Gwinnett County, Georgia

Community and Economic Development Strategy (2006); Mid-course Review (2008); Strategy Update (2011)

Gwinnett County, one of the most populous counties in the Atlanta metro area, has been one of the nation’s fastest growing counties for a number of years. With a stable and diversified economic base, quality schools and a competitive quality of life, Gwinnett has been successful in attracting new investment, residents and visitors.

 

In 2006, to position the Gwinnett County for even greater future success, the Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce contracted with Market Street to facilitate a process called Partnership Gwinnett, A Shared Vision for the Future (www.partnershipgwinnett.com). This strategic visioning process laid the groundwork for future community and economic development efforts in Gwinnett County and established a set of target business sectors that included Health Care; Distribution and Trade; Headquarters, Regional Offices, and Professional Services; Information Technology; and Advanced Communications. Beginning with an extensive research phase focused on Gwinnett’s overall competitiveness and top industrial growth sectors, Market Street created an action plan and implementation guidelines which have helped position Gwinnett for the successes it has in enjoyed subsequent years. Broad goal areas for included economic diversification and wealth creation, education and workforce excellence, quality of life enhancements, and marketing and outreach.

 

Implementation efforts have been highly successful. The Gwinnett Chamber began by focusing on enhancing its staff capacity to accommodate the more comprehensive approach to economic development for which the action plan called. Partnership Gwinnett was officially formed in 2007 as a 501(c)(3). Private and public sector leaders assisted with raising resources to hire a vice president, staff members, and officially roll-out Partnership Gwinnett. Chairs were established for the four recommended Action Committees (corresponding with each goal area), members of subcommittees were selected, and regular meetings were held. The Partnership also developed a robust website and promotional materials, and new, high quality relationships were established through the creation of target sector councils, other subcommittees, and task forces critical to the success of the strategy.

 

Activities related to economic diversification and wealth creation significantly increased, resulting in 60 business expansions that represented 3,300 new jobs. Key target business sectors were bolstered by developments like the high-profile headquarters relocations of NCR and Cadillac Jack, groundbreakings on major postsecondary education assets like Georgia Gwinnett College and the Life Sciences Center at Gwinnett Technical College, and the inception of the Open Heart Center at Gwinnett Medical Center. These and other activities, such as launching the Innovation Crescent initiative and starting a young professionals group (hYPe), earned Partnership Gwinnett the 2008 National Award of Excellence from the American Chamber of Commerce Executives.

 

After two years of implementation, the Gwinnett Chamber hired Market Street in 2009 to review the progress-to-date of strategic efforts, assess the relative attainment levels of performance benchmarks, determine if those benchmarks remain viable moving forward, and identify priority actions for years three to five of Partnership Gwinnett implementation. Now, in 2011, the Chamber has again engaged Market Street, this time to produce a revamped economic development plan and set of target sectors in light of the County’s successes, challenges, and implementation experiences.

 

Meanwhile, additional accolades continue to come Gwinnett County’s way, such as the International Economic Development Council’s Award for Excellence for Multi-Year Economic Development in a place with population greater than 500,000 and the prestigious Broad Prize for Urban Education, awarded to the top urban district nationwide in improving student performance and reducing achievement gaps.

For more information, please see the project website: www.partnershipgwinnett.com.