Challenge Lake County, Illinois, is a picturesque region along the shores of Lake Michigan. It is one of the largest counties in the Chicago metropolitan area, with over 714,000 residents as of the 2020 US Census. Proximity to downtown Chicago and O’Hare International Airport, combined with distinctive communities and easy […]
Challenge The Community Development Foundation (CDF), which serves as the chamber of commerce and economic development organization for Tupelo/Lee County, Mississippi, has long recognized the transformative power of a vision and a plan. Beginning with the 1946 “Tupelo Plan,” the CDF has implemented a series of plans that have enabled
Challenge Despite a long-term decline in manufacturing employment at the national level, Buncombe County has captured top tier advanced manufacturing companies. The region is also home to the National Centers for Environmental Information and a dynamic community of entrepreneurs and innovative startups. Building on this success is a challenge for
Challenge The inactivation of the 159th Combat Aviation Brigade coupled with additional reductions in Army personnel dropped the active duty population at Fort Campbell to 26,500 in FY2015, down from a high of 31,092 just two years earlier. These personnel actions had a significant impact on the regional economy (defined
Challenge Greater Spokane has grown into the second largest metro area in the state of Washington and a significant economic driver for the Inland Northwest. The region is home to dynamic industries ranging from aerospace and life sciences to advanced manufacturing and agriculture, a full spectrum of higher education institutions,
Challenge Jackson County, Mississippi—one of the leading industrial centers along the Gulf Coast—has shown remarkable resiliency in the face of numerous challenges to its economic stability, including major storm events and economic upheavals associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The leadership’s commitment to economic growth has paid dividends, as evidenced by
Challenge California’s Central Coast holds many advantages including a broad industry base, dynamic employers, diverse populations, and scenic landscapes. Its growing tech and innovation ecosystem is supported by two leading universities—California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) and the University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara)—along with
Challenge Oakland County has been an economic leader in Michigan, often outpacing state and national averages in educational attainment, median household income, and labor force participation. Thanks in large part to its concentration of jobs in the professional services and healthcare sectors, the county managed to rebound from the job
Challenge Originally adopted in 2000, the Jefferson EDGE strategy has served as a roadmap for economic development in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. Throughout its various iterations, the EDGE planning efforts have set the course for many of the Parish’s most successful initiatives, including the development of the 480-acre Churchill Technology &
Challenge McAllen has long been an economic development leader in the Rio Grande Valley. The community has leveraged the combined strengths of northern Mexico and south Texas, driving both population and economic growth. The McAllen Economic Development Corporation’s (MEDC) effective and sustained domestic and international marketing efforts have resulted in
