Community Profile - Dyersburg/Dyer County Chamber of Commerce

DEMOGRAPHICS
“Through
the interaction
of social,
religious,
economic and
cultural
organizations –
and the
cooperation of
local
governments,
Dyer County
provides its
citizens a
balanced way of
life. We have a
safe, stable and
productive
community.
“Dyer
County is a
place where
people work
together for a
better quality of
life.”
– Richard Hill,
Dyer County
Executive
L
A quick overview of the Dyersburg/
Dyer County Community
ocated in Northwest
Tennessee on major
•
Seattle
highways, Dyersburg
2,300 miles
and Dyer County are at the
gateway to Middle America.
We are within a day’s drive
of 76 percent of this
country’s major markets.
At the same time, we are a
Los Angeles
regional retail, medical,
• 1,900 miles
employment and cultural center
for more than 300,000 people who
live in 10 counties in a tri-state area that
includes Tennessee, Missouri and Arkansas. Our
draw from the surrounding area allows us to offer
many of the services not normally found in a
community of our size.
A bridge across the Mississippi River links
Dyer County with Interstate 55, a major north/
south highway in the center of this country. Four
lanes of U.S. 412 link us to Interstate 40 – a major
east/west highway. Dyersburg is on the
designated route of the proposed Interstate 69
corridor, the important trade route that eventually
will connect Canada and Mexico.
Dyersburg, the county seat, is one of the
fastest-growing communities in Tennessee.
During the 1980s, the population increased 16.4
percent. Dyer County’s two other municipalities,
Trimble and Newbern, also share in the county’s
economic growth.
Dyer County’s supportive business
environment is a partner with local industry.
•
Denver
1,050 miles
•
Chicago
430 miles
•
Detroit
600 miles
•
Cleveland
590 miles
•
New York
1,000 miles
•
St. Louis
210 miles
Dyersburg
Atlanta
370
miles
•
•
New Orleans
450 miles
None of our manufacturing jobs are unionized.
Tennessee has named Dyer County a Three-Star
Community 18 years in a row for our community
economic development preparedness.
Quebecor World, formerly World Color,
which opened a plant in Dyersburg in 1986,
decided to move its division corporate
headquarters here in 1995 because of the many
qualities it found in the community – from our
prime location to our affordable living and quality
lifestyle.
Industry like Quebecor World discover the
benefits of Dyer County every day. They discover
our dependable work force, progressive schools,
low cost of living, low crime rate, our continued
growth and small town friendliness.
We invite you to learn more about us, too...
A Few More Facts
Interesting Dyer Co. Facts
Time Zone ........... Central Standard Time
Total Acreage ..... 337,280 (528.6 square
miles)
Elevation ............. 334 feet at airport
Terrain ................. Gently rolling hills
Soil ..................... Silty clay
Annual avg. ......... 60.2 degrees
temperature
Avg. daily ............ 41.5 degrees
winter low
Avg. daily ............ 81.8 degrees
summer high
Annual avg. ......... 54.29 inches
precipitation
Avg. Household Income ...... $37,162
2005 Annual Retail Sales .... $455 million
2005 New Housing Starts ... 126 valued at
$13.4 million
Banks ................................. 5
Churches ............................ 95
Hospitals ............................. 1
Industrial Parks ................... 3
Motel Rooms ...................... 487
Movie Screens .................... 9
Shopping Centers ................ 17
Motor Freight Lines ............. 7
County Seat ........................ Dyersburg
Highways serving
Dyersburg ........................ 7
DEMOGRAPHICS…
Source: http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/
Missouri
New Madrid
19,187
Pemiscot
19,729
Dunklin
32,654
Mississippi
49,041
Arkansas
,824
Kentucky
e•7
Quebecor World .................... 1,200
Sara Lee US Foods................. 925
City of Dyersburg................... 650
Dyer County Government..............584
Wal-Mart Super Center................550
PolyOne.....................................452
Dyersburg Regional
Community Hospital....................480
ERMCO....................................445
Bekaert Corporation
Dyersburg .............................. 300
Royalguard Vinyl Co................. 200
Population in 10-County
Trade Area
Obion
32,369
Lak
Dyer County’s 10 Largest
Employers
Dyer
37,308
le
rda
de 11
u
La 28,4
Gibson
47,922
Cro
ck
14,4 ett
91
Tennessee
Agriculture
With 56 percent of Dyer County land in
agricultural production, farming is a
$61.1 million industry in the county.
Dyer County is Tennessee’s No. 1
producer of soybeans, No. 4 producer
of grain sorghum and wheat. Other
important crops are commercial
vegetables, rice, cotton and corn. The
county’s 510 farm operations average
445 acres.
Banks/Deposits
First Citizens:
First Tennessee Bank:
Security Bank:
Union Planters Bank:
City State Bank:
$304 million
$ 69 million
$ 85 million
$ 28 million
$ 8.2 million
Total Bank Deposits: $494 million
Dyer County
Commuting Patterns
The average commuting time to work
for Dyer County residents is 15.35
minutes. Of those workers…
• 9.9% work outside the county.
• 1.7% work at home.
• 83.4% drive alone to work.
• 12.5% drive in carpools.
• 0.3% use public transportation.
Dyersburg/Dyer County is a regional
retail, medical, employment and cultural
center for more than 300,000 people who
live in 10 counties:
Dyer, Crockett, Gibson, Lake,
Lauderdale and Obion counties in
Tennessee; Dunklin, New Madrid and
Pemiscot counties in Missouri; and
Mississippi County in Arkansas.
2004 Per Capita Income
for Trade Area Counties
Tennessee
Dyer Co. ..................... $26,635
Crockett Co. ............... $24,397
Gibson Co. ................. $25,764
Lake Co. ..................... $16,349
Lauderdale Co. ........... $18,987
Obion Co. ................... $26,085
Missouri
Dunklin Co. ................ $23,579
New Madrid Co. .......... $23,869
Pemiscot Co. ............. $23,230
$
$
$
Arkansas
Mississippi Co. ........... $22,958
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis
http://www.bea.gov/bea/regional/bearfacts/countybf.cfm
EDUCATION/TRAINING
Schools earn an A+ for academics, vocational training
I
“Dyersburg
State
Community
College is
committed to
being a full
partner with
business and
industry in the
development of
the work force in
Dyer County.
The college is
prepared to
customize
training and to
deliver the
training at a
convenient time
and location.”
– Dr. Karen,
Bowyer,
President,
Dyersburg State
Community
College
f a Dyer County industry needs its
employees trained in a particular area,
both Dyersburg State Community College
and the Tennessee Technology Center at Newbern
will offer instruction to meet that need.
If a high school student is interested in
obtaining skills or finding out about a particular
job area, he or she can be involved in one of many
programs at the city and county high schools that
link school with the real world of work.
If an elementary student needs help with
homework, he need only call the Homework
Hotline, a weeknight program for city and county
school students staffed by experienced teachers.
These are just some of the reasons why
Dyer County earns straight “A’s” when it
comes to education and job training. In fact,
the local school systems and the vocational
and college programs are a major reason
many people choose to live and work in
Dyer County.
Dyersburg/Dyer County
Schools
Both the Dyersburg City and Dyer County
school systems stress the basics in education, but
they also know the importance of going beyond
the basics to prepare students for tomorrow’s jobs.
They offer programs for the gifted and at-risk
students. Schools provide before-and after-school
care for working parents and day care for high
school mothers.
Both school systems have held the Tennessee
Governor’s A+ Award for community
commitment to excellence in education from
1991 until the award was discontinued in 1995.
Both school systems also are accredited by the
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
Public opinion of Dyersburg City and
Dyer County schools is high. A recent
survey showed that 97 percent of those
polled were happy with the public
schools. The systems attract students across
state and county lines.
Dyersburg City Schools
The Dyersburg City School System
operates four schools – two elementary, one
middle and one high school – with a combined
staff of 246 teachers and a combined enrollment
of 3,442 students. The teacher/student ratio in
2005 Dyersburg City
School Facts
Graduates .............................. 85%
Avg. ACT/SAT Score ............ 21.3
Basic Skills/T-Cap Scores ....... 70%
2005 Dyer County
School Facts
Graduates .............................. 90.4%
Avg. ACT/SAT Score ............ 19.3
Basic Skills/T-Cap Scores ........ 73%
Combined Enrollment
of City, County
School Systems
for 2006-2007
Grades
No. of Schools
K-12 County
K-12 City
8
4
Total Enrollment
3,395 students
3,535 students
kindergarten through grade 3 is less than 20:1.
The city schools put a priority on computer
technology equipment and curriculum, offering
twenty-four 21st-Century classrooms, 600
computers for teacher/student use, and the use
of computers in the regular curriculum. A new
business computer lab in the high school offers
students the opportunity to become familiar
with the DOS and Windows format. The city
school system has two full-time technology
coordinators.
Dyersburg High School was named a
National School of Excellence in 1991. The
high school’s Academic Lettering Program
rewards students for academic performance by
giving them pins for being on the honor roll and
an academic award jacket once the student has
been on the honor roll 12 times. Dyersburg
High School offers Advanced Placement
classes in English and American History,
many extra curricular activities and every sport
offered by the Tennessee Secondary Schools
EDUCATION/TRAINING…
vocational classes to prepare students for the work
force. It also customizes training programs on site
to help meet industry needs.
Courses offered include Automotive
Technology, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration,
Business Systems Technology,
Drafting, Industrial Maintenance,
Machine Shop, Practical Nursing
and Welding.
Dyersburg State
Community College
Established in 1969, Dyersburg
State Community College is an
important member of the
educational community as it
provides certificates and two-year degree
programs for high school graduates and offers a
variety of continuing education programs for
industry, adults and youths. Dyersburg State, with
an enrollment of more than 4,090 students in
credit and non-credit courses, serves West
Tennessee and neighboring parts of Missouri and
Arkansas. Dyersburg State’s main campus is in
Dyersburg with two centers in neighboring
Gibson and Tipton Counties. It also customizes
programs to meet industry needs providing as
much as 10,000 hours of training annually to
local business and industry including services
offered by the Small Business Development
Center.
With major instructional divisions of Arts
and Sciences , Nursing, and Allied Health,
Business and Technology, Dyersburg State offers
the following degrees: Associate of Science,
Associate of Applied Science and Associate of
Arts. Programs include health
information technology,
nursing, medical transcription,
medical coding
communications and
information technology,
computer operations and
maintenance, early childhood
education, justice services, business
related technology and university parallel.
Dyersburg State is ranked as the 40th most
wired community college in the nation by ZDNet
Yahoo Internet Life, and offers an extensive
number of on-line courses in technical as well as
in general education fields. Technology available
to support instruction includes 398 Pentium based
microcomputers in instructional laboratories; 27
master classrooms with overhead projectors,
DVD drives, sound systems, and connection to
local area network (LAN) and Internet; local area
network with a fiber backbone; fiber connection
to the Bell South network and the local cable
company; and video, voice, and data connection
to centers at Covington and Trenton.
All microcomputers in
the main instructional laboratories are
replaced with the latest technology on
a three-year cycle. Students can
register for classes and pay their fees
on the web. The College provides a
Learning Resource Center
Information Gateway with easy
access to some 84 information
databases and an online Help Desk.
T h e College receives special state funding
for its Center of Emphasis in Communications
and Information Technology, which is also
supported by matching funds from the
community. This program prepares students to
pass the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer
(MCSE) test.
In the Fall 2001, Dyersburg State joined other
Tennessee Board of Regents institutions in
offering the Regents on-line degree programs.
The three on-line degree programs that will be
offered by Dyersburg State are: Associate in
Applied Science in Professional Studies with
Concentration in Information Technology,
Associate of Arts in General Studies (University
Parallel), and Associate of Science in General
Studies (University Parallel).
The College receives federal funds for Tech
Prep, Upward Bound, and Gear Up programs that
promote preparation for careers and post
secondary education among area middle schools
and high schools.
Weekend and summer enrichment programs
are offered for young children including the
LEGO MINDSTORMS Robotics Invention
System. Dyersburg State is one of the sites for the
national LEGO MINDSTORMS competition.
Accredited by the Commission on Colleges of
the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools,
Dyersburg State welcomes the opportunity to
serve the educational and training needs of West
Tennessee.
University of Memphis
The University of Memphis operates a
satellite program at Dyersburg State Community
College, offering a variety of courses, including
nursing, education and business courses.
EDUCATION/TRAINING…
University of Tennessee at
Martin
Forty-five minutes away, UTM is a part of the
University of Tennessee system, offering fouryear college degrees in a variety of areas,
including a degree in engineering.
Workforce Investment Act
The new federally funded Workforce
Investment Act will offer West Tennessee job
seekers and employers new services and universal
access. The cornerstone of the new workforce
investment system is one-stop service delivery,
which unifies numerous training, education and
employment programs into a single, customer
friendly system. The Northwest Tennessee
Career Center, located in Dyersburg, and its
satellites, located in Alamo, Covington,
Humboldt, Ripley, Tiptonville and Union city,
will empower job seekers to make career
decisions through a self-help resource center or
staff-assistance. The goal of the Act is to increase
employment, retention, and earning of
participants, and in doing so, improve the quality
of the workforce to sustain economic growth,
enhance productivity and competitiveness and
reduce welfare dependency. Oversight for the
system is the responsibility of a Local Workforce
Investment Board whose membership is a
majority of private sector representative. The
Board is appointed by the Local Elected Officials
who are financially liable for the nearly $4
million in grant funds. Dyersburg State
Community College was selected as
Administrative Entity and Fiscal Agent for the
Local Workforce Investment Area 12.
Programs and Services
Offered to Youth, Adults
and Dislocated Workers
Youth Year-Round Program
In-School Youth: School to Work
Out-of-School Youth: Work-experience
Job Shadowing
Workforce Investment Act - Title 1 Services
Case Management Services:
Assessment
Career Counseling
Information and Referral
Issue Individual Training Accounts
Adults
Dislocated Workers
Older Youth (18-21)
Job Placement Assistance
Job Development
Post-Employment Follow-up
Leadership Dyer County
The Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership
Dyer County program educates participants about
the community as it prepares them for community
involvement. The 10-month program graduates
about 40 potential leaders each year.
Youth Leadership Dyer County
Patterned after its adult counterpart, this
leadership program for high school sophomores
develops leadership skills and introduces the
young people to various aspects of their
community. Besides the obvious goal of
nurturing leadership, the program also hopes to
influence the young people to return to Dyer
County to live after they graduate from college.
Other communities across the country have
solicited Dyer County’s help to develop similar
programs. This nine-month program graduates
about 40 sophomore students each year.
Dyersburg
For more information, contact:
Dyersburg/Dyer County
Chamber of Commerce
2000 Commerce Avenue • P.O. Box 747
Dyersburg, TN 38025-0747
731-285-3433 • Fax:731-286-4926
email: chamber@ecsis.net
www.dyerchamber.com
GOVERNMENT
A look at local government, taxes, zoning
W
“We have
everything
going for us in
our community
– low taxes, low
crime rate, good
schools, good
access to the rest
of the country.
Part of our
success lies in
the unity
between Dyer
County and the
City of
Dyersburg, and
our ability to
work together
on projects for
the benefit of
everyone.”
– Bill Revell,
Mayor of
Dyersburg
ith low property
Newbern
Trimble
taxes and no state
• 3,000 residents.
income tax, Dyer
• Governed by elected
Newbern
County residents pay
Mayor and Board of six
some of the lowest taxes
Dyersburg
Aldermen.
in the country. At the
• 12 professionals on Police
same time, they enjoy
DYER COUNTY
Dept. staff.
quality schools, a low
• Class 6 fire rating with one
crime rate and other
fire station and protection provided
amenities.
by 23 volunteers.
Dyer County has three municipalities –
Dyersburg (the county seat), Newbern and
Trimble
Trimble. Dyer County is governed by a county
• 800 residents.
executive and 20 commissioners, elected by
• Governed by a Mayor and Board of five
district. A volunteer fire department provides
Aldermen.
protection for all of the county, except the City
• 5 professionals on Police Dept. staff.
of Dyersburg, which has its own fire
• Class 7 fire rating with protection
department.
provided
by 15 volunteers.
All three municipalities and the county
have a high spirit of cooperation when working
Bond Ratings
with industry. The Industrial Action Team, with
representatives of all four governmental
City of Dyersburg ............ A
entities, has the authority to respond
Dyer County .................... A1
immediately to industrial prospects.
State of Tennessee ......... AAA
•
•
◆
Dyersburg
Planning and Zoning:
• 18,000 residents.
• Governed by elected Mayor
and Board of eight Aldermen.
• 67 professionals on Police
Dept. staff.
• Class 3 fire rating with three
fire stations and 52 professionals
on Fire Department staff.
• The Dyer County Planning Commission
serves the county and consists of seven
members, four at-large and three
commissioners who serve a four-year term.
• The Dyersburg Planning Commission
serves the city and consists of the mayor and
eight members who serve a three-year term.
• The Newbern Planning Commission
Local Tax Rates
Property Tax*
Rate per $100 value
assessment
Ratio of assessment
Residential
Industrial
Commercial (equipment)
School Tax
Sales Tax
Hotel/Motel Tax
*Reappraisal 1988
Dyer County
Dyersburg
Newbern
Trimble
$2.58
$1.85
$1.62
$1.74
25%
40%
30%
None
2.75%
5.0%
25%
40%
30%
None
None
None
25%
40%
30%
None
None
None
25%
40%
30%
None
None
None
GOVERNMENT…
Dyer County
is ranked in the
bottom third for
tax rates in
Tennessee.
serves Newbern and consists of the mayor and six
members who serve a three-year term.
• The Dyer County Zoning Appeals Board
serves the county and consists of five members
who serve one-year terms.
• The Dyersburg Zoning Appeals Board
serves the city and consists of three members
who serve one-year terms.
• The Newbern Zoning Board has three
members with alternating three-year terms.
State Taxes
Corporate Income or Excise Tax
Tennessee levies an excise tax of 6% on net
earnings of corporations, foreign or domestic.
All taxes are deductible in determining the
state excise tax base, except excise taxes and
income taxes paid to the federal government or
a foreign government.
Franchise Tax
The franchise tax applies to foreign and
domestic corporations doing business in
Tennessee. The rate is based on the issued and
outstanding stock, surplus, and undivided
profits, apportioned to Tennessee, at the
end of the fiscal year. The franchise tax rate
is $.25 per $100 with a minimum of $10.
Gasoline Tax
The state levies a gasoline tax on gasoline
at the rate of $.20 per gallon.
Sales & Use Tax
Tennessee has no sales tax on industrial
machinery and equipment. The sales tax applies
to any person or company who manufactures,
distributes, or retails tangible personal property
within the state. The sales tax law places the legal
incidence of the tax upon the seller. The
Tennessee state sales tax rate is 7% and the local
option sales tax ranges from 1% to 2.75%.
Property Tax
The property tax is levied on real and
personal property by county and municipal
governments. All owners of property are liable
for property taxes. Tennessee does not impose a
state property tax.
Utility Gross Receipts Tax
The utility gross receipts tax of 3% is based
on intrastate gross receipts. Gross receipts taxes
are paid by bottlers; utilities; gas, water, electric
Tennessee Tax
Structure
Property Tax .................. None
Corporate Excise Tax ... 6% on net earnings
Franchise Tax ............... $0.25 per $100 on
net worth or real
book value of real
and tangible
personal property.
Unemployment Tax ....... New employers
pay 2.7% for first
36 months.
Tax Base ...................... First $7,000 of
wages for each
employee.
Sales Tax ...................... 7%
6% on Food & food
ingredients
Personal Income Tax ..... None
power companies; telephone and telegraph
companies; and sewage companies.
Personal Income Tax
The state of Tennessee does not tax earned
income. A 6% tax is levied on dividends and
bond interest received by individuals or other
entities, including partnerships and trust.
Unemployment Insurance Tax
Unemployment compensation taxes are
collected by both federal and state governments
with Tennessee’s portion of the tax serving as a
credit against a portion of the federal taxes owed.
The rates for employers vary. For new employers,
the rate is 2.7% of the first $7,000.
Dyersburg
For more information, contact:
Dyersburg/Dyer County
Chamber of Commerce
2000 Commerce Avenue • P.O. Box 747
Dyersburg, TN 38025-0747
731-285-3433 • Fax:731-286-4926
email: chamber@ecsis.net
www.dyerchamber.com
INCENTIVES
A
“Our
approach to
incentives is to
help provide a
framework such
that a
prospective
industry can
minimize
certain start-up
costs.”
– David R.
Taylor, PastChairman,
Dyersburg/Dyer
County Chamber
of Commerce
Industry finds a pro-business climate
in Dyer County and Tennessee
pro-business environment – fueled
by a willing work force and local
and state incentives – makes Dyersburg
and Dyer County highly competitive with other
communities in attracting business and industry.
Companies enjoy a variety of favorable labor
conditions when locating in our community,
including:
• All of the community’s industry operate
without union representation.
• Dyer County has a strong pro-business
climate with an active Chamber of Commerce
and elected officials who look for ways to
encourage business development.
• Dyersburg State Community College and
Tennessee Technology Center at Newbern will
design educational programs to meet specific
industry needs.
• Tennessee is a right-to-work state.
• Tennessee is an “employ-at-will” state.
• Tennessee also has no mandatory parental
leave, no mandatory child care assistance, no
drug testing restrictions, and no telephone
monitoring restrictions.
Incentives
Dyersburg/Dyer County and the State of
Tennessee have available incentives to induce the
location of industrial facilities.
Tennessee Tax Incentives
Corporate Excise Tax
• The excise tax credit is equal to 1% of the
purchase price of qualified industrial
machinery.
• Excise tax credit is equal to 1% of the
purchase price of qualified equipment
associated with the required capital
investment by a distribution or warehouse
facility.
• Net operating loss can carry forward for
15 years.
• All capital losses can be claimed in the
year incurred.
Jobs Tax Credit
Jobs tax credit is a credit against a qualified
Tennessee Tax
Exemptions
Property:
• State property tax.
• Goods in process.
• Finished goods inventories.
• Goods-in-transit.
Sales:
• Industrial machinery.
• Repairs to industrial machinery.
• Air/water pollution control equipment.
• Raw materials for processing.
Personal Income:
• Earned income. (Only stocks and bonds
are taxed.)
business enterprise’s franchise tax liability of
$2,000 for each new full-time job during a fiscal
year and in existence at the end of that year.
Businesses must increase employment by 25 jobs
during the given fiscal year and meet required
capital investment.
Tennessee Job Skills
The Tennessee Job Skills Fund, administered
by the Tennessee Department of Economic and
Community Development, makes job training
grants available for qualified businesses.
This unique fund will create a better-paid,
higher-skilled Tennessee work force through
increased job training targeted toward
manufacturing, demand and emerging
occupations.
Creation of the Tennessee Job Skills Fund
frees up about $16-$18 million for additional job
training, without increasing taxes or costs to
Tennessee businesses and taxpayers.
Other Franchise Tax Incentives
• Finished goods inventory in excess of $30
million for fiscal year on or after July 15, 1998,
may be tax excluded.
• Property under construction, not
being utilized by the corporation, is excluded
from the franchise tax.
INCENTIVES…
• Property rented from an industrial
development board may be capitalized on the
corporate books.
• Pollution control equipment is exempt from
the franchise tax.
• Tennessee has a new graduated, weighted
sales apportionment formula for franchise and
excise taxes of companies that increase
Tennessee investment while also doing business
in other states.
Tennesee is
a right-to-work
state.
No Personal Income Tax
Tennessee has no personal income tax on
wages or salaries. However, certain dividend and
interest income received by a Tennessee resident
is taxable.
Property Tax
• Tennessee has no property tax on…
* goods-in-process.
* on finished goods inventories in
hands of manufacturers and
inventories of merchandise for sale.
* on goods-in-transit. (Freeport).
• Pollution control equipment required for
compliance with federal, state or local
environmental protection laws is exempt.
Sales and Use Taxes
Tennessee has no sales tax on…
• Purchase of qualified industrial machinery.
• Purchases of equipment associated with the
required capital investment by a distribution or
warehouse facility.
• Raw materials for processing.
• Repairs to industrial machinery.
• Pollution control equipment of
manufacturers. (Other pollution control
equipment may be eligible for sales tax credit.)
Tennessee offers…
• A credit for state sales and use taxes over
0.5 percent paid on building materials,
machinery and equipment for new or expanded
international, national or regional corporate
headquarters meeting capital investment
requirements.
• Reduced sales tax rates for manufacturers’
use of energy fuel and water. These are taxexempt if used directly in the manufacturing
process.
Additional Tax Credits
The Day Care Incentive Act establishes
credit against corporate franchise and excise
taxes for any business that establishes a day care
center for children of employees.
Dyersburg
For more information, contact:
Dyersburg/Dyer County
Chamber of Commerce
2000 Commerce Avenue • P.O. Box 747
Dyersburg, TN 38025-0747
731-285-3433 • Fax: 731-286-4926
email: chamber@ecsis.net
www.dyerchamber.com
LIVABILITY
Q
“Dyersburg
offers a fullservice hospital
with the latest
technology and
a highly
qualified
medical staff to
treat most any
patient need.
The medical
community
includes a full
array of services
– from home
care to surgery
centers – outside
of the hospital.”
– Coleman Foss,
Administrator,
Dyersburg
Regional
Medical Center
Dyer County offers many amenities,
but with a small town atmosphere
uality schools, a low crime rate,
moderate climate, low cost of living,
and plenty of recreational activities are
just some of the reasons people enjoy living in
Dyersburg and Dyer County.
As a regional center, Dyersburg offers a
variety of medical services and cultural
opportunities not usually found in a city of its
size. At the same time, it still retains the “family
atmosphere” that so many residents appreciate.
Some 40 families who work for Nucor in
Blytheville, Ark., for example, live in Dyersburg
because of its amenities. The 50-mile commute to
work, they say, is offset by the schools, shopping
and medical opportunities found in Dyer County.
Dyer County’s growing population has meant
a growth in amenities. New additions to the
community include a shopping center, a cinema,
office park, expanded hospital facilities, surgery
center and a walking trail.
History
Climate
Dyer County’s climate is temperate, with
seasonal variation in
temperature and precipitation. Snowfall varies from
year to year. The area is
frost free from March to
November. With prevailing
winds from the south/
southwest, the percentage
of possible sunshine is 63 percent.
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Avg. Temp.
37.9
41.7
49.4
61.0
69.8
77.9
80.4
79.0
72.7
61.8
49.5
41.2
Avg. Prec.
6.4
6.2
7.2
4.7
4.4
3.4
4.1
3.1
3.5
2.1
4.4
5.3
Joel H. Dyer knew he had a good site for a
growing community when he bought 640 acres of
rolling, wooded land in
the early 1820s along the
Forked Deer River in
Cost of Living Market Basket
Northwest Tennessee
In 2002 Dyer County continued to rank well when its
and decided to build a
cost of living was compared to 302 cities surveyed
town. By 1825, 60 of
across the country by the American Chamber of
those acres were divided
Commerce Research Association.
into lots to form the early
Dyer County National Avg.
community of Dyersburg.
Food shopping list
$41.14
$47.95
Less than 10 years
before, in 1818, Andrew
Home: 3 BDRM, 2 BA, fireplace,
Jackson and Isaac Shelby
2-car garage, 2,400 sq.ft.
$173,700
$208,110
had signed a treaty with the
Monthly rent for 2 bedroom
Chickasaw Indians in which
apartment, unfurnished
$536
$628
the Indians relinquished
their ownership to their
Hospital room, 1 night
$302.40
$628.00
hunting grounds of West
Doctor’s office visit
$55.41
$62.63
Tennessee. Settlers from
Dental visit, including teeth
North Carolina, South
cleaning and inspection
$60.67
$76.34
Carolina, Virginia and other
eastern states began pouring
Monthly utilities for all-electric,
into the rich land between
1,800-sq-ft home, gas heat
$107.90
$114.74
the Tennessee and the
Monthly residential phone
Mississippi rivers.
service
$18.93
$21.68
In 1844, a family from
New Bern, N.C., settled 10
LIVABILITY…
The 225-bed
Dyersburg
Regional
Medical Center
offers the latest
in medical
technology and
a staff of
highly trained
nurses and
physicians.
miles north of Dyersburg on land that would
become the town of Newbern.
The stage was set for the growth of Dyer
County’s two largest communities. The climate
was good and the location just right for getting
crops down the Forked Deer and Obion rivers to
the Mississippi, New Orleans and the rest of the
world. By the 1850s, Dyersburg was the fourth
largest port in Tennessee.
Through the years, a growing number of
people have followed Joel Dyer’s example of
deciding to live in Dyer County. Situated within
500 miles of 75 percent of this country’s
population, Dyer County has become a regional
economic and medical center in Northwest
Tennessee.
The Medical Community
• Dyersburg Regional Medical Center
with 225 beds
• 12 clinics
• 62 physicians/surgeons, representing
more than 18 specialties
• 15 dentists
• 1 orthodontist
• 3 chiropractors
• 10 optometrists
• 3 opticians
• 1 dialysis center
• 8 home health agencies
• Health Department with professional
staff of 28
• 2 retirement homes with 116 units
• 3 convalescent units with 282 beds
Health Care
New residents to Dyersburg often
are surprised to see the broad range of
medical services offered in the
community.
Anchored by Dyersburg Regional
Medical Center, the medical
community meets most patients
needs. With 225 licensed beds and a
medical staff of more than 50 physicians, the
hospital offers a variety of services, including:
• Medical and surgical acute care.
• Obstetrics and gynecology.
• Outpatient surgery.
• Radiology, including radiographics, CAT
scans, MRI, nuclear medicine and radiation
oncology.
• Endocscopy, clinical and anatomical
laboratories.
• Non-invasive cardiovascular services,
including cardiac rehabilitation.
• Sleep disorders clinic.
Miscellaneous Facts
66 restaurants
14 shopping centers
5 parks
3 public pools
9 lighted tennis courts
9 hotel/motels – 487 rooms
1 theaters with 9 screens
1 bowling alley
94 Protestant churches
1 Catholic church
• Intensive care.
• Respiratory care, physical
therapy, home health, senior care
program and ambulance services.
Physician specialties in the
Dyersburg community include
internal medicine; pediatrics;
otolaryngology; obstetrics and gynecology;
ophthalmology; general surgery; orthopedics;
family practice; thoracic, cardiac and vascular
surgery; pediatric and adult urology; pathology;
radiology; nephrology; podiatry; dermatology;
oncology, pulmonology; endocrinology;
gastroenterology; and neurology.
Retail Center
With its 14 shopping centers and a variety of
restaurants, Dyersburg is a retail center for a 10county area. Total retail sales grow each year;
shoppers spent over $398 million in 2000.
The retail sector is anchored by Dyersburg
Mall, which has three department stores. One of
the newest shopping areas is The Village, which is
filled with nice boutiques.
Housing
The median cost of available housing is below
national averages. Prospective homeowners can
choose from new and established neighborhoods
for homes within any price range. Many new
subdivisions are in various stages of development
to offer housing of all types and price ranges.
Because of Dyer County’s lower cost of
living, people can put a greater percentage of their
LIVABILITY…
income into their
homes here than they
could afford if they
lived elsewhere. Many
home buyers from
other areas across the
country find their
equity goes much
further in a home in Dyer County.
At the same time, more than 900 apartment
units offer rental property at affordable rates, well
below the national average.
Crime Rate
The Dyer County community is proud of its
low crime rate. Dyersburg, for example, went
almost three years without a homicide and had
only one homicide incident in 1999. The 1997
overall crime rate in Dyersburg was 0.05% per
capita. (Last available statistics.)
The Dyersburg Police Department has been
recognized by the U.S. Dept. of Justice as a
“Weed & Seed” training site, the only small city
to be recognized nationally.
• Police spend nearly twice the number of
hours in training than required by the state.
• The Department has special programs for
juveniles and their parents, gang prevention and to
keep guns off of the streets.
• Community Oriented Policing puts cops on
the streets in targeted neighborhoods.
• The Citizens Police Academy offers three
adult and two youth classes in 2000.
• The Department is taking the necessary steps
to be one of the few accredited police departments
in the country.
Monthly 2005
New Housing Starts
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Total
Total Valuation
Dyersburg Dyer County
2
3
3
7
13
4
2
9
4
4
9
8
4
5
1
6
7
7
3
8
5
7
3
2
56
70
$8.0*
$5.4*
• in millions of dollars
Recreational Opportunities
Located in Northwest Tennessee, Dyersburg
is a sports lover’s paradise. From fine golf courses
to excellent hunting and fishing opportunities,
Dyer County can suit most sporting needs. Its
moderate climate allows residents to pursue their
outdoor interests year round.
Dyer County sits at the door of Reelfoot Lake
– known for its haunting beauty and the
Communications
winter home of the American bald eagle.
Civil War battle-fields, casino gambling,
Newspapers:
The State Gazette,
camping, and plenty of state parks are an
Daily, 9,500 circulation
hour or two away. At the same time, it’s a
Dyersburg News/Tennessean
short drive from the big-city attractions of
Weekly,17,400 circulation
St. Louis and Memphis, and other Midwest
sites.
Radio Stations:
WTRO-AM
WASL-FM, Adult
Events
Contemporary
• Each April, Dyersburg comes alive
WKNO, Public Radio
with the annual Dogwood Festival and the
Dogwood Dash. The festival includes a golf
Cable Television: CableOne of Dyersburg
tournament, beauty pageants, a chili cookAll networks, 54 channels
off, a car show and other activities. The
Television:
Tri-State Christian TV
Dogwood Dash – a youth run, a health walk,
Telephone Service: BellSouth
and 5K and 10K races – attracts hundreds of
LIVABILITY…
participants from across the country.
• Dyer County Fair draws large
crowds each Labor Day weekend
to its carnival rides, crafts,
livestock, horticulture, antique
exhibits and demonstrations. In 1996
it was selected “Best of State” among
other counties of comparable size.
• The Jimmy Dean Foods Barbecue Festival,
sanctioned by the Memphis in May barbecue
competition, is a two-day event that includes the
cooking of 4,000 pounds of pork barbecue, music
and fun for the family.
• In October, the McIver’s Bluff Founders
Day and Homecoming celebrating the heritage of
Dyer County has a professional lumberjack show,
family entertainment, arts & crafts, great food
and music.
Activities
Dyer
County sits at
the door of
Reelfoot Lake –
known for its
haunting
beauty and the
winter home of
the American
bald eagle.
• The county has three golf courses. The
Farms Golf and Country Club, a semiprivate 18hole championship course with bentgrass greens
and zoysia fairways and tees, has a new 7,000square-foot clubhouse. The 18-hole Dyersburg
Municipal Golf Course offers a new clubhouse
and is listed as one of the best municipal courses
in the United States by Golf Digest. The Oakview
Golf Course in Newbern offers nine holes of golf.
• Reelfoot Lake and Wildlife Refuge, a state
park 22 miles north of Dyersburg, was formed by
a series of large earthquakes in 1811 and 1812.
Thousands of visitors come each year for its
natural beauty, picnicking, camping and to see
American bald eagles.
• Everetts Lake in Dyer County offers
picnicking, water sports and fishing.
• The YMCA, opened in 1996, has 1,000
members, a fitness center and family activities.
• Several organizations, including the YMCA
and the Parks and Recreation Department, have
year-round activities for the family, such as
soccer, basketball and baseball leagues and camps.
• Dyersburg Neighborhood Community
Center houses an Olympic-size swimming pool,
tennis courts, wooded picnic area, wading pool,
recreational facilities for youth, snack bar,
gymnasium, exercise equipment, ball fields, and
facilities for senior citizens.
• Dyer County Community Development
Park in Dyersburg is the site of an annual
barbecue contest and the Dyer County Fair. The
park also has lighted ballfields.
• Newbern Community Center has a 9-hole
golf course, miniature golf course, tennis courts,
picnic areas, riding arena, walking trails and
swimming pool.
• Casino Aztar, located
22 miles across the Mississippi
River Bridge in Caruthersville,
Mo., resembles a Victorian-style
train station and contains a 100-seat
lounge, 75-seat sports bar and ticket
operations for riverboat casino.
The Arts
Dyer County residents believe in enriching
their lives with plenty of cultural activities. Arts
groups in the community include the Community
Concert Association, Dyersburg Arts Council,
Choral Society and Community Orchestra, and
Dyersburg Theatre Group.
• Dyersburg State Community College is
home to a wildlife museum, filled with animal
and duck specimens in dioramas.
• Dyersburg Area Community Concert
Association brings quality artists and a variety of
music, dance and theater to the community.
• Each year, the Memphis Symphony
Orchestra performs in Dyersburg.
Civic Organizations
Residents have many opportunities to get
involved in the community by joining one of 150
civic, charitable and service organizations.
Churches
Dyer County has churches representing most
major denominations.
Dyersburg
For more information, contact:
Dyersburg/Dyer County
Chamber of Commerce
2000 Commerce Avenue, P.O. Box 747
Dyersburg, TN 38025-0747
731-285-3433 • Fax: 731-286-4926
email: chamber@ecsis.net
www.dyerchamber.com
SITES/PARKS
Dyersburg Industrial Park
• 100+ acre tract borders TN 211 on the north
and Hoff Road on the west. It has great
flexibility in subdivision and is served by
rail.
• 17-acre site borders Hoff Road on the
west.
• 20-acre site is on Huish Road with rail
along the right-of-way, utilities in place
and an improved industrial access road.
• 20-acre site is on Bekaert Road with
rail along the right-of-way, utilities in place and an
industrial access road.
• 5- to 10-acre sites on Morgan Road.
North Industrial Park
The 240+ acre tract borders Interstate 155,
offering great flexibility, access and visibility.
U.
S.
51
2
I-155
To Missouri
& I-55
Bypass
IC
RR
1
Hwy 104W
Hwy 10
Hwy 210
To Memphis
4
To Trenton
2
Available Industrial Sites
To Kentucky
Purchase Pkwy
To Kentucky
Hwy 78
. 41
– Larry Rogers,
executive vice
president,
Centex
Dyersburg
U.S
“Our
industrial parks
are
professionally
designed with
industry in
mind – from the
layout of the
sites and roads
to the utility
infrastructure.”
yersburg’s two industrial parks
straddle a major interstate and are
bordered by a railroad line. Both
parks also have utility service available to
meet any industry’s needs.
The 675-acre Dyersburg Industrial Park,
the city’s oldest, is at the interchange of U.S.
51, U.S. 412 and Interstate 155. Home to such
companies as Quebecor World and Bekaert, the
park is well-planned and developed. The Fantus
Corporation recognized it for its design and
engineering.
The North Industrial Park, recently built
across Interstate 155 from Dyersburg
Industrial Park, added another 247 acres for
industrial development.
Sites available in the parks range from
$8,000 to $10,000 per acre, depending on
location. The parks are designed to allow
flexibility for site size, with sites ranging from
a minimum of five acres to a maximum of 200
acres.
Additional industrial property, offering
tracts from 350 to 700 acres for the prospective
industry with large land usage needs, is
available close to the existing Dyersburg and
Newbern industrial parks and elsewhere in
Dyer County.
U.S. 51
D
Dyer County’s industrial parks built
in a prime location along interstate
To Jackson
& I-40
The Dyersburg Industrial Park (1) and new
industrial park (2) are on the northeast side
of the city on major highways.
Industrial Park Facts
• Zoning: M1-Industrial.
• Terrain: Gently rolling with less than a 5
percent slope.
• Elevation: Varies from 288 to 310 feet,
MSL.
• Soil: Class CL – silty clay; bearing
pressure of 2,000 psf to 3,000 psf; water table is
15 to 20 feet below grade.
Industrial Park Utilities
The City of Dyersburg supplies water/
wastewater, natural gas and electricity to the
industrial park at competitive rates.
Water Analysis
Conductivity ............... 180
pH .............................. 8.1
P-Alkalinity ................. 0.0
M-Alkalinity ................ 4.8 grains
Chlorides ................... 0.4 grains
Calcium hardness ...... 3.2 grains
Magnesium
hardness ................ 2.0 grains
Total hardness ........... 5.2 grains
Sulfate ....................... 5 ppm
Silica .......................... 4 ppm
Iron ............................ 0.01 ppm
SITES/PARKS…
Water
• Water comes from deep wells and serves the
industrial park with 10-inch and 12-inch water
lines.
• The water treatment plant, which can handle
up to 11 million gallons a day, averages five
million gallons a day. Expansion will be
completed in 2000.
• Current pressure and flow test results: static
– 82 psi, residual – 72 psi, flow – 2,326 psi.
• Water is stored in two overhead tanks that
can hold one million and 500,000 gallons
respectively.
Wastewater
The wastewater treatment plant, which offers
pretreatment and domestic processing, can treat
up to 9.5 million gallons a day. It averages about
5.1 million gallons a day. Storm drainage and
surface drainage is separate from sewer
wastewater.
Thirty-six-inch mains and 15-inch gravity
mains, with a pumping station force main, serve
the industrial parks. The park provides storm
water detention, which allows industry to utilize
more of its property.
Natural Gas
Natural gas arrives in Dyersburg through
Texas Gas Transmission Corp. and Trunkline Gas
pipelines. The industrial park is served with sixinch lines, at 200+ psi pressure. The BTU content
per cubit foot is 1,025.
Electricity
The City of Dyersburg’s Electric Department
and TVA offer a variety of rate incentives to
promote industrial development. To insure
reliability, the industrial park is served by both a
looped transmission and looped distribution
system with 161 kV delivery from three
transmission points. The park has two
substations:
(1) 13,000 volts, three phase, 60,000 Kva.
(2) 13,000 volts, three phase, 200,000 Kva.
Industrial Park Service
Roads
• Interstate 155 interchange at park.
• U.S. 412, four lane transverses park.
• U.S. 51, four lane goes north/south.
• Tennessee 211.
Railroad
Canadian National/Illinois Central mainline
borders the park.
Fire Protection
With a Fire Insurance Rating
of Class 3, the City of Dyersburg
has a 24-hour manned fire station
in the park. The Fire Station is
equipped with a 95-foot platform
ladder truck, a ladder company,
engine company and rescue
medical company.
Police Protection
The City of Dyersburg provides 24-hour-aday police protection.
Refuse Collection
The City of Dyersburg provides 6- or 8-yard
containers, while private contractors provide rolloffs.
Non-hazardous waste is disposed of in a
sanitary landfill located outside the city limits of
Dyersburg.
Documents Available
• Protective Provisions & Covenants
• Sewer Use Ordinance
• Utility Rate Schedules
• Utility Fact Sheets
• Boundary Survey
• Topographical Survey
• Aerial Survey
• Soil Borings
Dyersburg
For more information, contact:
Dyersburg/Dyer County
Chamber of Commerce
2000 Commerce Avenue • P.O. Box 747
Dyersburg, TN 38025-0747
731-285-3433 • Fax: 731-286-4926
email: chamber@ecis.net
www.dyerchamber.com
TRANSPORTATION
Highways, rail, water, air conveniently link
Dyer County to rest of the world
U.
S.
51
I-40
To
Little
Rock
U.
S.
51
To Nashville
2
Interstate/Highways
Dyersburg
. 41
– John Ford,
President, Ford
Construction
I-155
To Purchase Parkway
U.S
“With Dyer
County’s
central location
and access to
interstates, rail,
airports and the
Mississippi
River, industry
can receive
materials and
ship goods any
way it likes and
in any direction.
Being on the
Interstate 69
designated trade
corridor is
another carrot
for this
community.”
To St. Louis, Chicago
I-55
S
trategically located in northwest
Tennessee, 100 miles from the
geographic population center of the
United States, Dyer County is connected to the
rest of the world by interstate highways, a
major rail line, air facilities and the Mississippi
River.
Early residents favored Dyersburg because
it sat along the hilly bluffs of the Forked Deer
River, which linked them to the rest of the
world by way of the Mississsippi River.
Today, that link is strengthened by an
interstate bridge across the river that extends
Dyersburg’s grasp as a regional retail,
industrial, educational and medical center
with residents in Arkansas and Missouri. The
bridge at Dyersburg to Interstate 55 in
Missouri is the only bridge across the
Mississippi between Memphis and Cairo, Ill.
Four-lane highways extend from
Dyersburg in all directions like spokes in a
wheel. Equidistant between Chicago and New
Orleans, Dyer County is an excellent location
for business and industry. The county is on the
designated route for the proposed Interstate
69 corridor, a major trade link between
Canada and Mexico.
Roads, rail, water, air…when it comes to
location, Dyersburg has plenty of connections.
Jackson
Memphis
To New
Orleans
Dyersburg…
Gateway to Everywhere
travels across state lines along the Mississippi.
The designated extension of Interstate 69,
the only direct north-south, mid-continent
highway linking Canada with the Gulf Coast,
will cross Dyer County. Interstate 69 originates
at the Candian border in northern Michigan
and stops in Indianapolis.
The southern leg of this highway will go
through Evansville, Ind.; Dyer County, Tenn.;
Memphis, Tenn.; Shreveport, La.; and
Houston, Texas; as it travels toward Mexico.
The completion of the southern leg of this
Interstate 155, which has an interchange
adjacent to Dyersburg’s
Average Delivery Time for Truck
industrial parks, links Dyer
County to Interstate 55, 20
Shipments from Dyersburg
miles away and a major
north/south U.S. route. U.S.
412, a four-lane highway,
connects the county to
Interstate 40, which is 46 miles
4-5 Days
2 Days
to the south and a major east/
west U.S. route.
3 Days
Other highways crossing
Dyersburg
the county include U.S. 51 – a
1 Day
four-lane, north-south
highway; and Tennessee
highways 78, 104, 210 and 211.
The Great River Road in
the western part of the county
TRANSPORTATION…
I-69 Corridor
highway will
have many
direct benefits
to the Dyer
County area,
including
greater
Dyersburg
accessibility
to major
markets in
this country
and increased
economic and
job
opportunities that this accessibility would
create.
Air
• The Dyersburg Municipal Airport provides
charter and air taxi service 24 hours a day, an
avionics shop, aircraft rental, and student
instructions. Ground school classes are
held regularly.
• The Memphis International Airport,
78 miles south on U.S. 51 in Memphis,
offers the nearest commercial service.
Airlines served include American,
Northwest, Delta, Southwest, USAir, and
United.
• McKellar Sipes Airport is a commercial
airport 45 minutes away in Jackson, TN.
Dyersburg Airport Features
• Runway length: 5,700 & 4,000.
• Surface: asphalt.
• Lighting: medium intensity, 36-inch
beacon.
• Fuel: 100 octane and Jet Fuel A
• Transportation: taxi and car rental
available
• Restaurant: Airport Restaurant
• Repairs: major airframe and engine
• Storage: hangar, T-hangars, and tie down
• Service: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (Attendant on
call 2200 to 0600)
• Radio Facilities: Dyersburg VORTAC
(DYR 116.8)
Motor Freight
Numerous trucking firms serve Dyer
County, transporting Dyer County products
across North America.
Truck Lines
with terminal facilities in
Dyer County
Averitt Express
Chic Transportation
Milan Express
Roadway Express
Service Transport
Tennessee Freight
Specialist
Volunteer Express
Yellow Freight
System
Water
The Mississippi River is 12 miles west of
Dyersburg. Public barge facilities are located
at Hickman, Ky., and Caruthersville, Mo.
Excellent distribution services with overnight
trucking are available from the Memphis port
facility to Dyersburg.
A private port facility is located 10 miles
west of Dyersburg on Everett Lake and is
operated by a nationally recognized marine
contractor. Bulk materials handling services
and storage are available year-round. This site
offers a marine transfer facility with
tremendous shipping advantages, providing
access to international markets and 22 midAmerican states.
The Northwest Tennessee Port Authority, a
three-county coalition, was formed to develop
more harbor and port facility access for
industrial use in the northwest Tennessee
counties bordering the Mississippi River.
Nearest Port Facilities
Heloise, TN ................
Memphis ....................
Hickman, KY ..............
Caruthersville, MO .....
10 miles
78 miles
40 miles
22 miles
The nearest intermodal services are
available in Memphis.
TRANSPORTATION…
Railroads
• Canadian National Railroad,
which operates on three coasts,
runs a main line through Dyer
County.
• Tennken Railroad provides
shortline short line services within
the county.
• An Amtrak Station, serving
the Chicago-to-New Orleans
run, is located in Dyer County.
The Newbern/Dyersburg Depot
is one of only two Amtrak
passenger stops in Tennessee.
Canadian National
Dyersburg
For more information, contact:
Dyersburg/Dyer County
Chamber of Commerce
2000 Commerce Avenue • P.O. Box 747
Dyersburg, TN 38025-0747
Dyersburg Connected to the World
731-285-3433 • Fax: 731-286-4926
email: chamber@ecsis.net
www.dyerchamber.com
UTILITIES
D
Dyersburg/Dyer County utilities work
together to meet customer needs
yer County residents receive quality,
cost-effective utility services from a
variety of providers. Nearly all of the
industrial community is served by municipal
systems operated by Dyersburg and
Newbern. Both communities are eager to
work with industry on meeting their utility
needs.
Electricity
“Dyersburg and
Dyer County
utility providers
work closely
with industries
to meet their
needs with lowcost and reliable
utility service.”
– Jimmy
Williamson,
Manager,
Dyersburg
Electric System
Four electric utilities provide electric
power to Dyer County residents. All buy their
electricity from the Tennessee Valley Authority,
nationally known as a low-cost provider of
electricity.
Dyersburg Electric System – the largest
supplier with 12,200 customers – serves the City
of Dyersburg, the county’s three industrial parks
and neighboring residents. Dyersburg receives its
electricity at three 161,000-volt delivery points.
With 400 megawatts of capacity, the system has
plenty of room for growth. Dyersburg’s looped
transmission system and SCADA monitoring 24
hours a day help it maintain reliable electric
service. The Dyersburg Electric System also
works with commercial customers to meet their
indoor and outdoor lighting needs.
Of the three other electric systems providing
power, Gibson Electric Membership Corp.
serves the community of Trimble, Newbern
Light, Gas and Water serves its residents, and
Forked Deer Electric Corp. serves the rural,
mainly residential areas of the county.
Competitive Power Rates
TVA works with all four utilities to meet the
individual needs of industrial customers. TVA
customers enjoy some of the most stable and
competitively priced electric rates in the nation.
From 1988 to 1997, TVA kept its rates the same,
while overall inflation in the U.S. economy
raised prices an average of 2.6% a year – for an
accumulated total of 44.5%.
TVA offers a variety of incentive programs to
industrial customers:
• Testing and Restart Power/Start-Up
Power Rates is a creative pricing option to
help industries control electric costs during
the start-up and testing phase of a new
operation.
TVA Industrial Programs
Testing and Restart Power Rates
Enhanced Growth Credits
Time of Day Rates
Real Time Pricing
Economy Surplus Power
Limited Interruptible Power
• Enhanced Growth Credits is a flexible
power-rate plan to lower the power bills of
qualifying businesses that are relocating or
expanding. The program allows for bill credits of
up to $6 per kilowatt on new or additional power
demand for as long as three years.
• Time of Day Rates is an alternative rate
structure to industries that concentrate their use
of power during off-peak electric periods.
• Real Time Pricing allows industrial
customers, which use as little as 1,000 kW of
power, to preplan their power usage in order to
take advantage of the lowest rates available.
• Economy Surplus Power is for industrial
customers who use more than 5,000 kW. They
enjoy lower rates by agreeing to curtail their use
of power at TVA’s request on occasions when
demand is straining the system resources.
• Limited Interruptible Power, similar to
Economy Surplus Power, is for customers with
power requirements over 20,000 kW. They get
reduced rates in return for agreeing to interrupt
their power usage when the level of system
demand becomes critical.
Natural Gas
The City of Dyersburg and the City of
Newbern both supply quality, high-pressure
natural gas to their communities and
neighboring rural areas. Both continually
expand to new subdivisions. Dyersburg’s
system supplies the two industrial parks. Its
natural gas has a pressure of 200+ psi and a BTU
content of 1,025 per cubic foot.
Water/Wastewater
Dyer County’s quality water
supply comes from an underground
aquifer that stretches across much of
West Tennessee. The water needs little
treatment before it is used by residents.
UTILITIES…
With TVA,
Dyer County’s
electric systems
offer
competitive
power rates
through a
variety of
programs to
suit each
industry’s
needs.
Seven utility districts provide water to Dyer
County residents.
Both the City of Dyersburg and City of
Newbern provide water and wastewater to their
residents and nearby communities.
The City of Dyersburg Water System, which
supplies the industrial parks, gets its water
from deep wells. The current water treatment
plant, built in 1991, has the capacity to treat up
to 7 million gallons of water a day. A second
treatment plant, now online, has expanded that
capacity to 10 million gallons of water a day.
The Dyersburg wastewater system uses
gravity flow mains and a series of pumps to get
the wastewater to the treatment plant, which
has a capacity to treat 9.5 million gallons of
wastewater a day. It handles pretreated and
domestic wastewater.
Like Dyersburg, Newbern Light, Gas and
Water gets its water supply from deep wells.
After treatment, it distributes 2 million gallons
of water a day. Newbern has two wastewater
treatment plants. One is a dedicated facility for
Jimmy Dean Foods; the second plant – a
trickling filter plant – serves the community.
Landfill
Disposal of non-hazardous waste is in a
federal- and state-approved and certified
sanitary landfill located within two miles
of the Dyersburg city limits. The landfill’s
capacity is 100 years at the present rate of
use.
Telecommunications
BellSouth, Dyer County’s local service
provider, offers a variety of services, including
toll-free countywide calling. It stands ready to
work with industrial customers to meet their
individualized needs.
• The Intelligent Network Services offers
Touchstar, including Caller ID and ISDN
(Integrated Services Digital Network); standard
T1 lines (both channelized megalink or nonchannelized); frame relay and connectionless
data services. Access is available to 1.544
megabits per second and 64 kilobits per second
digital data transmission circuits.
• The central office in Dyersburg has a stateof-the-art digital stored program control
system.
• Fiber optic cable is available in several
areas of Dyer County with more fiber optic
cable added continuously.
• BellSouth can provide centrex services
and T1 service in B8ZS framing for compliance
with a video teleconference network.
• There is 100 percent digital connectivity
between centers in West Tennessee.
• BellSouth Mobility provides the county’s
local wireless cellular services.
Dyersburg
For more information, contact:
Dyersburg/Dyer County
Chamber of Commerce
2000 Commerce Avenue • P.O. Box 747
Dyersburg, TN 38025-0747
731-285-3433 • Fax: 731-286-4926
email: chamber@ecsis.net
www.dyerchamber.com
WORK FORCE
Local labor force offers high work ethic,
non-union environment
– Bob Kirk,
Dyersburg
Alderman and
retired M.A.
Hanna executive
No Dyer
County
industry has
a unionized
work force.
T
Work Force, Unemployment
Rates in 10-County
Labor Draw Area
2004 Average
Missouri
Kentucky
New Madrid
8.2%
Lak
e 5.3
%
“The work
ethic of the
worker in Dyer
County is
unparalleled. It
comes from a
commitment
nurtured by
rural heritage.
The totally nonunion work
force in Dyer
County
compliments
the strong, probusiness
atmosphere.”
he next time you pick up a copy of
Woman’s Day or Motor Trend
magazine, tip your hat to Dyer County
workers. Those magazines and many others are
printed at Quebecor World, one of Dyer County’s
largest employers.
The next time you buy a pound of sausage,
know that they most likely it originated from
Jimmy Dean Foods.
Employees at Bekaert make the steel cord
found in most tires manufactured in this country.
At Caterpillar, employees assemble machined
clutch housing and transmission component parts
for large construction equipment.
In fact, the products made by Dyer County
workers are used by people every day,
everywhere around the world.
The Dyer County work force offers
employers a high work ethic, a non-union attitude
and a willingness to extend their training to meet
employer needs. No Dyer County industry has a
unionized work force.
Industry has a pro-business work
environment. At the same time, Tennessee is a
right-to-work state and area wages are below the
state average.
Once dominated by agriculture, Dyer County
now has a diversity of business and industry.
Nearly 40 percent of the county’s work force is in
industry. As a regional center, Dyer County also
attracts workers from nine neighboring counties
with a total population of more than 300,000,
Pemiscot
Dunklin
7.9%
Mississippi
12%
Arkansas
9.9%
Obion
6.8%
Dyer
•6.2%
Gibson
10.6%
Cro
cket
8.3% t
le
da
er %
d
u 8
La 12.
Tennessee
Labor Force Facts: 2004:
Total labor force in
10-county draw .................125,506
Available Regional Workforce ....11,502
Average unemployment
rate in the 10 counties..........8.0%
*Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics
supplying a pool of employees to meet industry
needs.
Dyersburg State
Dyer County Commuting Patterns
Community College and
Tennessee Technology Center at
Newbern are part of
Lake Co., TN
Tennessee’s Manufacturing
Obion
Means Jobs Initiative. This
Dyer County’s strong employment
Co., TN
group of public agencies and
base
attracts
labor
from
nine
other
New Madrid Co.,
education representatives take
counties. About 3,260 people
Pemiscot Co.,
an immediate, innovative and
MO
commute into Dyer County each
Gibson
focused approach to providing
day, while only 1,500 leave the
Co., TN
technical services and employee
county to work. The average travel
training that is designed to
time to work is 19.3 minutes.
develop, retain, expand and
recruit manufacturing for the
region.
Crockett Co., TN
Mississippi Co.,
ARK
Lauderdale Co., TN
WORKFORCE…
Employer
Employees
Year Est.
1,150
1986
Magazine Printing
Sara Lee US Foods
900
1987
Meat Processing
ERMCO
505
1972
Distribution Transformers
Excel Polymers
490
1955
Custom Mix Rubber
Nordyne
475
2003
HVAC
Heckethorn Manufacturing
410
1963
Exhaust System Clamps
Bekaert Corporation
277
1987
Steel Cord for Radial Tires
Royalguard Vinyl
207
1995
Vinyl Siding
Huish Detergents
204
1987
Detergents
S R Products
200
2001
Automotive Components
PolyOne Engineered Materials
187
1955
Plastic Compounding
Eaton Global Hose
180
1984
Rubber Industrial Hoses
Caterpillar
174
1996
Machine Clutch Housing
Ford Asphalt Plant
150
1996
Hot Mix
Colonial DPP
139
2000
Molded Sponge Rubber
Firestone Industrial Products
88
1989
Metal Stamping & Brazing
Burks Beverage Company L.P.
86
1938
Bottled Soft Drinks
Thomas Lighting
80
1973
Lighting Fixtures
Quebecor World
Tennessee is a
right-to-work
state.
Products
Dyer County
Labor Force Annual Averages
Year
Labor Force
Employment
Unemployment
Rate
2004
17,869
16,762
1,107
6.2%
2003
17,930
16,580
1,350
7.5%
2002
18,010
16,660
1,350
7.5%
2001
17,900
16,610
1,290
7.2%
2000
18,170
17,060
1,110
6.1%
1999
18,510
17,620
890
4.8%
1998
18,240
17,470
770
4.2%
1997
18,570
17,410
1,100
5.9%
1996
19,720
18,360
1,360
6.9%
1995
18,940
17,970
970
5.1%
WORK FORCE…
Service Employers
Employers
Employees
WalMart Supercenter
550
Dyersburg Regional Medical
Center
395
Forcum Lannom Contractors
150
First Citizens National Bank
200
Dyersburg Manor
Nursing Home
115
G o v.15%
MedSouth Healthcare
84
Burch Foods
60
Ford Construction
46
Dyersburg News & State Gazette 41
Government Employers
Employers
Dyer County Distribution
of Employment
Employees
Dyer County Schools
515
Dyersburg City Schools
339
City of Dyersburg
320
Dyersburg State
Community College
177
Dyer County
132
City of Newbern
101
M fg.34%
S ervices
18%
F IR E 3%
C o nst.4%
T C P U 2%
T rades
21%
FIRE - Finance, Insurance & Real Estate
TCPU - Transportation, Communications & Public Utilities
Source: TN Department of Labor & Workforce Development
Industrial Support Services
Tool & Die ................... Local
Heat Treating .............. Local
Foundry ...................... Halls, TN, 11 miles
Ripley, TN,
28 miles
Heavy Hardware ......... Local
Sheet Metal ................ Local
Lubricants ................... Local
Welding Supplies ........ Local
Machine Fabrication ... Local
Education Level
of Dyer County Adults
Dyersburg
For more information, contact:
Adults
with 9
or more
years of
education,
no diploma
25%
Adults
with
a high
school
or GED
diploma
55%
Adults with less than
9 years of education
20%
Source: TN Adult Education Status Report
Dyersburg/Dyer County
Chamber of Commerce
2000 Commerce Avenue • P.O. Box 747
Dyersburg, TN 38025-0747
731-285-3433 • Fax: 731-286-4926
email: chamber@ecsis.net
www.dyerchamber.com