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Bitcoiners in Nashville will soon have access to a new workforce development grant from the state of Tennessee aimed at cultivating workers with skill sets needed to thrive in the crypto industry.
The Department of Economic and Community Development has confirmed it is in conversations with leadership at Nashville-based Bitcoin Park, an exclusive Nashville-based membership business that offers training and community events for Bitcoiners.
ECD Commissioner Stuart McWhorter teased a partnership with Bitcoin Park during the Bitcoin2024 conference in Nashville last month, when he told a room full of hundreds of Bitcoiners that he’s working closely with Gov. Bill Lee and several lawmakers on a new grant incentive program focused on recruiting the crypto industry to Nashville.
“We’re Music City. We want to be Bitcoin City,” McWhorter said, adding that more specifics on the new program would be rolled out in the coming months.
McWhorter said the origin of the idea came from a visit to Bitcoin Park in Nashville a few months ago.
“We’re going to partner with Bitcoin Park, focused on workforce. We’re going to provide grants to really attract the talent that needs to be here,” he said. “It’s something that we’re very excited about.”
In response to inquiries about the pending partnership, department staff characterized McWhorter’s comments as “a general statement regarding ECD’s mission: to make Tennessee the best place to live and run a business.” The department also confirmed discussions of grants specifically involving Bitcoin Park.
The company’s co-founder Ron Roudi indicated in a social media post that the partnership would support “new meetups, nuclear development support, freedom tech adoption, and much more.” Roudi founded Bitcoin Park in 2022.
The Department of Economic and Community Development has declined to provide any details about the forthcoming grant program, citing confidentiality laws that allow the agency to keep those discussions secret.
“The grant to Bitcoin Park has not been fully executed at this time and is therefore confidential,” department spokesperson Chris O’Brien told The Tennessean in an email.
The department has also declined to answer questions about where the idea for the grant program was initiated, what lawmakers the administration is working with, or when the grant partnership conversations began.
“Learning more about open-source software development and rising interest in Bitcoin Park has certainly helped spur conversations around new recruitment and training opportunities,” O’Brien said. “We are always working to recruit businesses who are interested in Tennessee, predominantly because we have the workforce that meets their needs. To continue successfully attracting and growing companies here, we are always thinking of ways to recruit and train talent locally.”
Grant funding for the Bitcoin Park partnership will be allocated from existing funds in the department’s budget designated for workforce development projects.
“To be clear, we are not creating a new grant program focused on Bitcoin or any other cryptocurrency,” O’Brien said. “We are utilizing existing dollars within our existing workforce development budget, just as we have for other workforce initiatives.”
State officials have lined up to visit Bitcoin Park on 21st Avenue in Nashville this year. McWhorter stopped by this spring. Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti also recently visited.
As a global Bitcoin conference met in Nashville last month, the governor quietly appeared on a private panel at Bitcoin Park with U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tennessee, and TVA CEO Jeff Lyash that centered on nuclear energy, the governor’s office confirmed. The event was closed, and the media was not notified of the governor’s visit until Lee posted on social media.
Lee’s office told The Tennessean that there was no discussion of any grant partnerships at the event.
“Workforce development is a top priority for Governor Lee. The state with the workers wins every time, and the Lee administration is always evaluating strategic investments that strengthen our economy, support families and provide greater opportunity for Tennesseans,” spokesperson Elizabeth Johnson told The Tennessean in a statement.
Afterward, Bitcoin Park co-founder Harry Sudock thanked the governor for visiting in a social media post.
“Your leadership has helped make Tennessee among the most attractive places to build bitcoin mining businesses,” Sudock wrote. “Looking forward to all the future holds.”
Vivian Jones covers state government and politics for The Tennessean. Reach her at vjones@tennessean.com or on X @Vivian_E_Jones.
