One of the best parts of being an economic development consultant is the inspiration that I get from communities around the US.  That’s how I feel about our current partners at the Marion Business Association (MBA) in Marion NC.  EntreWorks Consulting is currently working with MBA on an assessment of its flagship program, Growing Entrepreneurs Marion (GEM), which is celebrating its tenth anniversary.  Marion and GEM were recently profiled on the North Carolina Public Television show, NC Impact, and the segment is really inspiring.  If you want to learn about a great program that is doing great things to support downtown revitalization, I encourage you to check out GEM and its transformational work in Marion and McDowell County.  You can access the NC Impact segment, “How a Dying Downtown Sparked a Small Business Revival” here.  

This blog post highlights two of my favorite economic development-related things here in Virgina.  First is Cardinal News, an invaluable local news source covering Southern and Southwestern Virginia. Second is the City of Roanoke VA, which continues to impress as it reinvents itself and thrives as a great place to live, work, and play.

Roanoke originally grew as a manufacturing center and home to a major facilities for the Norfolk Southern railroad.  Most of those economic anchors are long gone, but Roanoke thrives today with a diversified economy, a great downtown, a thriving life sciences industry, and a strong community for outdoors enthusiasts.

Cardinal News is now telling this story in a four-part series called “Tech Town,” which examines how Roanoke has struggled but ultimately succeeded in recovering from the industrial downturns of the late 2000s.  The first installment is out today, with other stories to follow later this week. “Tech Town” is worth a read for many reasons.  First, it offers useful guidance on what it takes to change an economy’s direction over the longer term. Second, it shows the power of local media outlets like Cardinal News.  Every place needs a media voice like them, preserving local history and pushing the region in new directions for the future.