Get a crash course in economic development at today’s 45th annual meeting of the Tri-City Development Council and also find out what the Tri-Cities is doing to recruit and retain businesses.
Richard Bodo, an economic development expert, is scheduled to speak about the things that attract big businesses and real estate developers to an area, and their role in fostering growth and development.
Carl Adrian, TRIDEC’s president and CEO, will provide a review of last year, highlighting economic development in their community. Adrian is expected to show TRIDEC’s successful effort to reach out to businesses and to public officials to help sustain growth momentum in the community, said Deanna Smith, TRIDEC spokeswoman. “We’re very well positioned despite the downturn in the national economy.”
About 1,800 nonfarm jobs were created in the Tri-Cities last year, and the area is poised for more growth with the influx of federal stimulus money, she said.
Bodo, vice president of Area Development magazine, will talk about the site selection process that is followed by corporate executives. Development consultants generally help corporations move into a community. They know what kind of infrastructure is ready and the potential employee base businesses are looking for. And they can guide local development agencies to better pitch their offerings to attract new companies, Smith said.
Economic development is about job creation, attracting investments, developing intellectual capital and attracting young professionals to the community, experts say. A few years ago, Angelos Angelou, an Austin, Texas-based economic development consultant, helped fine-tune the plan for the Tri-Cities Research District to trigger growth and economic diversification.
Source: Tri-City Herald