Strategic Planning

Whether you’re talking about the entrepreneur, an existing employer, an investor, or a prospective company considering your community, “quality of place” is becoming an increasingly important criterion for becoming a community of choice.  Developing this quality of place for achieving economic prosperity is no simple task.  It often requires strategic change-making, which is made possible through commitment, hard work, and, yes, ongoing community innovation.   Sometimes a little help can make a big difference.

Often, there are steps to take before a community is ready to undergo a strategic planning process. Through our Readiness Assessment, we provide a baseline assessment for those communities that have recently started an economic development program or are in the process of forming their leadership team. The Readiness Assessment offers a checklist of essential questions concerning the three prongs for community sustainability – economic, environmental, and social equity.

Through our Accelerator Program^SM, we assist in the strategic planning process from concept to implementation. Starting up a strategic planning process is akin to starting a new business. Similar to how incubators, such as Georgia Tech’s ATDC, we provide assistance to entrepreneurs starting a new company, we provides managerial and technical assistance to community leaders starting a new planning process or working to revitalize an existing one. This program is customized to best fit the needs of the communities we serve.  The overall goal of the Accelerator Program^SM is for the community leaders to develop a highly effective framework for strategic action that enables them to pursue their community’s most promising opportunities and continue efforts after completing the program.

For more information about our Strategic Planning services, please contact Leigh Hopkins.