EDRP – Center for Economic Development Research

Grant Opportunity Available: Fund Your Research with EDRP

The Center for Economic Development Research at Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute will be funding a new round of Economic Development Research Program (EDRP) projects and is looking for communities to submit their applications for research.

EDRP’s goal is to provide communities with much-needed economic development research that they may not otherwise be able to afford. If your community has a need for economic development research, is willing to be an active partner, and is willing to provide some level of cost match, Georgia Tech and EDA want to partner with you to conduct the research.

Visit http://cedr.gatech.edu/edrp/ for more details about the program, or contact Candice McKie at ude.hcetagnull@eikcmc or 404-385-2053.

There are limited funds available and projects will be chosen based on local commitment, likelihood of implementation, level of cost match, and a match with the capabilities of the research team at Georgia Tech. We look forward to getting your applications and partnering with you to meet your community’s research needs.

City of Cedartown Selected for Revitalization Initiative

Georgia Tech’s Economic Development Research Program Selects City of Cedartown for Revitalization Initiative

Six-month project to help city develop, plan short and long-term
economic development goals for job growth, downtown revitalization

ATLANTA— The Economic Development Research Program (EDRP) at the Georgia Institute of Technology is working with Cedartown to help a coalition of civic and business leaders develop a strategic assessment plan to guide the city’s economic development efforts.

The strategic assessment process with the northwest Georgia city includes a comprehensive analysis of the community, which will include interviews with local partners and regional stakeholders in surrounding Polk County. The completed assessment will also guide downtown redevelopment and business attraction efforts.

The project began in January 2022 and is expected to take six months to complete.

“The EDRP’s core mission is to provide research that will help propel communities into a more competitive position, and this strategic assessment is one of the first steps in that process for the city of Cedartown,” said Candice McKie, EDRP project manager. “Ultimately, this assessment will help guide downtown redevelopment efforts and align them with Cedartown’s vision, leverage its assets, and maximize small business and job growth objectives.”

The assessment’s findings will help define Cedartown’s strengths and areas of opportunity, and provide a preliminary vision to guide the city on attainable, effective actions to reach its short and long-term economic development goals. The strategic assessment will also aid Cedartown as it prepares its application to obtain “Rural Zone” designation from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.

As Polk’s county seat, Cedartown falls within the Northwest Georgia Regional Commission area, a 15-county body that provides several services to its member jurisdictions, including aging programs, workforce development, transportation, and local/regional planning.

Located about an hour’s drive west of Atlanta, Cedartown is roughly nine square miles in area and home to about 10,000. Incorporated as a city in 1854, Cedartown’s downtown district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places due to its distinctive 1890s-era architectural style. The community’s outdoor attractions and amenities include Big Spring (the South’s largest natural limestone spring) and the Silver Comet Trail.

Even with Cedartown’s cultural and natural amenities, local officials say the city is ready for revitalization. That desire fueled their drive to apply to the EDRP for assistance in creating a downtown redevelopment plan.

“This is a tremendous program, and we are blessed to be a part of it. Having a strategic assessment plan will allow us to stay focused on our goals for downtown revitalization,” said Cedartown City Commission Chairman Andrew Carter. “This effort will open the door to new business and employment opportunities. Georgia Tech is a great partner to have and we’re really looking forward to studying the data they will provide us.”

Funded through a U.S. Economic Development Administration University Center grant, EDRP serves rural and economically distressed communities in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, North and South Carolina, and Tennessee.

Powered by Georgia Tech’s Center for Economic Development Research, EDRP leverages Tech’s assets to help communities engineer economic development success through affordable, in-depth research.

Communities that apply for a research grant must commit local funds, based on their capacity. That local funding maximizes resources and ensures community involvement through all research project phases. Some recent EDRP studies include projects in Meriwether, Twiggs, and Walker counties.

About the Economic Development Research Program (EDRP)
EDRP is Georgia Tech’s signature program for providing affordable economic development research and analysis capacity for communities that need it the most. EDRP is funded through the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s University Center grant program (Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute is a designated EDA University Center). EDRP is available to eligible communities across eight southeastern U.S. states. To learn more, visit cedr.gatech.edu/edrp

Call For Applications: Fund Your Research With EDRP

The mission of EDRP is to assist local communities by providing affordable economic development and policy research to enhance their competitive positions. The types of research include strategic planning and visioning, economic forecasting, fiscal and economic impact analysis, community assessments, downtown development planning, and workforce analysis and planning to name a few.

There are limited funds available and projects will be chosen based on local commitment, likelihood of implementation, level of cost match, and obviously a match with the capabilities of the research team at Georgia Tech. We look forward to getting your applications and partnering with you to meet your community’s research needs.

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[maxbutton id=”1″ url=”http://cedr.gatech.edu/edrp/” text=”MORE INFORMATION” ]

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Questions about the program? Please contact:

Candice McKie

Project Manager

Enterprise Innovation Institute

Georgia Institute of Technology

404-385-2053

ude.hcetag.etavonninull@eikcm.ecidnac

Update: Rossville EDRP Project

At 1.2 million square feet, the 27-acre Peerless Mills site is the largest parcel in the heart of Rossville, Georgia. Located just three miles south of downtown Chattanooga in Tennessee, Rossville’s downtown revitalization will largely be shaped by the redevelopment of the Peerless property. Since the Great Recession, rural downtowns across the country are undergoing a redevelopment renaissance. While larger communities like Chattanooga have amenities that draw talent, the cost of starting a business and the overall cost of living to be “close to everything” can be burdensome. Recognizing the opportunity to capitalize on their assets, the city of Rossville and the ReDev Workshop submitted an application to the Georgia Institute of Technology’s Economic Development Research Program (EDRP) for an assessment of their strategic priorities for the local government to use as a roadmap to pursue the city’s economic development goals. The objective is not to re-invent the wheel, but to suggest actions that will enable the city of Rossville to prioritize its most pressing needs, and to help enhance and strengthen the work of the ReDev Workshop.

Most of Rossville, including the Peerless Mills site, is located in a federally designated Opportunity Zone (OZ), which encourages private investors to take an equity stake in economic development through local businesses, real estate, or development projects in exchange for a reduction in tax liability over time. However, Rossville has not yet seen this infusion of much needed private investment from the OZ program. With this in mind, Georgia Tech recommended that Rossville focus on improving its public stormwater infrastructure and activate its downtown development association (DDA), which would provide a strong foundation for the eventual redevelopment of the Peerless Mills complex and facilitate other development in the city.

Outcomes of the Study: Rossville was recently designated by DCA as a “Rural Zone” community

EDRP is Georgia Tech’s signature program for providing affordable economic development research and analysis capacity for communities that need it the most. EDRP is funded through the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s University Center grant program. EDRP is available to eligible communities across eight southeastern U.S. states. Applications are currently being accepted to EDRP, please apply here.

Call for Applications: Fund Your Research with EDRP

CEDR will be funding a new round of Economic Development Research Program (EDRP) projects and is looking for communities to submit their applications for research.

The mission of EDRP is to assist local communities by providing affordable economic development and policy research to enhance their competitive positions. The types of research include strategic planning and visioning, economic forecasting, community readiness assessments, economic impact analysis, downtown development planning, and workforce analysis and planning to name a few.

If your community has a need for economic development research, is willing to become actively involved in the project during the study phase and follow-up implementation, and is willing to provide some level of cost match, Georgia Tech and EDA want to partner with you to conduct the research.

Click here to start your application.

Have questions? Contact:

Candice McKie

Project Manager

Enterprise Innovation Institute

Georgia Institute of Technology

404-385-2053

ude.hcetag.etavonninull@eikcm.ecidnac

EDRP Launch: City of Rossville

In August 2018, the City of Rossville, GA submitted a proposal for a grant through the Economic Development Research Program (EDRP). The proposal presented a case for the development of a “Strategic Priorities Assessment” to prioritize projects that will bring greater investment into the city based on its evident strength in location, real and tourism estate assets, and proximity to a regional economic hub. The Strategic Priorities Assessment will be directed towards providing recommendations for building the capacity of the citizen-run Rossville Redevelopment Workshop to take advantage of the new federal Opportunity Zone designation, and undertake community redevelopment initiatives in the city.

The City of Rossville, GA is located in the Chattanooga, TN-GA Metropolitan Statistical Area, situated in a valley between Missionary Ridge to the east and the Lookout Mountain to the west. With a population of 4,105 and a median household income of $32,182 (FY2015), Rossville has experienced an increase in its poverty rate and decrease in job growth over the years. Downtown Rossville is ripe for improvement – the 27-acre, 1 million square foot abandoned Peerless Woolen Mill is situated in the heart of the city. However, the City’s access to highways and interstates and proximity to the Chattanooga area and other tourism assets provide an opportunity for leveraging and supplementing the City’s capacity to undertake economic development programs.

The City of Rossville’s proposal was selected for its innovativeness, magnitude of project impact, level of engagement displayed by the city government and local populace, and finally its probability for success given available resources and funding. To develop a plan that builds on the strengths and provides the capacity to overcome extant challenges, this EDRP project will utilize the skills and energies of Georgia Tech researchers, state and local officials, and build on the expertise of resource development specialists to complement previous and current efforts in the City of Rossville to foster a healthier economy and to better the quality of life for its residents. The project with Rossville began in November 2018 and will be complete in May 2019. The plan will include research, community engagement, support the development of public-private partnerships, and provide data-driven recommendations that will facilitate their decision-making process for community redevelopment.

About EDRP: In 2017, the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) awarded Georgia Tech’s Enterprise Innovation Institute (EI2) a five-year EDA University Center designation to leverage the university’s assets to build regional economic ecosystems that support high-growth entrepreneurship, and improve community capacity to achieve and sustain economic growth. EI2 uses the EDA University Center grant funds awarded through their designation to administer EDRP. Through strategic planning studies, forecasting, feasibility studies, readiness assessments, economic impact analysis, and labor market studies, the program strives to inform policy decisionmaking, and to help governments and economic development organizations carry out their mission.

For project-related questions, contact:

Leigh Hopkins

Phone: 404-894-0933 | Fax: 404-410-6910

Email: ude.hcetag.etavonninull@snikpoh.hgiel

Washington County EDRP Study

In October 2018, CEDR completed a labor study for the Development Authority of Washington County. Due to the winning application submitted by the DAWC officials last year, this study was funded by a research grant through Georgia Tech’s Economic Development Research Program (EDRP).

This research evaluated the types of jobs available to the community, the skills held by members of the labor force, and the skills and training required by DAWC’s focus industries – Poultry, Forestry, and Manufacturing. CEDR assessed workforce supply and demand through analysis of demographic data, commuting patterns, and industry and occupation data. Local industries offered valuable insights to their hiring, talent attraction, and talent retention needs through interviews. Study results led to several recommendations for DAWC officials in the areas of workforce development and retention, industry engagement and educational partnerships, and community development.

For project-related questions, contact:
Candice McKie
Phone: 404-385-2053| Fax: 404-410-6910
Email: ude.hcetag.etavonninull@eikcm.ecidnac

Call for Applications: Fund Your Research with EDRP

CEDR will be funding a new round of Economic Development Research Program (EDRP) projects and is looking for communities to submit their applications for research.

The mission of EDRP is to assist local communities by providing affordable economic development and policy research to enhance their competitive positions.

The types of research include strategic planning, forecasting, feasibility studies, readiness assessments, economic impact analysis, and labor market studies to name a few.

Click here to start your application.

Have questions? Contact:

Leigh Hopkins

Sr. Project Manager

404-894-0933

ude.hcetag.etavonninull@snikpoh.hgiel

Fannin County EDRP Study

Last year, officials with the Fannin County Development Authority submitted a winning application for a research grant through Georgia Tech’s Economic Development Research Program (EDRP). The research focused on a study of Fannin’s labor market. It included business leader surveys and a community data analysis. It was completed in September 2017.

Some key findings of the study included issues of workforce supply, workforce demand, an occupational analysis, and a special industry focus on back office and manufacturing operations. Through a survey of 84 local employers during the month of June 2017, the study found that the two most often selected reasons for opening their business in Fannin County were “Quality of Life” and “Access to Markets and Customers”. The study concluded with an number of recommendations for the Fannin County Development Authority. One recommendation was that Fannin County should prioritize a comprehensive workforce development strategy as a key economic development tool for advancing economic development goals.

For project-related questions, contact:
Candice McKie
Phone: 404-385-2053| Fax: 404-410-6910
Email: ude.hcetag.etavonninull@eikcm.ecidnac

In Progress: Fannin County EDRP Study

This spring, officials with the Fannin County Development Authority submitted a winning application for a research grant through Georgia Tech’s Economic Development Research Program (EDRP). The research focuses on a study of Fannin’s labor market. It includes business leader surveys and community data analysis all to be conducted this summer.

Georgia Tech’s Center for Economic Development Research will lead the research. Researchers will define the county’s labor draw area, survey business leaders, and analyze detailed industry, occupational, and wage information. Researchers will analyze and assemble this information into a Labor Market Study that Fannin leaders can use to market to prospective business.

Blue Ridge, GA. Photo from the Fannin County Development Authority

The research team expects to complete at the end of August.

Learn more about the EDRP program here.