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 …
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from the Creative EDC Team.
Well, it should be no trouble finding a theme for any part of 2020 – even if the summer slipped up on us and is now on the downhill slope toward fall. It makes sense that the ‘work from home’ framework would support even more time for reading and blogging and yet this one seems …
Site certification works. In order to attract new development, communities have to prepare for it; site certification tools turn ‘dirt’ into real assets. Certification shows that project work can begin and removes a lot of risk and uncertainty. Having a certified, ‘shovel ready’ site includes environmental assessments, infrastructure details, site planning, and documents that other …
Turning Plain Dirt into a Real Asset: ElectriCities Smart Sites Certification Program Read More »
Due to the economic cliff most businesses fell off of in March, some will not meet the performance milestones set out in incentive agreements negotiated years before. Are communities being flexible on incentive compliance, and if so, how? We asked Azad Khan with Parker Poe Consulting this burning question and others related to incentive compliance. …
The shifting landscape of meetings today has brought front-and-center the need to make meetings better – more productive with better results. There are 55 million meetings a day in the U.S. at a cost of about $1.4 trillion. Some 47% of people say that too many meetings are a drain on the workplace. Dr. Steven …
Are you wondering how to redevelop a former mill in your town? Then follow the Creative Give Back in 2020. This year’s winner is the Red Rose City Development Corporation in Lancaster, SC. They applied for Creative EDC’s help to redevelop a site that they hope will “eliminate another blighted area around the city and …
Q&A with Emily Swartzlander Emily Swartzlander, President of EBS Strategies, will present on Family Forward Workplaces at the upcoming Women’s Economic Development Network Conference. As chief strategist for the North Carolina Early Childhood Foundation’s Family Forward NC, Emily works with employers across the state to inspire them to incorporate family-friendly workplace policies that are good …
We were fortunate to have our lives touched by Bob in many ways. He was a long-time mentor and friend to Crystal Morphis and instrumental in the founding of the firm. His positive attitude, generosity, and kind spirit brought out the best in everyone around him. From Navy Captain to Government Manager to Economic Developer …
Bob Comer will be deeply missed by the Creative EDC family. Read More »
There are many trends changing the way economic developers practice. They are changing the way we market a community, develop product, create policy, and measure results. We’ve been talking about trends with our clients, EDOs, and local governments. We summarize some of the trends here, what they are leading us to think about, and how …
