For decades, the Center for Economic Development Research has helped communities in Georgia with economic development strategic planning. Our services have brought local officials, business leaders, and residents together to put their community on a path toward sustainable economic development. How can we help your community reach its potential?
Community Assessment/Profile – Need a comprehensive description of your community? Our staff will review existing data sources, research reports, and planning documents concerning your community. With this research, we can assemble a simplified but thorough profile of your community, providing a vital baseline for subsequent studies.
Target Industry Analysis – Need to know what industries are best suited for your community? We can define and identify the industry clusters that thrive in your community. Our team will analyze the critical dynamics revealing your community’s strengths, workforce availability, and local assets and resources. We help you identify the key industry sectors and niches so you can focus your economic development activities.
Partnership Development – Need to connect community leaders, business leaders, and local stakeholders? Our staff can develop and implement a strategy tailored to your needs that builds a network of innovation, entrepreneurship, and opportunity in your community. Typically, we build partnerships by encouraging collaboration among institutions of higher-education, the private sector, and local government. We search for cost-effective solutions to meet the goals unique to all partners involved.
Economic Development Strategic Plan – Need your community to focus on the big picture? Our economic development strategic planning services do just that. We bring it all together by incorporating our expertise in economic and feasibility analysis and labor market analysis to draw a picture of your community and help you benchmark your progress. We analyze the effectiveness of your regulatory statutes, land use and zoning code policy, energy and environmental policy in the context of your economic development efforts. We look at the strengths and weaknesses of your labor force and assess business retention, entrepreneurial activity, and the overall vibrancy of your local economy. Through surveys and interviews, we can build community “buy-in” and help your community shape its priorities and vision.