Rodrick Miller, CEO of the Detroit Economic Growth Corporation (DEGC) will serve as the keynote speaker on the topic of economic resilience for the 50th Annual Georgia Tech Basic Economic Development Course, being held in Atlanta March 21st – 24th, 2017.
Miller is a leader on the subject of economic resilience, leveraging the competitive advantages of cities like New Orleans and Detroit to create robust and economically diverse communities. Miller helped launch the New Orleans Business Alliance (NOLABA), the official economic development organization for the city. Since its founding in 2011, NOLABA has been focused on lowering barriers to entry in the marketplace, increasing transparency, and developing strategies for urban economic growth. The organization has helped attract $600 million in new investment and 4,000 new jobs to the New Orleans market, strengthening the local economy and building its resilience to future economic shocks.
The National Association of Counties (NACO) describes economic resilience as a community’s ability to foresee, adapt to, and leverage changing conditions to their advantage. Similarly, the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s (EDA) Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) content guidelines note that economic resilience has three primary attributes: 1) The ability to recover quickly from a shock; 2) The ability to withstand a shock; and 3) The ability to avoid the shock altogether.
These types of shocks may include downturns in the national or global economy that impact the demand for local goods and spending, downturns of particular industries critical to local economic activities, or external impacts such as natural or man-made disasters, military base closures or departure of a major employer, etc.
A region’s long-term economic prosperity is linked to its ability to deal with disruptions to its economic base. Economic shocks are inevitable, and communities need to be prepared. It is during the relatively prosperous times that communities need keep their focus on resiliency efforts. Economic developers play an important role in building their community’s economic resilience.
Join us on March 21st, 2017 at the Georgia Tech Global Learning Center for the 50th Annual Basic Economic Development Course where we will explore economic resilience and other core economic development subject areas, meet and network with professionals in your industry from around the country, and learn best practices from some of the industry’s most respected experts. Transform your community. Register TODAY!
For questions, contact:
Leigh Hopkins, AICP
Phone: 404-894-0933 | Fax: 404-410-6910
Email: ude.hcetag.etavonninull@snikpoh.hgiel