ABOUT
Our chambers of commerce and other economic development organizations are busier than ever. Our elected leaders are cooperating and collaborating while putting the Tennessee Valley region first. Our schools, universities, and community and technical colleges are working to shape the workforce of the future.
Getting here took years of planning, investment, and hard work. Staying here and making sure our region continues to prosper, will take a collaborative effort.
Enter Launch: Tennessee Valley Regional Partnership, a business-led regional partnership that’s rethinking and imagining our future impact over the horizon.
Having kicked off in fall 2014, Launch Regional Partnership as a 501c3 non-profit counts business, community, and elected leaders from across the region among its supporters. United by the belief that our region’s prosperity depends on our counties and the Tennessee Valley region working and planning together, these leaders are committed to fostering regional economic growth and an enviable quality of life for all our residents.
Launch Timeline
- 3-County Business Focus Group Discussions: October – December 2014
- Consultant Interviews: December 2014 – March 2015
- Phase 1 Funding Completed: July 2015
- Consultants Hired: August 2015
- 1st Leadership Team Meeting: September 2015
- 1st Task Force Meetings: December 2015
- Logo & Website Launch: February 2016
- Phase 2 Fundraising: January – March 2016
- Data collection, Task Force meetings, Focus groups: 2017 – 2019
-
Regional Entrepreneur Ecosystem Study Completed – 2017
- Regional Collaboration Initiative of North Alabama (RCI-NA) begins – 2018
- Implementation Plan begins 2019
- RCI-NA (Inaugural State of the Region) three county cooperation agreement signed – 2019
- Regional Workforce Study by Deloitte presented to the Region November 2019
- Launch 2035 (now Launch Regional Partnership) designated a 501c3 in December 2019
- Singing River Trail (SRT) Master Plan Complete -2020
- 2nd Annual State of the Region held at Huntsville International Airport – 2020 (Outside in Parking Deck)
- SRT Executive Director hired – 2020
- 3rd Annual State of the Region held at Huntsville International Airport – 2021
- Deliberate & inclusive expansion of all 8 counties in North Alabama: 2021
- Inaugural Launch Tank Entrepreneur pitch competition held in Decatur, AL – 2022
- Jackson and Lauderdale counties added to leadership team – 2022
- 4th Annual State of the Region at Huntsville International Airport – 2022
- Marshall and Lawrence counties added to leadership team – 2023
- Colbert county added to leadership team – 2023
- 5th Annual State of the Region held at Cook Museum in Decatur
- 2nd Launch Tank Entrepreneur pitch competition in Athens, AL – 2023
- 6th Annual State of the Region held at Cook Museum in Decatur
- 3rd Launch Tank Entrepreneur pitch competition held in Huntsville – 2024
- 4th Launch Tank Entrepreneur pitch competition held in Scottsboro/Jackson County – 2025
- DeKalb county added to leadership team – 2025
- 7th Annual State of the Region held at Cook Museum in Decatur
Launch Original Donors
- Alabama’s Mountains, Rivers, and Valleys Resource
- Conservation and Development Council, Inc.
- AT & T
- BizTech (Huntsville)
- Citizens for Economic Progress (Athens)
- Decatur-Morgan County Chamber of Commerce
- Emm Dee Drug Co. (Athens)
- First National Bank (Athens)
- Greater Limestone County Chamber of Commerce
- Huntsville Committee of 100
- Huntsville Hospital
- Huntsville International Airport
- Huntsville-Madison County Chamber of Commerce
- Huntsville Utilities
- John Maund (Athens)
- Market Street Properties (Athens)
- 21st Century Investments (Athens)Association)
- Redstone Federal Credit Union
- Regions Bank
- Reliance Bank (Athens)
- 21st Century Investments (Athens)