Carroll County, Georgia

Economic Development Strategy

As the Atlanta “economic engine” grew and expanded during the second half of the 20th century, Carroll County was one of many formerly rural communities that became part of the greater metropolitan area. While Carroll was poised to benefit from the strength of the metro area and could boast a number of competitive advantages, there remained concerns about the long-term challenges facing the County. The structure of the local economy was behind the pace of the national economy and workforce skills, infrastructure development, and poverty appeared to be problems that could inhibit the community’s ability to take advantage of its locational assets.

To address these concerns, County leaders selected Market Street to facilitate a strategic planning process that would develop a proactive vision for the community. The process ultimately included an economic and demographic analysis, community capacity assessment, and qualitative input from over 200 residents. That information was used to identify six target business clusters that were most likely to generate growth. The community’s input was incorporated, and the final Carroll Tomorrow Economic Development Strategy contained five major goals, with objectives, strategic action steps for each goal, and performance measures to improve Carroll County over the next five to ten years.

Market Street’s work with the Steering Committee led to the creation of Carroll Tomorrow, a Chamber-affiliated organization responsible for implementing the Economic Development Strategy. Following the success of the last five years, Carroll Tomorrow was recently approved to continue operating for the next five.

In June 2004, Carroll County’s progress was profiled in Georgia Trend, a magazine that covers business and politics in the State. Since the initial implementation of the Carroll Tomorrow Economic Development Strategy, the following positive steps have occurred, as highlighted in the article:

• Almost 1,000 jobs were created in the County from 2001 to 2003. Some larger-scale projects have brought jobs to the community.
• Efforts to sustain the County’s agribusiness moved forward.
• Support for small business has increased with the opening of the Burson Center for Small Business Development, creation of a Hispanic Business Relations Council, and formation of the West Georgia NanoBusiness Alliance.
• Tanner Medical Center expanded its operations, and the banking industry is strong, with 14 banks in the community.
• Carroll County now has a Symphony Orchestra, expanding the County’s cultural opportunities and quality of life.
• Downtown Carrollton is growing, with a new Carrollton Cultural Arts Center, expanded county courthouse, and residential lofts.
• The Quality Growth Partnership was formed to help revitalize West Carrollton.

In 2007, the Carroll County Chamber of Commerce and Carroll Tomorrow requested that Market Street update the 2000 strategy. Research gathered during Carroll County’s strategic planning process revealed a community that was effectively leveraging its assets to diversify its economic base, support a growing workforce, and improve quality of life. Despite these tremendous efforts, the data and community input gathered for the Community Assessment report suggested it was time for Carroll to reassess where resources and energy should be directed.

The new action plan, Carroll United, identified five goal areas as most important to county residents: Quality Workforce and Education, Stronger Economy, Planning and Infrastructure Development, Enhancing Quality of Life, and Local Government and Leadership. Since the adoption of Carroll United in 2008, Carroll County has accomplished many of the goals it set. 12 for Life, a program founded in 2007 by Southwire, one of the largest electrical wire manufacturers in the U.S., is built on a partnership with Carroll County School System and focuses on high school students at risk for dropping out. With a goal to see 175 students through to graduation in its first five years, Southwire had already helped 275 graduates in four years. Since the launch of 12 for Life, the school district’s graduation rate has gone up 10 percentage points and its on-time graduation rate for the poorest students has jumped up 22 percentage points. In 2009, the Burson Center was recognized by the U.S. Economic Development Administration as the best practice incubator in the southeast. Carroll has partnered with surrounding counties to expand the Angel Investor Network for local businesses, and has developed a business retention and expansion program that helped the County secure two expansion projects in 2009.