Saturday, August 13, 2005
Buchanan County, Virginia has developed an interesting economic development strategy that departs from the traditional path. Civic leaders in Buchanan County decided to build their economic future around a new cluster of educational institutions. By developing a cluster in educational services, the county has begun the to diversify its economy.
Interestingly, the county is developing small niche markets. So, for example, the latest ever focuses on a pharmacy school. In the pipeline, the county has plans to open a private forensic laboratory to partner with the pharmacy school. The private forensic lab would be able to conduct outsourcing work for state forensic labs and private organizations. Read more.
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.
If you are using a news reader, here is the link to syndicate this site:
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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.
Buchanan County's growing educational cluster
