Challenge The fate of Union County, Arkansas, along with that of its county seat El Dorado, has historically been tied to the region’s abundant natural resources, with timber and oil driving the economy for much of the twentieth century. While El Dorado’s oil boom ended decades ago, its legacy remains […]
Challenge “Imagine Lubbock Together” was a visioning process coordinated by the Lubbock Chamber of Commerce to define the values and goals of the community. A central theme that emerged from this process was the need to design an ambitious plan to diversify and grow the Lubbock economy, which had traditionally
Challenge Northeast Florida offers residents a high quality of life with a wide range of amenities, including access to ocean beaches, inland waterways, and other outdoor recreational opportunities as well as options for rural and urban living. Over the past decade, population has increased significantly across the region as skilled
Challenge Overland Park, Kansas, is a strong hub for corporate and professional services located in the southwest quadrant of the Kansas City metropolitan statistical area. The second largest city in Kansas, Overland Park offers a lower cost of living relative to the nation’s coasts; high-quality education institutions; and access to
Challenge The Columbus Partnership (Partnership) is a CEO group comprised of 80 leaders from the region’s largest companies and institutions. The organization is charged with aligning business leadership behind the vision of Columbus, Ohio, becoming the most prosperous metropolitan area in the country in terms of both economic and social
Challenge The competition for investment, jobs, and talent in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and the larger North Texas Region is fierce. Many surrounding communities have well-funded sales tax corporations or other economic development entities that allow them to compete at the highest levels. Within the City of Dallas, the Office
Challenge The Baltimore Region has seen steady growth and development over the past 20 years, the result of both broad economic forces and localized strategies that leverage its strong foundation of assets including its strategic East Coast location, relative affordability, active waterfront, and diverse talent pool. The region is also
Challenge West Virginia’s Kanawha Valley region, anchored by the Charleston metropolitan area, faces long-standing economic challenges including troubling population loss, below-average employment growth, lagging unemployment rates, and low levels of workforce participation. At the same time, new leadership and promising opportunities sparked a renewed sense of agency, urgency, and optimism
Challenge Between 2010 and 2015, the Fort Collins–Loveland economy expanded at a rapid pace, adding nearly 20,000 jobs. The local labor market did not keep pace, however, adding just 11,000 workers over the same period. This imbalance, coupled with low unemployment and high underemployment, left many employers unable to find
Challenge With a thriving petrochemical industry, strong educational assets, and a vibrant local culture, Pasadena, Texas, is a significant contributor to the Houston metro area economy. The city’s central role in this dynamic region is reinforced by its geographic location (just 15 minutes from downtown Houston) and its status as
