Survey Results Show Dalton-Whitfield in Line with Southern Region in Desire to Support Existing Industries While Creating New Economic Strengths

On February 26, 2010, more than 30 community members participated in a conversation about how the Dalton-Whitfield community is responding to current economic challenges. This discussion was launched in response to a request by the Southern Growth Policies Board (SGPB), a non-partisan public policy think tank supported by the 13 Southern states – Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Specifically, SGPB asked communities throughout the region to respond to the following three strategies for dealing with the current economic downturn: (1) wait it out; (2) build on existing businesses and strengths; and (3) create new strengths related to up-and-coming industries.

Based on post-forum survey results, participants unanimously agreed that Dalton-Whitfield should not wait out the current economic downturn. Instead, the majority of survey respondents concurred that Dalton-Whitfield should focus on growing existing businesses and strengths. Moreover, almost all survey respondents strongly agreed that Dalton-Whitfield should create new strengths related to up and coming industries.

Survey respondents believed that the following three actions are most important in terms of preparing for the future of the community:

• Revamping workforce training programs to prepare workers for jobs in up and coming industries such as green business and health care;
• Reducing regulations that hamper new business development; and
• Helping existing local businesses increase their markets by providing export development programs, e-commerce training, and other support services.

Other actions that many respondents agreed were important include:

• Building partnerships with other organizations and neighboring communities; and
• Providing entrepreneurial training and support to encourage new business formations.

Although SGPB has not yet released an official report on this topic, Ted Abernathy, Executive Director of SGPB, reports in his article titled Structural, Spatial, and Individual Challenges of Economic Recovery that over three quarters of SGPB survey participants agree that their communities must try new things in response to the current economic downturn. Abernathy’s article also seems to indicate that other communities, like Dalton-Whitfield, intend to bolster their existing industries as they build new strengths. As communities throughout the South navigate the tensions inherent in this “build and bolster” approach, community dialogue and appreciation for the factors impacting the economic well-being of all community participants will have increasing value.

If you would like more information on the SGPB forum that was held in Dalton-Whitfield, please contact me at mdlu@uga.edu. As always, feel free to comment on this issue below.