By: Amy Holloway, President and CEO
Every Avalanche newsletter includes a section in which we celebrate our clients, highlighting economic development accomplishments in communities we have served. There is never a shortage of stories (and, we are only catching a small portion of the good news that is out there). It inspires us to keep pursuing our mission of making a positive impact on the world.
A recent win that I’ve been thinking about is Trident Technical College’s announcement that it will open a campus in Dorchester County, South Carolina. Having higher education in the county has been part of Dorchester County’s economic development strategy for several years, which makes this an especially exciting victory. For us at Avalanche, this is a high five moment. Since 2004, we have facilitated three five-year strategies for the Charleston region and are deeply committed to their success.
I asked Hank Taylor, Chairman of Dorchester County Economic Development, to reflect on the three top factors that led to their success with landing Trident Tech. His response is a valuable lesson for any community trying to spark positive change:
- We had engagement from all leaders in our community – public, private, and nonprofit.
- We share a vision and a strategic plan that established this as a priority.
- We did not let perfection be an impediment to progress.
Think about your own community and what you hope to achieve in the upcoming years. What one thing would have the greatest positive impact on your economy and the prosperity of people living in your community? Identify the public/private/nonprofit leaders that should come together to make this a reality. Develop a unified vision and strategy for moving forward. Then, take action while always keeping your focus on the prize.
Avalanche has been leading economic development strategies across the U.S. since 2005. In that time, we have seen firsthand what makes strong communities succeed. Without question, the secret sauce in thriving communities is collaborative leadership. Dorchester County’s big news, and all of the stories in the Celebrating Our Clients section of our newsletter, could not come to life without people setting aside differences to work toward a shared vision.
P.S. If you are a past or current Avalanche client and have good news you want the world to know about, please let us know. We’ll gladly share on our social media channels and in our newsletter.