the grheater good

Recently, an economic developer from a rural county north of here offered an insightful perspective on Rhea County’s perceived abundance of resources.

”Rhea County? You guys have everything,” she said. “The river. The railroad. The highway — it’s not even fair.”

Fair? Maybe not.

But it sure is real, and it sure is fortunate.

Our wealth of assets is part of the story we have to tell here (and the story I tried to tell here with my friend Arch Trimble IV!)

But even putting natural and infrastructure resources aside, there’s one area where our community has long punched above its weight, and it was on display at a recent meeting at Dayton Rotary Club.

April Cameron, president and CEO at Chattanooga Airport, spoke at a club meeting in late February, sharing how in her role she oversees operations at the facility which hit a record number of passengers in 2025.

Cameron — a Rhea County native and resident — has guided CHA through unprecedented hardships (like losing 95 percent of travelers overnight in 2020) into unprecedented success and a round of significant new investments, including construction of new parking garages and concourses.

Because all things considered, the ingredient which sets our community apart remains the people who call Rhea County home.

People like April Cameron are moving us forward.

Move forward with us.

Alex Green
Executive Director
Rhea Economic & Tourism Council, Inc.

At the heart of Tennessee’s most energetic and resilient local economies exists a single common denominator — four-year colleges and universities.

And that’s because in Tennessee, education is another way of saying workforce development and economic innovation.

Rhea County is no different. For nearly 100 years, Bryan College has filled our community’s talent pipeline with qualified, credentialed professionals who have contributed lasting value in countless ways.

And now, in the face of technological and STEAM-based needs like engineering and nursing, Bryan continues to step up to the plate.

With accredited programs in both engineering and nursing, Bryan today continues to turn out top-tier talent and show up for our local economy’s needs.

With online and in-person programs in more than 50 areas of study, Bryan today offers degrees from the associate’s to doctorate levels.

Professional certifications are also available.

We appreciate Bryan College for its platinum partnership with Rhea Industrial & Manufacturing Association.

We couldn’t do it without them. Visit Bryan online or in-person to find out more.

Want to be included on future RheaIMA events? Join today!

Soon, the new, $20 million TCAT/Chattanooga State campus in Dayton will officially open its doors to students — and not a moment too soon.

Thanks to steady industry employment, Rhea County faces continuous demand for qualified workers in areas like industrial maintenance and welding, among others.

And at a Feb. 11 ribbon-cutting for the Rhea County Higher Education Center, Gov. Bill Lee cheered on students currently enrolled in TCAT courses.

“There was one thing I wanted to make sure that happened in this state while I was in office,” Lee said during the ceremony. “It was to strengthen our colleges of technology, and our classes and our community colleges that offered technical, skilled training expertise for people like these men and women over here.”

[VIEW THE HIGHLIGHT VIDEO HERE]

The new campus is set to open later this year.

In February, Gov. Bill Lee announced intentions to earmark approximately $45 million in his upcoming state budget for the creation of a new state at McDonald Farm in Sale Creek, Tenn.

The announcement finally puts to rest years of speculation about the farm’s future.

And it tees up Rhea County to benefit in the long-term.

Because while the state park portion of McDonald Farm will exist within 1,300 acres on the back side of the farm, up the ridge to a portion of the Cumberland Trail, it’s not everyday a state park appears on your doorstep.

Plus, the announcement means the nearly 800-acre tract containing the McDonald farm house and barns will remain in Hamilton County’s possession, likely the forever home of the annual Hamilton County Fair.

All this will have a significant economic impact on Rhea County. The draw of natural resources, the farm, the Cumberland Trail and a new state park will create retail and commercial opportunities, especially for south Dayton and Graysville.

Folks may visit the Hamilton County property, but many of them will eat, sleep and buy gas here.

With advanced energy opportunities blossoming on Rhea County’s northern border and new tourism developing on its south, our community stands to gain from the best of both worlds.

So then again, maybe that economic developer from north of here was right, after all.

In Rhea County, we really do have everything.

Move forward with us.

FirstBank - Platinum | Bryan College - Platinum | La-Z-Boy - Gold | Nokian Tyres - Bronze | Terracon - Bronze | S&ME Inc. - Bronze | General Shale - Bronze | Chattanooga State - Bronze