Written by Kevin T. Sheilley, President & CEO, Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce

As a kid, was there anything more exciting than hearing the words, “Field Trip”? You knew it meant getting out of the classroom and doing something fun all while learning something new. You might walk through a historic site that brough your social studies lessons to life or tour a factory where math suddenly made sense. These trips were enjoyable and incredibly impactful. It changed how you thought and brought new ideas to light. 

That is the basis for the Charleston Metro Chamber’s Metro Leadership Visit. We know that if we take a group of public and private sector leaders to another community to learn from their successes and misses, it will inspire new ideas, approaches and partnerships that can help move our region forward.  

That is exactly what happened on our recent trip to Nashville. 

Nearly 80 leaders joined us in the Music City to learn firsthand about their experiences over the last 30 years of growth. Over two full days of intense sessions, we learned about Nashville’s work in transportation, attainable housing, workforce, affordable childcare and entrepreneurship. If these issues sound familiar, it is because Nashville’s challenges are Charleston’s challenges. Yes, there are variations, but the overall themes are much the same. 

If there was one overarching take-away, it came from a question Nashville’s leaders said they had to ask themselves over and over again — “What if we do nothing?”  

What will be the impact if we don’t find a way to fund transportation needs, especially expanding mass transit? What if we don’t figure out solutions to ensure residents have access to affordable housing? What if we don’t nurture, support and invest in local entrepreneurs? What if we don’t find creative solutions to address the skyrocketing cost of childcare?  

The response to each was the community would be significantly worse if leaders did nothing. This is not to say that Nashville has solved all these challenges, however they are tackling them. While I believe Charleston is ahead in some ways, our leaders were inspired and motivated by the approach Nashville is taking. 

Finally, leadership in Nashville made it clear that they embrace growth and the alternative, decline, was not an option. While embracing this growth, they continue to fully embrace being the Music City. They understand that they can remain an entertainment hub while also being a healthcare magnet and a tech center and a manufacturing powerhouse. In fact, this multi-faceted identify has created synergy, further invigorating the other sectors. 

Nashville is a growing, dynamic city. And so is Charleston. We can learn from their efforts and use them to ensure Charleston continues to have a diverse and growing economy.