AGP Executive Report

Energy & Industry: A proposed $11.3B “Project River” energy campus in Cleveland, Tennessee drew a silent, sign-carrying protest from dozens of residents worried about environmental impacts and effects on the Hiwassee River. Local Governance & Data Centers: Nashville Zoo is fighting a proposed 69,000 sq ft data center next to the park after a Change.org petition neared 600,000 signatures, with concerns about noise and light affecting animals; city officials have moved toward restrictions and possible property steps. Manufacturing & Power: Elon Musk’s SpaceXAI is reportedly planning a Doosan combined-cycle power plant to supply high-capacity electricity for Memphis-area AI infrastructure, signaling more heavy construction and utility coordination. Workforce & Policy: Oxfam ranked Georgia near the bottom for worker protections, citing low minimum wages and weak right-to-organize rules—an indirect pressure point for the broader Southeast labor debate. Sports & Community: TSWA released Week 4 Tennessee high school football rankings, led by South Pittsburg in Class 1A and Huntingdon in Class 2A.

Fusion Energy: Tennessee issued the nation’s first license for a commercial nuclear fusion “stellarator” machine to Type One Energy, with a prototype planned near Knoxville and a target to bring a fusion plant online by 2034. Local Industry & Jobs: Hyundai’s U.S. steel expansion and supplier hiring progress are in focus as incentives and job timelines face uneven follow-through, with a Georgia analysis pointing to lagging supplier sites even as the metaplant ramps. Tourism & Culture: Chattanooga’s Tivoli Theatre is set to reopen after a $75 million restoration and expansion, funded largely by private and philanthropic capital, adding a revitalized performing arts complex to the city’s visitor economy. Nashville Sports Business: The Titans kicked off a season-long farewell to Nissan Stadium as a new home rises on Nashville’s skyline, with new “Rivalries” uniforms and special fan-facing food and retail plans. Consumer Safety: Tennessee cities including Memphis and Nashville logged the most BBB Scam Tracker reports in July, underscoring ongoing fraud losses nationwide.

Semiconductor Supply Chain: Wacker’s Charleston, Tennessee polysilicon plant (about 600 jobs) is reportedly at risk of closure after Trump trade measures allegedly pushed away its last two customers, raising fears that “protecting” chip inputs could still mean lost production and layoffs. Housing & Local Economy: New data shows home listing prices per square foot fell in 36 of 50 big U.S. metros for a 10th straight month, with Memphis among the sharpest decliners (-4.1% year over year), pointing to a cooling market hitting sellers. Energy & Industry: Tennessee’s nuclear push keeps moving—TN approved a new kind of nuclear power and a separate report highlights the state’s first commercial nuclear fusion license, underscoring how advanced energy is becoming an economic strategy. Workforce & Affordability: A new op-ed argues the federal minimum wage’s $7.25 floor has stayed frozen since 2009 while costs rose, calling for wage hikes as a direct affordability lever. Local Business Growth: Greenville’s downtown retail push adds HYLO Fitness as a first tenant in a renovated shopping center, signaling continued investment in Tennessee main-street redevelopment.

Tennessee Tourism: Hamilton County logged nearly $1.9B in visitor spending in 2025, up 4% year over year, with Chattanooga Tourism Co. pointing to continued post-pandemic travel momentum and major upcoming events. Housing Market: Realtor.com says home prices are easing in big metros; Memphis saw a 4.1% year-over-year drop in listing price per square foot as markets cool after earlier spikes. AI & Surveillance Policy: A former Pentagon AI policy director warned that expanding automated license-plate camera systems could drift toward a “surveillance state” without guardrails and court oversight. Tech Restructuring: Searches for layoffs at TikTok, Apple, AT&T and Zoox highlight ongoing U.S. tech reshuffling; TikTok is closing its Nashville office and cutting about 250 roles. Energy & Industry: Tennessee’s nuclear push continues with TVA board budget approval and broader attention on new nuclear and energy storage developments. Local Community & Infrastructure: A Memphis storm exposed infrastructure gaps, while residents organized relief as power restoration lagged.

Tennessee Energy & Industry: Tennessee’s first commercial nuclear fusion license cleared the way for Type One Energy’s Clinton/Bull Run project, while the broader U.S. push to protect chip supply chains is hitting a snag as Wacker’s Tennessee polysilicon plant faces closure risk after trade measures reportedly chased off key customers. AI & Global Tech: Japan says the next round of its $550B U.S. investment pact will put major weight on AI and semiconductors, following earlier tranches that focused on energy, minerals, and nuclear. Local Infrastructure: TDOT scheduled utility and construction work across Montgomery County and nearby areas starting Sept. 8, with lane and ramp impacts for drivers. Agriculture & Food Systems: Tennessee’s Division of Forestry opened its East Tennessee Nursery for tree seedling orders, and ARCD is hosting “All About Seeds Day” in Johnson City to boost seed economics and seed saving. Trade & Consumer Impact: The “Temu beef” debate grows as Trump’s plan to temporarily lower tariffs on imported ground beef raises safety and standards questions. Community & Resilience: After a Memphis storm left tens of thousands without power, local organizers coordinated relief and neighbor check-ins to keep people safe.

Energy & AI Power Demand: TVA says its electricity demand hit a new 2026 record during the latest heat wave, but it’s not expecting shortages as nuclear/coal provide the base and natural gas handles peaks. Data Centers & Utilities: Entergy and Alphabet are trading numbers over how much power infrastructure Google’s West Memphis data center will cost, underscoring how AI compute is becoming a long-term power-contract story. Manufacturing & Trade Policy: Wacker denies plans to close its Charleston, Tenn. polysilicon plant after Reuters reported Trump trade measures pushed away its last two customers; the facility employs about 650. Public Works & Transportation: TDOT suspended lane closures for Labor Day travel, while Tennessee drivers still face speeding fines in active work zones. Local Economy: West Tennessee tourism brought in $482.7M in 2025, supporting 3,800 local jobs and nearly $20M in local taxes. Food Safety: An E. coli blueberry recall expanded to frozen mixed berry packages sold at Walmart in 16 states, with 17 illnesses reported. Community & Industry Talent: Sam Dong expands Rogersville, Tenn. production operations, adding manufacturing momentum.

Manufacturing & Automation: Nissan’s Smyrna plant is rolling out AI-powered mobile robots, but early software integration sent two bots to the same spot, creating a “traffic jam” before fixes got the system back on track. Energy & Industry Policy: A Tennessee semiconductor supply-chain risk is emerging as Wacker Chemie weighs whether to close its Charleston, Tenn., polysilicon site after Trump trade measures reportedly pushed away its remaining customers. Agriculture & Prices: Trump’s tariff-free ground beef import plan has Tennessee cattle groups calling it a short-term fix that could undercut rebuilding the U.S. herd. Consumer Goods: Brown-Forman, parent of Jack Daniel’s, reported a 1% drop in first-quarter sales as Americans drink less, with tequila and whiskey demand pressured while RTD growth helped offset some declines. Infrastructure: The I-40 Pigeon River Gorge rebuild cost is now estimated at $2.8B, with full reopening delayed to late 2029; TDOT says Tennessee’s portion isn’t expected to change. Local Business & Services: Baker Donelson opened a permanent Woodbridge, N.J., office—an expansion move for its healthcare and real estate teams. Public Health: DeKalb County held a ribbon cutting for a new Health Department facility built with ARP funds, adding more clinic capacity and services. Tech & Resilience: A near-simultaneous AI outage across OpenAI, Anthropic, and xAI is pushing enterprises to treat AI availability like a resilience issue, not a convenience.

Public Safety: Bristol police say a citizen tip led to the arrest of Joshua Allen Branham and the seizure of 303 grams of meth, marijuana, paraphernalia and $8,348 in cash. Agriculture & Food Costs: Tennessee State’s Small Farm Expo highlighted how rising input costs squeeze farmers and flow into higher grocery prices, while Memphis reporting points to beef price pressure tied to drought, fuel costs and tariffs. Local Infrastructure: MTSU announced a $16 million west-side Floyd Stadium renovation adding 2,200 chairback seats and expanding ADA access for the 2027 season. Energy & Industry: Tennessee’s first commercial fusion license was issued to Type One Energy, and separate coverage notes data-center growth and its power-cost debate. Environment & Forestry: The state’s Division of Forestry East Tennessee Nursery opened for tree seedling orders, supporting streambank restoration with native species. Business/Policy: Tipton County set a public hearing on zoning changes for data storage centers or “cryptocurrency mining” operations.

Data Centers & Courts: Nashville’s DC BLOX and other Tennessee-adjacent fights are moving from city halls to courtrooms as communities push moratoriums and developers sue over zoning, environment, and transparency. Local Governance: Tennessee tiny-home buyers are suing a developer over “zombie HOAs,” alleging developer control should have ended and cost residents money. Aviation & Travel: Southwest says its first airport lounge network will launch in late 2027, with Nashville among the initial sites. Business & Health Costs: A new survey warns U.S. employers could see health care costs jump about 11%—a major hit for budgets. Manufacturing & Jobs: Sam Dong will expand in Rogersville, adding 22 jobs and investing $13.5M to boost production capacity. Energy & Industry: Brown-Forman reports Q1 sales down 1% as tequila softens, while ready-to-drink growth and Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Blackberry help offset pressure. Tech & Privacy: Thomson Reuters says a breach exposed court-related files across multiple jurisdictions, including Tennessee.

Energy & Retail Expansion: Shell will buy the remaining stake in Tri Star Energy, moving Equilon Enterprises to 100% ownership and adding about 320 fuel-and-convenience retail sites in Tennessee and nearby states, with the deal expected to close by end of 2026. Aviation & Travel Business: Southwest is rolling out its first-ever airport lounge network, with Nashville International among the initial four locations; lounges are under construction and expected to open in late 2027. Healthcare Tech: Heartvue.ai and Innolitics won FDA 510(k) clearance for Heartvue.Proton, an AI-powered cardiac MRI analysis platform aimed at speeding up quantitative readings in hospital workflows. Public Safety & Local Governance: Rutherford County’s proposed new jail and Sheriff’s Office campus faces pushback from property owners opposing eminent domain, citing a prior $38M contract and sewer-capacity concerns. Infrastructure: TDOT and partners signed a federal grant to replace Chattanooga’s 68-year-old Wilcox Boulevard Bridge, with construction targeted for early 2027. Fraud Watch: BBB Scam Tracker data shows Mosheim tied for 40th in Tennessee for scam reports in July, with two reports logged. Energy Prices: GasBuddy reports the lowest diesel in Trousdale County at $5.29/g and in Smith County at $5.39/g for the week ending Aug. 22.

Metro Nashville Development: Metro Council approved Vanderbilt’s 40-acre innovation district on the West End, replacing parking lots and retail and aiming for more green space, housing and walkability, with added guardrails like bird-safe glass and construction traffic limits. Roads & Construction: TDOT says SR-116 (New River Highway) is down to one lane due to slide-area work, with normal traffic expected by Sept. 30. Data Center Policy: Nash County is holding a public hearing on a potential countywide data-center moratorium, following Nashville’s 12-month pause tied to power, water and land-use concerns. Workforce Training: Dyersburg State Community College will offer a short-term, non-credit Supervisory Management Certificate this fall for managers and aspiring leaders across industries. Energy & Infrastructure: Redstone Arsenal is moving forward with airfield upgrades including runway overruns and a microgrid for resilient power. Business & Finance: UBS downgraded Ferrovial over risk tied to Tennessee’s I-24 toll lane bid, citing lower expected equity returns. Local Economy: Insight Molecular Diagnostics (iMDx) will attend Lake Street’s BIG10 growth conference in New York. Food & Retail: Taco Cabana turns 48 with new “Dragonada” and returning menu items.

Data Centers & Power Demand: Shell agreed to buy Tri Star Energy and move to full ownership, expanding its Tennessee-area convenience and fuel footprint as the region’s energy-hungry growth keeps drawing scrutiny. Local Industry Planning: Bradley County is holding a public meeting on “Project River,” a proposed 850-acre industrial campus that could include a data center, with developers pitching power generation and multiple manufacturing possibilities. Workforce & Operations Tech: GEODIS says it boosted warehouse picking throughput by reworking how autonomous mobile robots handle incomplete tasks—aimed at smoother management and fewer stalled orders. Energy & Infrastructure: Tennessee DOT work continues on a slide-prone stretch of State Route 116, narrowed to one lane but expected to reopen by Sept. 30. Workplace Safety: An OSHA “Top 10” webinar frames the list as a self-check for training, hazard recognition, and safety management gaps before injuries or citations. Education & AI: U of Memphis Law launched an AI institute focused on practical, responsible use of AI in legal education and practice.

Biotech & Healthcare: VedaBio (San Diego, with Tennessee ties) picked UCP Merchant Medicine to position its target amplification-free CRISPR molecular diagnostics for urgent care, aiming to close the testing gap in decentralized settings. Oncology Growth: Atlas Oncology Partners named Robert Sepucha CEO as the value-based oncology company expands practice partnerships and ramps up with up to $100M in additional capital. AI in Health Admin: Xsolis launched GenAI peer-to-peer clinical synopses to help physician advisors respond faster to payer denials. Nuclear Supply Chain: NuScale Power and MillenniTEK in Knoxville/area advanced first-of-a-kind boron-oxide pellets for a passive safety system, a step toward commercialization readiness. Fusion in Tennessee: Tennessee approved a first fusion license for a commercial facility in Clinton/Bull Run Energy Complex, signaling momentum for advanced energy manufacturing. Energy & Industry Risk: A massive chemical fire at an electrical transformer plant in Mississippi forced evacuations, underscoring supply-chain and safety pressures across heavy manufacturing. Local Business Expansion: Century Garage Door Repair Service expanded to 26 states plus D.C., pushing a single national service standard in a fragmented home-services market. Agriculture: Tennessee cattle producers are bracing for beef market unrest after tariff-free import plans were announced.

Quantum & AI Workforce: MTSU won a $2M NSF grant to train graduate students in quantum science and artificial intelligence over five years, with the first cohort starting 2026-27 and research ties to Oak Ridge and regional industry. Energy & Regulation: Tennessee approved a nuclear fusion facility license for Type One Energy at the Bull Run complex, as leaders push fusion toward commercialization. Water Quality Costs: Tennessee American Water will send nearly $12 PFAS settlement credits to about 89,000 customers, adding to more than $71 per account returned so far. Logistics Tech: Next Generation Logistics plans to debut Dynamics TMS 10.5, a new Azure cloud version, at Microsoft’s Community Summit NA in Nashville. Public Safety & Health: A study estimates Tennessee’s heat deaths are far higher than official counts, while Jackson residents brace for high-heat “heat dome” conditions. Scam Watch: BBB Scam Tracker data shows Memphis and Nashville leading Tennessee scam reports, with smaller cities like Cookeville and Springfield seeing declines. Business & Jobs: SK On secured a $1B U.S. ESS battery order to supply NeoVolta Power, boosting North American storage plans. Local Governance: Rutherford County Mayor Joe Carr says he ended a $64M deficit and delivered infrastructure improvements as his term concludes.

Food Safety: FDA expanded attention on a Lundberg Family Farms white rice recall, pulling 27,000+ packages of Jasmine White Rice (32-ounce) over possible foreign contamination, with affected best-before dates in Feb. 2027 shipped across multiple states including Tennessee. Biotech & Jobs: Revelyx Bio launched in Nashville to advance YY003, a ready-to-use recombinant botulinum toxin type A, with Phase II topline data expected in Q3 2026 and a new CEO appointment. Local Business & Services: JAN-PRO of Memphis outlined what recurring commercial cleaning covers for Mid-South facilities, from schools to medical and logistics sites. Workforce Pipeline: Coralisle Group’s 2026 summer internship program placed students from Tennessee State University and others into hands-on roles across insurance, legal, finance, tech, and operations. Energy & Infrastructure: SpaceX says it will build its own gas turbine blades and vanes to meet AI data-center power demand, aiming to cut turbine delays by up to 18 months. Public Safety & Fraud: BBB Scam Tracker ranked Memphis and Nashville among Tennessee’s highest scam-report cities for July, with reported losses continuing to mount.

Workforce & Education: Williamson County Schools opened a $15.5M Innovation Center with a major aviation pipeline—students can earn a diploma plus a private pilot certificate, with industry and scholarship links aimed at feeding Tennessee’s aerospace talent needs. Food Safety: FDA expanded a recall of Lundberg Family Farms White Jasmine Rice (54,648 pounds) over possible foreign contamination; affected lots (260201MA/260202MA) and UPC 073416040281 were distributed in Tennessee and 12 other states. Public Safety & Infrastructure: I-64 near Nashville will shift to one lane each direction (mile markers 45–55) starting Monday for road and bridge work, with completion targeted for late fall 2028. Local Fraud Watch: BBB Scam Tracker data shows Jonesborough and other Tennessee cities continue to rack up scam reports in July, with Memphis and Nashville leading the state. Energy & Industry Policy: Kentucky AG Russell Coleman asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a Biden-era EPA air rule, arguing it raises costs for manufacturers, utilities, and farmers. Tech & Surveillance: Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley launched an investigation into Flock Safety cameras over how the company collects and shares driver data. Business & Logistics: Memphis-area school district audit flagged $54.2M in spending with potential fraud tied to a custodial contract, prompting major recommendations for fiscal controls.