Politics & Government

7 Targets of Highly Effective Job Growth?

The Cobb Chamber's Competitive EDGE initiative has identified economic opportunities for the county. Are they the right ones?

A consultant to the Cobb Chamber of Commerce has identified seven targets for economic development, Chamber Chief Operating Officer Demming Bass told the county  on Tuesday:

  • Health care services.
  • Travel and tourism.
  • Bioscience.
  • Aerospace and advanced manufacturing.
  • Information technology and software.
  • Business and professional services.
  • Wholesale trade.

Those are the initial recommendations from Midtown Atlanta-based Market Street Services as it carries out the Chamber’s four-part, six-month Competitive EDGE (Economic Development for a Growing Economy) initiative.

The county board heard the midway update on the project during the afternoon, then voted 5-0 Tuesday night to approve economic development changes that  to companies to move to or expand in the county, the Marietta Daily Journal reported.

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The revised county policy is set to expire in a year to make way for comprehensive changes based on Competitive EDGE.

The seven Competitive EDGE job targets reflect Market Street’s findings from a competitive assessment that included a community survey with more than 1,500 responses.

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That assessment, attached to this article, compared Cobb County with Gwinnett County, Wake County, NC, and Collin County, TX, Bass said.

Among the negatives:

  • The recession has wiped out more than a decade of job growth and left Cobb with the same number of jobs it had in 1998.
  • The county has a shrinking middle class, while the population of people making less than $25,000 a year or more than $100,000 is growing.
  • More people are moving out of Cobb than are moving in from other counties.
  • Transportation and traffic problems stymie the county and dominate residents’ concerns.

Among the positives:

  • The county has seen strong growth for high-wage jobs in health care, education, and business and professional services.
  • Per capita income tops $43,000, almost $11,000 more than in Gwinnett.
  • The county’s workforce is young and among the most educated in the nation.
  • The  and  public school systems and the universities are highly competitive.
  • Although the county is losing domestic population, it is growing because so many people from other countries are moving here—and that’s counting only legal immigrants.
  • The county government has kept taxes low and maintained a bond rating of AAA.
  • The cost of living is low even though wages are high.  

Market Street’s next step is to create a strategy for community and economic development based on the competitive analysis and the resulting seven job targets.

“This is a critical component,” Board of Commissioners Chairman Tim Lee said. “We appreciate your help to bring more jobs to Cobb County.”

Are Market Street and the Chamber on the right track? Are those seven targets the best areas for Cobb to find jobs?

Bass explained the thinking behind the job targets.

He said the first three are growth opportunities, meaning Cobb has a job base on which to build but doesn’t have a cluster or unique advantage:

  • Health care services start with the WellStar network and should try to expand residential care for the elderly and persuade Cobb residents to get all of their medical care within the county.
  • Travel and tourism already form the industry with Cobb’s largest economic impact, accounting for $1.73 billion a year and one in five Cobb workers. The goal is to expand entertainment and dining options and to cross-market facilities so people know they’re in Cobb.
  • Bioscience is highly competitive for few jobs, but they pay well. The county should focus on helping companies expand.

The other four target areas represent core clusters in which Cobb can offer something special, Bass said:

  • Aerospace and advanced manufacturing must build on the presence of Lockheed Martin and , persuading subcontractors and other vendors to move here. These manufacturing jobs pay an average of $96,000 a year in Cobb.
  • Information technology and software could grow by emphasizing the university presence in Cobb, especially , and focusing on health care IT.
  • Business and professional services target the Fortune 500 headquarters in Cobb and the many small businesses that meet their needs in areas such as accounting, advertising, public relations and human resources.
  • Wholesale trade fits nicely with redevelopment efforts in South Cobb because of the proximity to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The opportunities range from sales to warehousing.

Do you agree with the targets? Where do you think Cobb should focus its efforts to create jobs?


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