ROME, Georgia
Economic Development Strategy (2007)
In 2007, Market Street was asked to return to Rome, Georgia
for the third time, this time to develop a fresh economic development strategy
focused on taking the community’s efforts to an even higher level. Over the past five years, the community
has benefited from strong job and income growth, thanks to the successes of the
Rome-Floyd County 20/20 economic development initiative. In 1997-98, Market Street worked with
the Greater Rome Chamber, City of Rome, and Floyd County to develop the Rome-Floyd
County 20/20 agenda with “20 Goals for Rome and Floyd County to Grow On.” Five years later, Rome-Floyd County
20/20 asked Market Street to
return to help update its existing strategy and examine the accomplishments of
the community to date.
Now, Market Street
has returned to Rome to develop a new five-year strategy for Rome-Floyd County. The strategy will build on past
successes as well as address new and continuing challenges for the
community. The process leading up
to strategy creation included a demographic and economic indicator analysis,
and a competitiveness assessment in the business climate areas of education and
workforce development, infrastructure, business costs, and quality of
life. Successes were found in each
of these areas, but more work was needed, particularly in the areas of education,
young professional workforce retention and attraction, entrepreneurial
development, and economic diversification focused on rising local per capita
income levels and other measures of wealth and prosperity.
The Rome-Floyd County 20/20 II strategy was developed based
on the full breadth of the feedback and findings from the process. The strategy served to take Rome-Floyd
County to the “next level” of competitiveness and included comprehensive
programs in education and training, talent retention and attraction,
international development, economic diversification and
marketing/branding. The Greater
Rome Chamber – working with key volunteer leadership – is currently
implementing the strategy’s priority action areas.
For more information, visit http://www.romega.com/rf2020/index.html.