Posted April 2003
Hamilton County Executive Claude Ramsey is this year’s recipient of the Chattanooga Area Manager of the Year Award.
According to Mark Northern, who chairs the Chattanooga Area Manager of the Year committee, Ramsey’s years of dedicated and effective service in Hamilton County made him a natural choice for the award.
"County Executive Ramsey has led our community through a period marked by revitalization and progress," Northern said. "This award recognizes his sustained commitment to public service, education, and job growth."
"I am honored to receive the Chattanooga Area Manager of the Year Award," Ramsey said. "This job gives me a wonderful opportunity to work with a wide network of businesses and organizations toward making Hamilton County a better place to live and raise a family. As County Executive, my goal is to make our community stronger through economic growth and a better educated workforce." Ramsey was honored during a luncheon on June 4 at the Convention and Trade Center.
Ramsey has served as Hamilton County Executive since 1994. Prior to his election to the post, he served as Hamilton County Assessor of Property and on the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners. Ramsey served two terms as a state representative and was a delegate to the 1977 State of Tennessee Limited Constitutional Convention.
As County Executive, Ramsey has played a pivotal role in support of economic advances in the community. His administration has actively supported business and industrial development, and he has worked closely with the City of Chattanooga, the Chamber of Commerce, and other organizations in a number of initiatives that have influenced the region’s economy.
Ramsey was a driving force in arranging the transfer of the 1,200-acre Enterprise South Industrial Park property from the U.S. Army to the City and County. When the park is completed, it is expected to generate over 8,000 new jobs with a payroll exceeding $240 million a year.
In addition, Ramsey was successful in securing over $2.8 million in grant funds from the Tennessee Industrial Infrastructure Program for expansion of local industries. These funds helped leverage over $264 million in private funds invested in this community and helped create over 2,000 new jobs.
Ramsey requested and received federal support to fund the Center for Entrepreneurial Growth (CEG). This new program is the result of Ramsey’s goal of creating more technology-based jobs in Chattanooga. The CEG will help Chattanooga realize a greater role in the Tennessee Valley Technology Corridor.
U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp praised Ramsey’s leadership in local economic development by stating, "He goes about his job quietly and with determination. When it comes to economic development, Claude gets things done."
Ramsey was a member of the Chattanooga Jaycees and the Harrison Ruritans and is a past president of the Harrison Jaycees. He won the International Associtation of Assessing Officers (IAAO) Distinguished Jurisdiction Award, "Excellence in the Area of Personal Property," in 1983; served as president of the County Officials Association of Tennessee in 1983 and as secretary-treasurer of the Tennessee Association of Assessing Officials in 1982.
He served as the first chairman of Chattanooga State Technical Community College Foundation, as a board member of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Hospital Authority, and on the board of directors of Orange Grove Center.
The Manager of the Year Award is made annually by member organizations of CAMOY (Chattanooga Area Manager of the Year). The award, now in its 16th year, recognizes an executive manager who has made a significant contribution to the success of the Hamilton County area.
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