Creative Blog

Creative EDC Intern Rylee Govoreau explores economic development with three professionals at different stages in their careers. Pass this along to a young person you know who may be interested in a career in economic development. As with every other industry, economic development is facing the silver tsunami. We should all be proactive in recruiting bright young people to our field. ~ …

A Career in Economic Development is One Way to Positively Impact Your Community – an MPA Student explores a career path in economic development Read More »

By Lisa Finaldi Lisa is the Community Engagement Leader at the North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation. The COVID-19 crisis has made crystal clear the vital role that child care and other parent supports play in getting our economy back on track. Even before the pandemic, 99 of 100 counties in NC were already child care deserts …

Why Child Care Should Be Part of Your COVID-19 Recovery Strategy Read More »

Housing is one of the hottest, most talked about topics in economic development. The reason? In order to attract new businesses to your community you need to have a talented workforce to draw from to fill those jobs, and that workforce needs a place to live. Attracting talent and recruiting new employees is just part …

Using Housing Data to Attract Business and Talent Read More »

In times of competing priorities for limited public investment dollars it is more important than ever to articulate a project’s value. When economic developers want to communicate value clearly and objectively, economic impact analysis is a way to convert the potential for positive economic outcomes to precise dollar figures and employment numbers. It can illustrate …

Show the Value of Your Project Read More »

It’s all about talent. It has been all about talent for a while, and it will continue to be all about talent for the foreseeable future. We compared MSAs in NC, SC, and VA, our primary consulting market, to see who has the most available labor, most skilled workforce, highest concentrations of manufacturing workers, and …

Talent – The Big Picture in NC, SC, & VA Read More »

There is a vacant storefront up Main Street from our office in downtown Elkin. The retail store was a staple on Main Street for many years. It closed when the owner retired. We’re hearing this same scenario played out in communities across our market area whether a Main Street business or locally owned manufacturing company. …

Succession Planning as a BRE Tool Read More »

We have not had a chance to vacation yet, but evenings on the porch are a nice setting for a good book, too. If you are planning a get-away, or just reading to relax at the end of the day, check out these recommendations for summer reading! We featured “Give and Take” by Adam Grant …

It’s Summertime – That Means Summer Reading! Read More »