Our History

Amidst increasing stress on the federal programs in Oak Ridge, the East Tennessee Economic Council (ETEC) was chartered as the Roane Anderson Economic Council (R-AEC) to meet a growing need at the original Manhattan Project site. The Atomic Energy Commission, which largely operated the community of Oak Ridge until its incorporation in 1960, was transitioning to what ultimately became the Department of Energy (DOE), and as the community evolved and began to self-govern, it was looking for new ways to attract commercial and industrial business to the city and region.

Leaders from the business community – notably Eugene Joyce, Tom Hill, and Don Maxwell – established R-AEC as a forum for federal officials and their contractors to discuss and prioritize programs. The organization’s purpose was “to promote regional development of the two-county area, to explore broad opportunities for growth, particularly in the multi-billion dollar field of energy technology . . . It is also concerned with informed political representation at the state and federal levels and the need for unified action toward common political goals.”

Today, the same missions influence the work of ETEC.

R-AEC contracted with consultants in Washington, D.C. to advise on specific programs, and industry recruitment focused on companies that had a connection to Oak Ridge via local DOE contracts, programs, or advanced technology from the federal facilities. Economic development in the government town meant building relationships with federal and state officials and trips to D.C. and Nashville. Conversely, many political and elected representatives traveled to Oak Ridge. R-AEC strategically balanced its platform of work, supporting large government projects in the area – such as the Clinch River Breeder Reactor – while preserving the DOE’s economic development assistance programs, including the transfer of land and technology.