Economic developers are the ultimate generalists. They keep up with global trends and local land use. They dabble in policy analysis, take media calls on civic priorities, and evaluate costs and benefits for their community. Of course, all this leaves little time for formal professional development, reading industry journals and keeping up with the local, …
Your clients and customers are talking about you. Do you know what they are saying? We recently found out by starting a client feedback process in our firm. Feedback loops are valuable tools for all service providers, and economic development is no exception. Why In this fast-paced and hectic time, it is easy to say …
Community economic development strategies and priorities are really choices, communities expressing hopes and values through tactics and resource allocation for economic development. In times of competing priorities and multiple stakeholder perspectives it is more important than ever to articulate value in terms that are meaningful to the audience. When economic developers want to communicate value …
Measuring Value and Impacts to Advance Your Community’s Agenda Read More »
Is there a bias against hiring military spouses because they move frequently? And if there is, what to do about it? As existing businesses struggle to find qualified employees, how can we leverage military spouses, dependents, and veterans to bridge the talent gap? That is the question we are tackling with the 2016 Creative Give …
Is your site ready? That was the topic at the NCEDA Networking Lunch on last month. Crystal Morphis moderated a panel discussion focused on site readiness, specifically the three programs in North Carolina to qualify and certify industrial sites. The panel included John Geib, Director of Economic Development with Duke Energy, and Austin Rouse, Research …
In response to growth in demand for Creative Economic Development Consulting’s programs and services, Penny Whiteheart has joined Creative EDC as a Senior Consultant. Penny has spent her career working in local and regional economic development programs, gaining broad experience in regional cluster strategies, marketing, business attraction and international trade. Penny will be involved with …
Energy. That’s the word that keeps coming to my mind when I think about our first Women’s Economic Development Network Leadership Forum. The dynamic presenters, sharing of experiences, and networking created an energy that has stayed with us. The foundation of the forum was high caliber presentations. The negotiation panel kicked off the morning. Four …
The winner of the 2016 Creative Give Back is Wayne County Development Alliance. The project will develop strategies to transition military dependents, exiting members, and retirees into local employment. Wayne County requested assistance with coordinating the efforts of multiple organizations into a focused plan and creating an influencing model directed at employer hiring practices of the targeted …
What are the key ingredients to success? We noodle around this topic often in our work. Economic developers strive to make their communities better, but what does better look like and how do you get there? What makes one place special? What makes a community great? We recently read The Global Investor’s Perspective on True …
Wake County Economic Development (WCED) needed a boost to its site inventory. Staff identified a need to have a more robust inventory of sites to be competitive. As a site consultant once told me, “If I have not selected your site the last ten times I’ve looked at it, chances are I will not select it this …
In October, the Kershaw County Council approved a bond worth up to $17M dollars for economic development. The goal of this bond is to advance the competitive position of the county to recruit new and retain existing businesses. The money from the bond will be used to make infrastructure improvements at three industrial parks in …
Kershaw County, SC Approved $17M Bond for Economic Development Read More »
The Creative Give Back is Creative Economic Development Consulting’s way to give back to the field of economic development and the communities we serve. Economic development has given us meaningful work and lifelong friends. We have enjoyed playing even the smallest part in improving thousands of lives through sustainable economic development. Starting in 2014, Creative Economic …
Answer Client Questions Before The Visit The Certified Industrial Building Program documents the features and assesses the condition of industrial buildings – similar to a certified site. The team of ECS and Creative EDC designed the program to provide you a market advantage. We bundle key facility assessments into a user-friendly report that provides information companies …
Creative EDC and ECS Announce New Certified Industrial Building Program Read More »
The Certified Entrepreneurial Community (CEC®) program is an economic development strategy that helps communities become entrepreneur-ready. A Certified Entrepreneurial Community® signifies this is a place where entrepreneurs succeed. The CEC® Program has been empowering both rural and up-and-coming communities since 2007 when it was created by AdvantageWest. Creative EDC purchased the award-winning CEC® Program from AdvantageWest in June …
Certified Entrepreneurial Community® Program Relaunches Read More »
