About TIP Strategies

Fort Worth, Texas: Becoming a Global City

What does it mean to be a global city? TIP has been pondering this question since we were engaged to lead a team of consultants charged with preparing a new strategy for the City of Fort Worth. It’s a question that elicits different ideas from different people and one that we will explore over the next few months as we help rethink the city’s approach to economic development. To learn more about TIP’s work in Fort Worth, visit our blog.

Data Updates: Geography of Jobs and Recovery

TIP’s Geography of Jobs and Geography of Recovery data visualizations have been updated with the latest data through February 2017.

Our original animated map, the Geography of Jobs, uses a 12-month rolling net job change figure for all 387 metro areas to visually depict several major economic stories that have unfolded over the last two decades. In 2015 we created the Geography of Recovery because we felt there was more to the story than Geography of Jobs was able to communicate. The Geography of Recovery helps to visualize how each metro area’s job growth has fared since the beginning of the Great Recession (December 2007).

The most recent data show continued strong growth in major metros like Dallas-Fort Worth and Atlanta and across the state of Florida. Tech-driven markets including Seattle, Denver, and Boston have seen job growth accelerate in recent months. At the same time, employment growth in energy-dependent economies has slowed or stopped altogether. This includes smaller oil and gas regions like Midland and Odessa, but also larger metros like Oklahoma City, Tulsa, and Houston.

Northwest Florida Forward: A Regional Strategy for Economic Transformation

TIP recently completed a regional strategy for a consortium of economic development partners covering a 13-county region in the Florida panhandle. The final product, Northwest Florida Forward: A Regional Strategy for Economic Transformation, offers a bold plan designed to strengthen and diversify the economy beyond its traditional economic drivers of tourism and military. The strategy was developed with the input of over 860 residents representing business, education, workforce development, and government over a five-month period.

Jon Roberts and Alex Cooke presented the final strategy to a large audience of stakeholders on February 27 in Niceville, Florida. Regional stakeholders started to work on the strategy immediately following the presentation by organizing into five councils (aligned with the goals of the plan), identifying implementing partners, and prioritizing initiatives. Northwest Florida Forward will also be presented to the Triumph Gulf Coast Board, which is responsible for recommending how funds received from the BP oil spill settlement are allocated to the eight hardest-hit counties in the region.

Image courtesy Florida's Great Northwest

East Kern County, California: Economic Diversification Plan

Kern County, California, recently completed a major new economic development strategic plan for the county’s eastern portion with assistance from TIP Strategies and Chabin Concepts. A strategic plan for one section of a single county may not sound like a major undertaking. However, the county is geographically expansive with broad economic potential. The East Kern region spans an area larger than the combined land mass of Delaware and Rhode Island and is home to numerous unique assets. These include two of the nation’s most innovative military installations (Naval Air Weapons Station-China Lake and Edwards Air Force Base), the Mojave Air & Space Port, a diverse menu of tourism and outdoor recreation assets, and strong linkages to the Greater Los Angeles economy.

Through 2016 and early 2017, TIP worked with the County, the Kern Economic Development Corporation, and leaders from across the region to link these assets and opportunities into a combined strategic framework. The resulting East Kern Economic Diversification Plan (along with separate strategies for six communities) will position the region for a new wave of economic expansion. Visit our blog to learn more about these plans.

Vision North Iowa: Gaining Momentum

The North Iowa Corridor Economic Development Corporation, Mason City Chamber of Commerce, and Clear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce are partnering in a newly formed initiative to create a multi-jurisdictional strategy for regional economic growth and prosperity called Vision North Iowa. TIP was hired to assist with the initiative, which kicked off in mid-February. As part of the stakeholder engagement process, the project team conducted a community perception survey that was met with an exceptional response, attracting input from over 700 citizens throughout the region. The project has also garnered significant regional media coverage for its commitment to involve the public throughout the project.

Image by Bill Whittaker via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Northern Colorado: Collective Action to Meet Workforce Challenges

In February 2017, a coalition of partners led by the Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce adopted the Talent 2.0: Regional Workforce Strategy to launch a collaborative effort to address the region's talent shortfall. The coalition included the cities of Fort Collins and Loveland, the Fort Collins Area Chamber of Commerce, the Loveland Chamber of Commerce, Larimer County, the Northern Colorado Economic Alliance, the Larimer County Workforce Center, and United Way of Larimer County. Talent 2.0 has already gained a great deal of momentum and interest in the community. Read additional coverage of our work in Fort Collins at the Reporter-Herald and the Coloradoan.