{"141691":{"#nid":"141691","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Clayton County Launches Strategic Economic Development Planning with Georgia Tech Help","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EClayton County leaders have begun development of a new strategic plan intended to guide the county\u2019s economic development efforts during the years ahead. This eight-step planning process, which kicked off with a community forum July 19 at Clayton State University, is being facilitated by economic development specialists from the Georgia Institute of Technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe plan will recommend ways that the county can take advantage of its many economic development strengths, including Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport; transportation and logistics assets such as access to air transportation, an extensive rail network, and Interstate highway connections; location at the center of the metropolitan Atlanta area; a strong core of established industry; a growing four-year public university, and a water system with sufficient capacity.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cWhat stands out about Clayton County is its strong future potential,\u201d said Jason Chernock, project manager with the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/communityinnovation.org\/\u0022\u003ECommunity Innovation Services\u003C\/a\u003E group at Georgia Tech\u2019s \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/innovate.gatech.edu\/\u0022\u003EEnterprise Innovation Institute\u003C\/a\u003E. \u201cThe county has all of the physical pieces for economic development. It needs a unifying vision, strategic plan and consensus on how to implement the plan. Our job will be to bring people together to find the common ground.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe county\u2019s last comprehensive economic development plan was produced more than a decade ago, and a lot has changed since then. Like many communities, Clayton County has faced the loss of jobs from the recession, a slowdown in development and declining real estate values.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThis will be a comprehensive strategic planning process that will involve a lot of research, a lot of public engagement, a lot of interaction with community leaders, and the facilitation of a plan,\u201d Chernock explained. \u201cThe plan will include everything from mission and vision statements, goals and objectives, benchmarks, to information on roles and responsibilities.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA steering committee will guide the effort, led by co-chairs Yulonda Beauford, president and CEO of the Clayton County Chamber of Commerce, and Larry Vincent, chairman of the Development Authority of Clayton County. The committee will include representatives from county\u2019s municipalities, as well as numerous private- and public-sector entities that will play a role in the county\u2019s future economic development. The planning process will also include an opportunity for public input.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlso represented on the steering committee is Clayton State University, a unit of the University System of Georgia with approximately 7,000 students and nearly 200 full-time faculty members.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cAs a comprehensive, publicly-supported university, we believe Clayton State must serve as a steward of place,\u201d said Thomas Hynes, president of Clayton State University. \u201cWhether through contributing to a more educated workforce; sharing faculty and student knowledge resources in management, small business and entrepreneurship, logistics, health care, archival research; or advancing the arts and social sciences, this economic analysis will help our shared work in the county and the region.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe eight-step planning process will include facilitating a steering committee, organizing a kick-off meeting, reviewing recent initiatives, interviewing stakeholders, hosting community forums, engaging Clayton State University, performing a target industry analysis, and developing the strategic plan. The work is expected to be completed by the end of calendar 2012.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cThe development of this strategic plan is a positive step forward for economic growth and prosperity in Clayton County,\u201d said Yulonda Beauford, president and CEO of the Clayton County Chamber of Commerce. \u201cThis process will be collaborative and involve all sectors of the community. By working together, we will strengthen our business competitiveness and future sustainability for our county.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EEnterprise Innovation Institute\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGeorgia Institute of Technology\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E75 Fifth Street, N.W., Suite 309\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EAtlanta, Georgia\u0026nbsp; 30308\u0026nbsp; USA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMedia Relations Contact\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon (404-894-6986)(\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E).\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWriter\u003C\/strong\u003E: John Toon\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EClayton County leaders have begun development of a new strategic plan intended to guide the county\u2019s economic development efforts during the years ahead. This eight-step planning process, which kicked off with a community forum July 19 at Clayton State University, is being facilitated by economic development specialists from the Georgia Institute of Technology.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"With help from Georgia Tech, Clayton County has begun development of a new strategic plan intended to guide the county\u2019s future economic development."}],"uid":"27303","created_gmt":"2012-07-21 17:22:20","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:33","author":"John Toon","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-07-21T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-07-21T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"141681":{"id":"141681","type":"image","title":"Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport","body":null,"created":"1449178723","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:38:43","changed":"1475894774","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:14","alt":"Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport","file":{"fid":"194952","name":"atlanta-airport.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/atlanta-airport_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/atlanta-airport_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":96430,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/atlanta-airport_0.jpg?itok=iRjNN1sC"}}},"media_ids":["141681"],"groups":[{"id":"1188","name":"Research Horizons"}],"categories":[{"id":"131","name":"Economic Development and Policy"}],"keywords":[{"id":"38571","name":"Clayton County"},{"id":"815","name":"economic development"},{"id":"3671","name":"Enterprise Innovation Institute"},{"id":"38131","name":"jason chernock"},{"id":"167488","name":"strategic plan"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EJohn Toon\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EEnterprise Innovation Institute\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E(404) 894-6986\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:jtoon@gatech.edu\u0022\u003Ejtoon@gatech.edu\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["jtoon@gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}