Charleston, SC – This week, the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce (CMCC) and Charleston Regional Development Alliance (CRDA) launch One Region, a planning initiative that will create a multi-year economic development, global competitiveness strategy for the three-county region (Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties).
The goal of the strategy is to work collaboratively as a region to further enhance the economy through advancements in talent, infrastructure and other assets characteristic of a globally competitive metro; an investment in the community for a robust and stable economy for many years to come.
The CMCC and CRDA have retained Avalanche Consulting and McCallum Sweeney Consulting to facilitate the strategic planning process. Avalanche and McCallum Sweeney are the team who facilitated the Opportunity Next strategy which has driven the region’s economic development efforts over the past five years.
The strategic planning process will take six months to complete and will result in three in-depth reports:
• A Competitive Assessment, which will provide a detailed evaluation of the region’s current competitive strengths and areas for improvement
• Identification of Target Industry Clusters and Competencies, which will be the target audiences of economic development activities and community enhancements over the next five years
• A Strategic Action Plan, which will provide a vision, goals, and detailed tactics for addressing critical community challenges, advancing target clusters and competencies, and coordinating activities so that we act as One Region to achieve our vision
To begin the project, Avalanche and McCallum Sweeney are conducting a detailed analysis of the region’s economy, assets and opportunities. The consulting team is in the region this week to conduct focus groups and interviews with leaders from across the region. An online survey is also available for stakeholders to provide their vision and insight on the future economy of the Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester region. The survey is available at www.OneRegionStrategy.com.
The strategic planning process will be guided by an 80-member Advisory Group comprised of leaders from a diverse range of public sector, private sector, nonprofit, and educational organizations. Co-chairing the advisory board are Mr. Ken Seeger, President at WestRock and Mr. Jeff Spicer, Senior Vice President at Wells Fargo. Other One Region Strategy Executive Committee Members include Mr. Mitchell Bohannon, Consultant at Thomas & Hutton; Mr. Chris Fraser, Principal & Managing Director at Avison Young; Ms. Jessica Jackson, Global Corporate Citizenship at Boeing; Mr. Mark Lattanzio, Charleston Regional President at SunTrust; Dr. Mary Thornley, President at Trident Technical College; and Ms. Anita Zucker, Chairperson and CEO at The InterTech Group.
For more information about the strategy, visit www.OneRegionStrategy.com.