The theme of this year’s forum was COVID Accelerated Everything – What’s Next? We dove into how COVID has impacted industrial real estate, entrepreneurship, city planning, family friendly workplace policies, and a host of other topics. This year we gave out copies of Adam Grant’s book Think Again. It is apropos given our theme and …
One of an economic developer’s roles is to educate local officials on economic development principles, best practices, and trends. We have had some discussions lately on how to help local officials understand the different wage metrics that can be used for incentive and grant programs. The terms average wage, manufacturing wage, poverty wage, and living …
Wage Measures 201 –Educating Community Stakeholders on this Important Metric Read More »
Check out the guest blog Crystal Morphis and Penny Whiteheart authored for our strategic partner Convergent Nonprofit Solutions. It’s a good read!
We hope you pick up a sweet tidbit or two from the Top 10 Things We Learned This Year. You know we are avid readers. We know you are too, because our most read blog each year is “Summer Reading.” There are many good recommended reading lists, but our favorite is Adam Grant’s. Childcare is …
Top 10 Things We Learned This Year – Holiday Video 2021 Read More »
As the end of the calendar year draws near, many economic developers are thinking about how to spend that big bonus check. Others are wondering how to convince their EDO to create a bonus plan. It is also the time of the year to think about salary raises for you and your staff. We have …
If you are one of the 52% of workers who are considering a job change this year or the 44% (Fast Company) who have plans in place, then you need a plan for your first 30 days on the new job. The first days of a new job are a whirlwind of meet and greet, …
Top 10 Things to Do in Your First 30-Days on the Job Read More »
Now more than ever before, communities are looking for growth in economic activity to “get back to normal’. Opportunities for new investment and jobs often means developing a clear communications strategy to brief local and state government partners on the potential for the project, or even to advocate for public investments or actions to support …
It is hard to imagine in our lifetimes a summer more anticipated and full of promise than the summer of 2021. Opportunity and possibility are everywhere we look, especially when compared to last year when the world seemed so closed and unpredictable. Books may be a part of your plans for a sweet summer or …
We like to see data. Reading data just doesn’t paint the same picture as data visualization. With a keen focus on the unemployment rate over the last 15 months, we wanted to see what was happening across our primary market (NC, SC, and VA). Like you, over the past 15 months we read about soaring …
What is the key to staying in the same position, in the same community for a long time and continuing to be successful? In a profession of musical chairs, what’s the secret sauce to longevity? We asked six economic developers who have been in the same position in the same community for more than 20 …
The Secret Sauce to a Long Career in Economic Development – Advice from the Best Read More »
Disruption in the economy, changing marketing and communications strategies, and growing/declining sectors make this a good time to update your strategic plan. Which sectors should I focus on? What marketing strategies are best now? What’s the best way to help small businesses recover? These are a few of the questions our clients have been asking. …
Creative EDC has a Back Office Suite of Services for EDOs that allows you to stay focused on the important tasks each day. We developed the back office to support research requests, surveys, reporting, content development, and other short-term projects. Maybe you’ve thought about hiring a part-timer/freelancer but hesitated because you would have to spend …
Ever wish you had a back office to tackle your to-do list? Read More »
Ensuring your economic development organization has a competitive pay and benefits structure is critical to recruiting and retaining talented people. With 38% reporting retirement plans within the next 10 years, it’s more important than ever for economic development organizations (EDOs) to evaluate compensation structure to recruit future talent and keep the pipeline strong. This survey, …
2021 North Carolina Economic Development Salary Survey Read More »
Leadership, inclusiveness, entrepreneurship, marketing, and women’s employment trends were the topics of this year’s Learn and Lead Forum. We learned how to be better leaders in our organizations, communities, and profession while connecting with colleagues across the southeast. This year, WEDN was four lunch and learn virtual meetings. Dr. Karen Dyer kicked off the meeting …
The dos and don’ts for virtual job interviews can be applied to most important virtual meetings. We compiled the list after having supported two recent executive searches for county-level EDOs (Vance and Chatham Counties, NC). Virtual interviews became common place due to the pandemic, but they are here to stay for at least the early …
