Saturday, January 29, 2005
With a population of 3,500, Custer County, Colorado (named after George Armstrong Custer) is one of the smallest of the 3,100 counties in the U.S. The county is moving ahead with a collaborative economic development effort. Learn more.
A couple of issues are noteworthy. First, the county's extension agent provided the facilitation. In other words, the county did not need to reach outside to start. Second, the new committee has started by setting some common sense rules. This step is important because economic development happens in the civic space outside the four walls of any one organization. There are no rules in the civic space unless we impose them on ourselves.
Finally, the group has some practical outcomes to drive its activities, including a commitment to meet monthly.
posted by Ed Morrison |
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Some Background on EDPro Weblog
The purpose of this weblog is to help economic development professionals -- EDPros -- keep up with the changes sweeping our profession. Strap on your goggles. It's a whole new game. There are no experts any more. The only place to learn about economic development is from other EDPros who are doing it.
One other point: the prevaling approach (paradigm, if you like) in economic development is shifting from competition to collaboration. There are a lot of reaasons underlying this shift, but here's the important insight: You, your community, and your region will do better by collaborating and sharing information.
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Speaking and workshops on Open Source Economic Development
As the idea of Open Source Economic Development starts spreading, more people are asking about it. Visit the I-Open web site to learn more. My colleagues and I are happy to explain the basic concepts in a talk or a workshop. E-mail Susan Alshuler if you'd like to learn more about workshops and speaking.
Background on Ed Morrison
Download some background information on me here.
Custer County starts collaborating
