By Ed Morrison
Building a strong economic base requires a balanced approach. Recruiting companies is not enough. Starting new companies is not enough. Building a creative place is not enough. Educating people is not enough. “Creative people” are not enough.
We need all of these components (and a few more) in dynamic balance.
…
EDPros need the skills and abilities to see their regional economies as integrated systems, not simply a string of projects.Simple-minded “stove pipe” thinking — “economic development” is different than “workforce development ” is different than “community development” — perpetuates our fragmented views os the world and distorts our ability to identify opportunities. (They are all around us, even in “depressed” economies.)
Opportunites lie in the connections. And it is the new job of EDPros to design and make these connections. Weave networks.
[small biz] [rural] [entrepreneurs] [Ed Morrison] [economic development]
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