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 The North Louisiana Economic Partnership (NLEP) serves the 14-parish North Louisiana region, which includes Shreveport, Monroe, and Natchitoches. The region experienced a number of high-profile relocations and expansions, including nearly 1,600 new information technology (IT) jobs resulting from the expansion of CenturyLink in Monroe and Computer Sciences Corporation’s (CSC)
Challenge Northwest Florida’s traditional reliance on tourism and on the presence of US military installations and personnel to drive growth has obscured the essential role overall business vitality plays in successful economies. The region’s vulnerability to external shocks and the need to develop a more diversified economy were illuminated first
Challenge Recognizing that talent is a key driver of regional competitiveness, the Tampa Bay Partnership assessed talent indicators for the region and measured these against 19 peer communities. This exercise revealed that the Tampa Bay talent pool lagged its peers, particularly in metrics related to the regional talent pipeline. In
Challenge In 2018, the city of Wausau had stagnant population growth due to outmigration of residents moving to bigger, high-growth cities as a consequence of a national economy with record low unemployment. The area’s agriculture and food processing industry faced major headwinds due to global competition, automation, and labor shortages.
Challenge West Kentucky has a long history of economic success: as a 19th century distribution hub, an agricultural center, a nuclear-age site for uranium enrichment, and a center for numerous manufacturing specialties. In recent years, the region’s economy has been driven by its large military presence (Fort Campbell) and a
Challenge Despite its largely positive economic climate, Texas’s Lower Rio Grande Valley has long faced daunting workforce development challenges. Nearly one-half of the region’s working-age population does not have a high school diploma and only 1 in 8 have a bachelor’s degree or higher. Employers face numerous additional challenges, including
Challenge The Wired65 region, comprised of 26 counties surrounding the Louisville metropolitan area, presents a unique combination of assets and challenges. Home to Worldport, UPS’s international shipping hub, the area boasts a strong logistics and distribution cluster, as well as a significant automotive presence. In addition, the consolidation of the
Challenge While the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas fared better than much of the country during the Great Recession, it was not immune to the downturn. Across the four-county region, the construction, manufacturing, transportation, and farming industries were hardest hit, adding tens of thousands of workers to the unemployment
Challenge The idling of Alcoa’s aluminum production facility in Rockdale, Texas—announced at the height of the Great Recession—would ultimately put more than 1,200 employees out of work and shutter nearly two dozen local businesses that were reliant on the plant or its employees. The crisis brought together representatives from the
