Community-First
Economic Development

For too long, economic development has been focused on business recruitment, job creation, and real estate development. While these are critical components of success, they are merely means for a greater purpose: people.

Community-First Economic Development is focused the individual economic health of the people in your community. Every effort is to serve that key performance indicator of an economically successful community.

Community-First
Economic Development

Economic Development

For too long, economic development has been focused on business recruitment, job creation, and real estate development. While these are critical components of success, they are merely means for a greater purpose: people.

NEWS

SPEAKING

PODCAST

LaKesha Womack – Democratic Nominee for NC 14th Congressional District

LaKesha Womack discusses her grassroots campaign for North Carolina’s 14th Congressional District.

Robert Long – Director, Chester County Economic Development

Robert Long explains how economic development drives jobs, wages, and quality of life in Chester County.

Beth Black White – Co-Owner, Black’s Peaches

Beth Black White talks about family farming and agro-tourism.

BLOG

Save Your Community’s Small Businesses from Extractive Debt

A Small Business Debt Fund can save your community’s local small businesses from extractive debt cycles that kill small businesses and send money out of the local economy.

Category Marketing: How Small Businesses Win

Category Marketing: How Small Businesses Win The Art If David would have walked out to meet Goliath with sword and shield, he would surely have been destroyed. If the American Revolutionaries would have marched out to meet the Red Coats in an open field, they would surely have been decimated. The secret to competing with…

Workforce Consulting & Job Portal in Athens, GA

Workforce Consulting & Job Portal in Athens, GA After more than a year of systems-level planning and implementation, AthensAchieves.com has launched as a community workforce platform designed to address not only job matching, but the structural barriers that prevent full employment in Athens–Clarke County. Jason served as the workforce consultant and project designer for Athens…

Extractive Economics: Why communities are getting poorer & what to do about it

Are the people of your community getting richer or poorer? Well, by isolated metrics, like wages and 401ks, one could argue richer. But by lived experience, in relation to the important expenses of our lives and our ability to build wealth over time, the clear answer is poorer. But why? The answer is woven into our economic system.