Challenge For over 60 years, economic development in the area surrounding Killeen, Texas, has been strongly influenced by the growth and expansion of Fort Hood, the largest active duty armored installation in the US Armed Services. Cities in the region have benefited economically, socially, and culturally from the thousands of […]
Challenge In early 2016, the Lewis Economic Development Council (Lewis EDC) began the process of developing a strategic plan to guide the organization’s short, medium, and long-range economic development activities. Funded under the US Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization (POWER) Initiative, the plan
Challenge Following the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010—the largest maritime oil spill in US history—the state of Mississippi was awarded $750 million to help offset economic damages in coastal communities. In 2018, the Mississippi legislature passed a law (Senate Bill 2002) committing 75 percent of the remaining BP
Challenge In 2018, Brownsville was the largest US city in the Rio Grande Valley and a rapidly growing, bi-national region with more than 2.5 million residents. The community was in the midst of an unprecedented convergence of major investment projects from both the private sector (such as SpaceX’s new Boca
Challenge Situated in the scenic foothills of northern Georgia among miles of largely unspoiled Lake Lanier shoreline, Forsyth County’s rapid population growth, highly rated schools, and affluence has made it a prime location for investment within the fast-growing and dynamic Atlanta metro area. However, the county’s many assets and successes
Challenge Located in the heart of the Arkansas River Valley, the greater Fort Smith area featured some exceptional assets in the early 2000s, including a strong manufacturing base, excellent access to major metropolitan areas, and a relatively low cost of living. However, the region had reached a tipping point and
Challenge In 2012, Michigan’s governor created the Regional Prosperity Initiative (RPI), a statewide effort to bring local leaders together across ten designated “prosperity regions” to create a shared vision for economic growth. The eight-county East Central Michigan Prosperity Region, which encompasses Saginaw, has numerous assets: top-tier higher education institutions; major
Challenge The economy of central Oklahoma has long been defined by oil and gas. The vulnerability associated with overdependence on this sector has not been lost on the region’s civic leaders. Diversified investment generated through Oklahoma City’s much-lauded MAPS initiative has resulted in new projects and a renewed sense of
Challenge Comprised of Mason City, Clear Lake, and Greater Cerro Gordo County, the North Iowa Corridor boasts multiple industry strengths, including advanced manufacturing, food processing, transportation and warehousing, and healthcare services. Like many rural areas, however, the region struggled to retain young professionals and experienced a gradual decline in population
Challenge Center cities of many of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas are registering their highest levels of population growth in decades, with some leading job growth in their metro areas as well. This trend, labeled by some as “the Great Inversion,” represents a reversal of patterns that have dominated the
