for one of the chambers that has already benefited from North Carolina’s first wind farm: Amazon Wind Farm US East.

“This hugely successful project has brought major economic benefits to northeastern North Carolina,” said Win Dale, Executive Director of the Edenton-Chowan Chamber of Commerce. “And we hope that we’ll see other wind projects in various stages of development in the area come to fruition to benefit a region that so greatly needs these types of investments.”

The Amazon Wind Farm, which became operational in February, is a $440 million project that employed 500 people during peak construction and has a permanent crew of 17 on-site technicians. Landowner payments and taxes will inject $1.1 million into the local economy each year.

Other business award winners included:

• Google, which owns and operates a $1.2 billion data center in Caldwell County and purchases power from a solar project in Rutherford County;

• Sierra Nevada, whose Mills River brewery uses 100 percent renewable energy;

• Weyerhaeuser, the state’s largest private property owner, which leases land to the Amazon Wind Farm and plans to lease additional property for wind projects under development in Chowan and Tyrell Counties; and

• New Sarum Brewing in Salisbury for its focus on energy efficiency.

“The nation’s leading companies have made access to renewable energy a key factor when deciding on site-selection and where to invest,” said Jennifer Behr, Senior Organizer for Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy.

“To stay competitive with the rest of the country for these businesses and jobs, we must meet this growing corporate demand for renewable energy by having strong pro-business and pro-renewable policies,” she said.

Rep. Bob Steinburg

Rep. Bob Steinburg Award

Rep. Bob Steinburg (R-1) also received the 2017 Clean Energy Legislative Champion award.

“Rep. Steinburg is one of the most outspoken advocates for renewable energy and the economic benefits that accompany it,” said Behr.

In a briefing call with local chambers across the state last month, Rep. Steinburg talked about the importance of keeping up with the growing clean energy market.

“We need to take the long-range view,” he said. “Where is [renewable energy] going to place us for economic development over next 10 to 20 years? I hope we continue to move forward and embrace renewable energy in our state.”

For more information about how your chamber can engage in the economic development opportunities in clean energy, contact Jennifer Behr at Jennifer@ChambersforInnovation.com.

Pictured at top: Jennifer Behr, CICE, and Cheri Chastain, Sierra Nevada.

Local Chambers Discover Something New about Their Members

“A lot of these businesses are members of my chamber, and I never knew they were big clean energy users. Can I have that list?” 

That was one of the most frequent comments heard during this year’s annual American Chambers of Commerce Executives meeting in Nashville, TN., at the Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy (CICE) booth.  

“A Who’s Who of Chamber Members: Who Are Top Clean Energy Users” was a surprise hit for many chamber leaders who discovered a wide range of mainstream businesses that have joined the ranks of the nation’s top clean energy users.  

Gone are the days when clean energy was of interest primarily to wind and solar energy companies. Now businesses across almost all sectors are purchasing clean energy, as price declines make clean energy the smart economic choice. 

Among them: Amazon, Avon Products, Best Buy, Campbell’s Soup, Dow Chemical, Ford Motors, General Mills, Home Depot, Smuckers, McDonalds, UPS, and Verizon, to name just a few. See the list here to learn if any of your chamber’s member businesses are among the top clean energy users.  

Reflecting a growing recognition that clean energy is also delivering jobs and investment income to communities large and small, 100 percent of local chambers surveyed also agreed that renewable energy and energy efficiency “make good economic sense and should be supported by good clean energy policies.”  

And check out this video of CICE’s Tom Bullock to learn more about the CICE network.