The Northeast Tennessee Regional Hub (NETNHub) has announced the appointment of John Rose to the newly created position of executive director, effective December 4. Rose currently serves as director of Economic Development for the city of Kingsport. He will handle the day-to-day management of Hub activities previously overseen by Dennis Phillips, who retired from the position of Launch CEO in June.
In announcing the hire, Bristol Motor Speedway President Jerry Caldwell, who chairs the NETNHub Board of Directors, said, “We’re thrilled John Rose will lead the Hub forward. John has a track record of success in the region. People know him, they know they can trust him, and he has a history of working well with others.”
Caldwell said as the Hub refocuses on becoming a resource and collaborator with existing businesses and organizations, Rose is well qualified to lead the organization forward. “It takes time to build relationships, to understand what people’s concerns are and what they want, and to have and convey appropriate respect for that,” Caldwell said. “John already has years of experience investing in relationships in our region.”
“The greatest indicator of future performance is past performance,” Caldwell said. “You look at the track record, you look at the kind of person you’re dealing with, and you inspect the fruit of that person’s labors – what have they produced in the past? When you look at the success that John Rose has had and the type of person he is known to be, he is exactly who we need.”
As Kingsport’s director of Economic Development, Rose has played a key role in efforts including the recruitment of an IMAX theater to the city, helping the Kingsport Economic Development Board in securing the contract for the historic Dobyns-Taylor Warehouse, developing multiple outreach initiatives, and assisting site selection efforts for commercial business, residential subdivisions, restaurants, and industrial/business parks. “I prefer to talk about accomplishments in terms of helping others and being a part of a team,” Rose said, “because achieving success in economic development almost always boils down to working hand in hand with others.”
To that end, Rose said his first priorities include meeting and listening to community leaders across the region. “It’s not so much about telling business and community leaders what the Hub wants to do,” Rose said. “It’s about letting them know the Hub is here to help them achieve their own goals. To do that, I need to listen and learn exactly what those goals are.”
In the long term, Rose said, “the Hub will work to provide support for local economic development organizations, developers, companies, and municipalities to assist in their efforts to improve the economy throughout all of Northeast Tennessee.”
That support will take the form of data research, outreach, and recruitment assistance to be made available to communities across the region.
Prior to becoming director of Economic Director for the city of Kingsport three years ago, Rose spent more than 20 years in the private sector, working mainly as a civil and residential project manager, estimator, and small business owner. He holds a BA degree in Business Management from Tusculum University and is a certified economic developer through the University of Tennessee Center for Industrial Service.
Rose currently collaborates with the Holston Business Development Board, the Kingsport Economic Development Board, and the NETWORKS Sullivan Partnership. He serves on the Greater Kingsport Home Builders Association Board and the Kingsport Chamber Foundation Board.