Multi-disciplinary Collaboration to Drive Economic Development

Multi-disciplinary Collaboration to Drive Economic Development Joe Starks President ECC Technologies Inc. (585) 643-2222 Jstarks@ecctechnologies.com Mark DeFalco Manager Appalachian Regional Commission (202) 884-7719 mdefalco@arc.gov Eric Ogle Research Associate University of Tennessee Baker Center for Public Policy (865) 974-4562 eogle@tennessee.edu Mark Wells Executive Director Rockingham County Business & Technology Center (336) 342-7853 mwells@rockinghambusiness.org

Strategies for Rural Growth Research Summary and Broadband Aspects

Project Background Assessed impact of ARC public infrastructure and asset development, trying to understand why plans worked well in some areas and not in others Examined local social characteristics, government intervention, roles of community organizations, and recent development strategies Performed quantitative cohort economic analysis and extensive qualitative research with meetings and surveys of 200 people in each of the 10 counties Report highlights case studies, offers agency recommendations

Study Counties North Greene County, PA Morgan County, OH North Central Pendleton County, WV Calhoun County, WV Central Pike County, KY Bell County, KY South Central Avery County, NC Johnson County, TN South Lawrence County, AL Noxubee County, MS

What words best describe your county?

What is your county best known for?

What problems need to be solved in your county?

Opportunities for Economic Growth Non-distressed County Average Distressed County Average People/Leadership Development Water and Sewer Extensions Redevelopment of Existing Assets Technology or Information Services Specialized Agriculture for Export Alternative Energy Economy Manufacturing Development Spillover from Regional Growth Tourism and Retail Services - = unlikely, + = more likely -0.25 0.00 0.25 0.50 0.75 These rural counties do not consider technology to be an opportunity for growth.

Obstacles for Economic Growth Non-Distressed County Average Distressed County Average Lack of Developable Land Lack of Broadband Availablity Regional Competitiveness Lack of Community Cooperation Lack of Local Entrepreneurship Capacity of Local Roads Lack of Occupational Training Underperforming Local Leaders Distance From Populated Areas Lack of Local Capital - = unlikely, + = more likely 0 0.25 0.5 0.75 1 1.25 Lack of broadband is viewed as an obstacle, but lower in relation to other issues.

Case Studies and Best Practices Business Development in NC Youth Retention Strategies in KY, AL, WV Social Networking in MS and PA Incubator in OH Broadband Adoption in KY

Social Networking Rural communities are taking advantage of social networking to stimulate civic collaboration Greene County, PA uses many Facebook and Twitter to enable collaboration with local officials to promote downtown redevelopment and all civic events Noxubee County, MS collaborates with the general public to promote business growth and tourism by sharing personal Facebook pages and YouTube videos Communities say more training in broadband applications is needed to create and manage virtual presence

Avery County, North Carolina Small business support resources in NC are exceptional Nonprofits, such as the MAY Coalition, collaborate to identify and support the needs of small businesses However, lack of Broadband blamed for inability for key industry to reach new markets MAY Coalition is collaborating across sectors in region for regional broadband infrastructure

Youth Retention Youth retention is a major concern for rural counties, and all ten take different approaches to develop and retain youth Bell County, KY has youth leadership program with local officials and businesses to mentor emerging leaders Lawrence County, AL has Agricultural leadership program with Auburn University Pendleton County, WV residents and civic groups collaborated to build recreation center bowling alley to provide youth and family recreation Morgan County, OH incubator tries to build approach to keep youth in community

Morgan County, OH Incubator Great model of a rural community growing new jobs around technology and collaboration Grassroots collaboration established community foundation and local improvement nonprofit Concentrated on schools best test scores in study - tied to local STEM and vocational programs Youth retention strategy built on the notion that not every kid needs to go to college Encourage cross-pollination between STEM students and vocational students

Pike and Bell County, Kentucky Only study counties that returned high scores and favorable comments for broadband availability Success attributed to Connect KY However, KY counties aren t realizing Broadband benefits Lack of Developable Land Lack of Broadband Availablity Regional Competitiveness Lack of Community Cooperation Lack of Local Entrepreneurship Capacity of Local Roads Lack of Occupational Training Underperforming Local Leaders Distance From Populated Areas Lack of Local Capital How likely is each item to be an obstacle for economic development in your county? Pike County Bell County 10-County Average -0.50 0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50

The case for Broadband Adoption and Utilization Programs 1 - How likely are these to be an obstacle for economic development in your county? Pike County Bell County 10-County Average Lack of Broadband Availablity Pike County Bell County 10-County Average 2 - How important are these items for economic development in your county? Availability of Telecommunications -0.50 0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 0 0.25 0.5 0.75 1 3 - How likely is each item to be an Pike opportunity County Bell County for 10-County economic Average growth in your county? People/Leadership Development Water and Sewer Extensions Redevelopment of Existing Assets Technology or Information Services Alternative Energy Economy Manufacturing Development Spillover from Regional Growth Tourism and Retail Services -0.50-0.25 0.00 0.25 0.50 0.75

Summary In the 10 study counties, those who don t have broadband want it, and those who have it don t know what to do with it Barriers to meaningful adoption differ in each county Sometimes it s access to infrastructure Sometimes it s exposure and familiarity with technology Collaboration and inclusion is key Both top-down and bottom-up collaborations work (more = better) Non-technical training and awareness is needed (software > hardware) Sentiment that broadband does more to siphon money out of rural communities Justifies urgency for broad multidisciplinary collaborations Train and retain local talent, young families Broad community marketing, tourism, events promotion Local job creation, help small businesses reach markets outside region Full report can be downloaded at www.arc.gov