Challenge Situated in South Central Alaska, Mat-Su Borough covers an expansive area totaling nearly 25,000 square miles. Since 1970, Mat-Su has experienced explosive population growth, driven largely by Anchorage residents drawn to its more affordable housing options and appealing lifestyle. The associated residential construction surge resulted in haphazard growth patterns […]
Challenge Through most of its history, downtown was a major destination for tourism and economic activity within Hot Springs. Its proximity to Hot Springs National Park (the first in the nation) and the presence of Bathhouse Row drew visitors to the region for over a century. But, over time, downtown
Challenge Five years after the official end of the Great Recession, Delaware continued to struggle with the lasting effects of the downturn. Faced with budget challenges; a restructuring of the state’s traditional industry clusters; and intense regional and national competition for jobs, investment, and talent, aggressive action was called for.
Challenge As part of its efforts to organize a regional cluster initiative, Bexar County contracted TIP Strategies to develop a report on the Texas—Northeastern Mexico vehicle manufacturing industry. The purpose of the report was to define the region, highlight industry trends, and profile the regional assets that support vehicle manufacturing.
Challenge Historically, the job market in Clark County, Washington, closely tracked that of the greater Portland region. However, the county’s job growth began to diverge from that of the metropolitan area in the early 2000s. Following the Great Recession, the unemployment rate in Clark County stood among the highest in
Challenge Due to the oil boom in the Bakken region of North Dakota, the Bismarck-Mandan region was the location of choice for engineering companies, oil field support services, and other business services related to oil and gas exploration. However, in the face of low oil prices and a slowing of
Challenge Blaine County, Idaho, experienced a dramatic increase in the cost of land and housing in the years leading up to the 2007–2008 recession. Although the county’s rising costs were, in part, a reflection of the increase in speculative construction seen nationally at the time, conditions in the region were
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 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
