The Creation And Implementation Of A Formally Structured, C

In 1985, the Gadsden-Etowah County Industrial Development Authority (IDA) in Georgia was created to initiate the area's first comprehensive economic development program. The IDA's specific objectives included: 1. attracting new industries to occupy 2 closed manufacturing plants, and 2. analyzing Etowah County's industrial base to identify customers and suppliers of local companies for solicitation purposes. The IDA's action plan provided for: 1. personal assistance to local industries on an as-needed basis. 2. a match-market survey, 3. creation of a new Etowah County Labor-Business Coalition, 4. creation of a new Etowah County Personnel Managers Association, and 5. creation of a system to personally call on all local plant managers. A timetable for implementation was established. As a result of the program, during 1986, the IDA attracted 7 new industries to the Gadsden area. As a secondary benefit of the program, favorable articles about the area appeared in a number of publications.