Gov. Haslam to headline Nashville Business Breakfast March 3
Kim Chaudoin | 615.966.6494 |
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam will be the featured speaker at Lipscomb University’s Nashville Business Breakfast at 7 a.m., Tuesday, March 3, in Allen Arena.
Haslam secured the largest re-election margin in modern Tennessee history on Nov. 4, 2014, as he was elected to a second term in office. Under Haslam’s leadership, Tennessee has become recognized as a national leader in education, job creation and fiscal responsibility. He has launched the Tennessee Promise program, the only program in the country to give every graduating high school senior a chance to earn a certificate or degree beyond high school free of charge and with a personal mentor, which has drawn national attention in recent weeks. Among Haslam’s other goals for the state is to make it a top location in the Southeast for high quality jobs.
Tennessee currently holds the title of “State of the Year” for economic development. Working with the General Assembly, Haslam has balanced the budget every year, kept taxes low, ensured Tennessee has the lowest debt in the country and nearly doubled the state’s savings account. Due to his efforts to make state government more customer-focused, efficient and effective, Tennessee is ranked the third-best managed state in the nation.
Born and raised in Knoxville, Haslam is a graduate of Emory University, where he met Crissy, his future wife, on the first day of class. After graduating from Emory with a degree in history, Haslam and Crissy married and moved to Knoxville, where he managed his family’s chain of gas stations, the Pilot Corporation.
In 2003, Haslam was elected mayor of Knoxville and was re-elected in 2007 with 87 percent of the vote. As mayor, he balanced eight consecutive city budgets, tripled the Rainy Day Fund, insisted that city government focus on providing services in an efficient manner, helped found key education initiatives, and recruited and retained thousands of jobs to Knoxville.
The cost of the breakfast is $30 in advance and $40 at the door. Registration is available online at leadership.lipscomb.edu or by calling 615.966.6609.
The Nashville Business Breakfast is a quarterly networking event, presented by Lipscomb University and the Nashville Business Journal, with a news-conference style format, featuring business leaders with local economic impact. The event is sponsored by PNC Bank and Crowe Horwath.