In our region, the Centralina Economic Development District facilitates collaboration, development and execution of the U.S. Commerce Economic Development Administration (EDA) Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS). The CEDS involves a collaborative economic planning process that engages local government, business, education and non-profit leaders in dialog about how to build our regional economy and puts in place a strategic plan focused on making our region a globally competitive and vibrant region.
The CEDS is a five-year strategy intended to guide priorities for economic development in the region. It outlines an approach to coordinate growth and prosperity that builds on the region’s strengths and addresses weaknesses, assesses barriers to future growth, prioritizes key regional industry clusters (including advanced manufacturing, financial services, health, logistics & distribution and information technology) and emphasizes collaboration.
To update and implement the plan, the Centralina Economic Development District Board convenes additional key stakeholders from our nine counties who represent the public, private, workforce, education and non-profit sectors. Bringing together a variety of perspectives helps create a more valid comprehensive and cohesive plan that local governments, business and community partners can endorse and support.
The resulting strategy offers a holistic, forward-looking roadmap that addresses all aspects of economic development, including business recruitment, retention and expansion, product development, entrepreneurship, talent development, education, infrastructure, transportation and quality of place.