Business View Magazine - September 2016 63
And since that time, Clarksville has maintained on on-
going interdependence between its citizens and the
United States military, never more so than with the es-
tablishment of Fort Campbell at the start of the Second
World War. “The 101st weighs very heavy on what we
do here, in Clarksville,” says Keith Lampkin, the city’s
Director of Community and Economic Development. “It
has an enormous economic impact on our community.
With that said, there’s a lot more to Clarksville than
Ft. Campbell. We’re branching out and expanding and
looking for ways to bring businesses and more folks
into our community.”
One of the city’s current initiatives to achieve that goal
is the revitalization of its downtown. Over the course
of its history, Clarksville has had to build and rebuild
its city core several times. The Great Fire of 1878 de-
stroyed much of its downtown business district, includ-
ing the courthouse and many other historic buildings.
In 1999, the downtown was devastated again, this
time by a category F3 tornado, and in 2010, a flood
caused expansive damage and many businesses
along the Cumberland River were totally lost.
Lampkin says that his office is working to leverage
AT A GLANCE
WHO:
Clarksville, Tennessee
WHAT:
A city of 150,000
WHERE:
Approximately 45 miles northwest of
Nashville, and just south of Kentucky
WEBSITE
:
