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 In early 2020, Central Texas had enjoyed years of record-setting expansion and a labor market with historically low unemployment. However, even under these favorable conditions, worrisome trends loomed. The aging of the workforce and retirement exposure, the educational attainment of the working-age population, youth disconnection, and the digitalization of
Challenge The sharp downturn in economic activity precipitated by the global COVID-19 pandemic brought the need for recovery and resiliency planning into sharp relief for communities, regions, and states in 2020. Faced with the immediate need of helping member communities deal with recovery planning from the current economic upheaval, and
Challenge The Delta Regional Authority (DRA) is a federal-state partnership serving a 252-county/parish area encompassing portions of Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee. Led by a Federal Co-Chairman and the governors of each participating state, the DRA is charged with improving the standard of living for the
Challenge The Central Upper Peninsula of Michigan boasts remarkable assets. Despite its distance from major urban centers, its natural beauty, higher education institutions, and emerging technology assets stand out both within Michigan and nationally. Facilities such as the Innovate Marquette SmartZone, Sawyer International Airport, and Northern Michigan University’s indoor agriculture
Challenge While the population and demand for services in rural Central Texas have continued to grow post-pandemic, regional employers have struggled to hire, and rural workers have struggled to access the training and support needed to thrive. Seeking to address this deepening disconnect, Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area (WSRCA) applied
Challenge Covering 14 counties, along with the Saginaw metropolitan area and the sovereign Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan, the East Michigan Council of Governments (EMCOG) region is incredibly diverse in terms of its geography, demographics, and economic base. As a result, EMCOG’s comprehensive economic development strategy (CEDS) must account
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 Interstate 68 (I-68) is a 113-mile, east-west highway that travels through mountainous and rural areas to connect I-70 in Hancock, Maryland, to I-79 in Morgantown, West Virginia. In 2016, the counties and cities that share I-68 as a common asset formed the I-68 Regional Economic Partnership (REP). While the
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
