January 2020
Envisioning 2030: Three Big Economic Development Priorities for the Decade Ahead
As we start a new decade, many communities are wondering what the future will hold. Examining the past ten years offers valuable lessons and insights into which trends will shape the next ten and can help establish economic development priorities.

As we look ahead to 2030, trends like talent and technology will remain deeply relevant to the world of economic development. While every community will face its own unique challenges that require new, creative tactics, read our blog to find out which three priorities should remain top of mind for all economic developers.
Take the 2020 Economic Developers Survey!
Curious to know how your prospect activity and 2020 projections stack up against other EDOs? You're invited to participate in our 11th Annual Economic Developers survey, a free service to the ED community from Avalanche Consulting. The survey will close on Friday, January 31st, so we encourage you to take the survey today! The survey takes only 10 minutes to complete. All survey respondents will receive a report with the findings.
ALL information will be aggregated and held in strict confidence. No individual results will be released. Only survey participants will receive results.
Selling to Local Stakeholders: The Critical Need for Internal Communication
When economic development organizations discuss communication, we often focus on external communication – marketing and selling our communities to new businesses and talent. This is an important function, but only one component of the communication work necessary to sustain a healthy and resilient economy. Internal communication – efforts that engage local residents, businesses, elected leaders and partners – gets less recognition, but has become increasingly important due to several recent trends in the world of economic development.

Find out why these trends are making it more important than ever to communicate with local stakeholders. Read the full article at Chamber Executive Magazine.
Celebrating our Clients
Risever Celebrates Grand Opening!: Jonesboro Unlimited celebrated Risever's official grand opening in October. Two years ago, Risever announced plans to open a steel fabrication facility in Jonesboro, AR , and those plans have come to fruition. Risever is on track to invest $20.5 million in Jonesboro, and Risever's opening will help Jonesboro Unlimited achieve its goal of creating 2,500 new jobs in five years.

SEA column: A glance at SEA’s past and future: This article highlights all of the amazing work the Sandoval Economic Alliance has done recently. Its VeriReady sites program, which allows companies to break ground faster, plus significant progress on implementing SEA's Economic Development Action strategy, are big reasons to celebrate.

Pharmacy-Lite Packaging establishing operations in Fairfield County: The Central SC Alliance has announced that Pharmacy-Lite Packaging will open a new facility in Fairfield County, investing $2.9 million and creating new 33 jobs. Congrats to the region!

Longmont as a brand is paying dividends: New building, new residents keep coming - Longmont makes the news as its efforts to promote sustainable growth are successful. With over 700K square feet of commercial space approved in 2018 and more than 3 million square feet of residential space coming online in the next few years, Longmont is ready for action. In fact, Longmont was just named America's #1 Boomtown. Way to go Longmont Economic Development Partnership and the City of Longmont !

Charleston's 2019-2020 One Region Economic Scorecard : The Charleston region has again seen incredible economic progress. In the past year, the region experienced an increase in GDP, median household income, growth of remote workers, and access to broadband. The Charleston Region's Economic Scorecard - which benchmarks the region across a variety of economic and quality of life indicators - is a best practice in itself.

Santa Rosa Junior College gets $7 million federal grant for program to train construction workers: The Santa Rosa Junior College in Sonoma County, CA received a $7 million grant to build a regional construction trades training center to create more skilled construction workers in the region. This program will both train residents in high-demand skills, increase the number of skilled workers available for jobs, and help produce more housing in the County. This program is just one of the ways partners in the region continue to implement Strategic Sonoma .
Avalanche Reflects on Leadership Austin Experiences
Avalanche Consulting was featured in Leadership Austin's 40 Stories in 40 Days campaign that allows alumni to reflect on their experiences in the program. Amy, Tony, and Noelle have all participated or are currently participating in Leadership Austin's programs. In this fun article, the three of them interview each other about their experiences, what they gained from Leadership Austin, and more.

Avalanche in Action
Avalanche kicked off 2020 by traveling coast to coast! We started the month with a visit to Bellevue, WA , where Tony and John enjoyed a winter wonderland while facilitating conversations on the city's future. Next, we traveled to Laurens County, SC, where Marian and Jennifer led community input sessions and began shaping the county's goals. We also traveled Cleveland to present our draft framework for an inclusive growth strategy. We rounded out the month with trips to Rockford, IL, and Tampa Bay, FL. For more Avalanche in Action, follow us on Instagram.
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Avalanche Consulting: Research, Marketing, Strategy
Avalanche Consulting   is the nation's premier economic development strategist. We are the best in the business at translating complex information into strategies, marketing messages, and motivation for action. We are deeply driven to make a positive impact and seek clients who are equally inspired to energize their economies. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, Avalanche was established in 2005 and has assisted more than 150 communities across the US and abroad. 
Headlight Data Powers Detroit Data Center
Check out the  Detroit Regional Chamber's new Headlight Data Dashboard  that provides a one-stop, interactive, online portal for all economic, workforce, education, and demographic data in the 11-county Detroit region. The Detroit Data Center provides businesses, community leaders, and residents in the region with extensive data with which to make business, policy, and career decisions. 

To learn more about how Headlight can help YOUR community, visit  www.HeadlightData.com  to schedule a  demo .

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