You can't visit Nashville these days without noticing all the cranes in the air.

Read the Nashville business press and you can't miss discussions about Amazon's recent commitment to bring 5,000 jobs to the mid-state.

But that's just scratching the surface as other tech-enabled companies like AllianceBernstein, Lyft, UBS, Ernst & Young, Eventbrite, Postmates and Houzz, are already here.

Check out the recent article in the Nashville Ledger about factors fueling the continued growth of tech businesses in Nashville and surrounding areas.

Being adjacent to Metro Nashville's southern border has advantages for Rutherford County.  MTSU is clearly well-positioned to provide skilled technical talent to feed the area tech boom in cooperation with local government and the business sector groups like the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce.

Beth Duffield

"While Rutherford County does not have the tech giants locating here yet, as a bedroom community to Nashville, we do have a large resident base that is commuting into Nashville each day to fill the tech jobs. The Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Murfreesboro City and Rutherford County Schools, MTSU and industry partners is working to grow awareness of and interest in IT careers. STEM education in elementary and middle grades is helping pique the interest of students who now have the opportunity to study networking and coding in Rutherford County high schools. Six of our 11 high schools are graduating seniors with CompTIA certifications and industry work experience which is helping to set them up for success in college or in a career and will continue to fuel the talent pipeline for the tech industry," said Beth Duffield, Senior VP, Education & Workforce Development at the Rutherford County Chamber of Commerce.