WILMINGTON, Del. – New Castle County Executive Thomas P. Gordon and City of Wilmington Mayor Dennis P. Williams are scheduled to unveil their respective economic strategic plans Monday afternoon.
The new plan is the first of this kind for New Castle County. The document will serve as a blueprint with specific action steps aimed at short term goals and long term opportunities for the county to bring new jobs and strengthen the economy.
"We must have a plan going forward in order for this County to not just recover economically but remain viable for generations so our residents can once again live the American dream,” County Executive Gordon said. “This document is an honest assessment and a detailed vision going forward that will give people hope.”
To achieve the most honest and productive plan it was vital to include as many businesses and stakeholders in the process, which was achieved through numerous focus groups, interviews and stakeholder meetings with leaders from business, academia, government, and civic organizations.
Chief Administrative Officer David Grimaldi and Economic Development and Policy Director Marcus Henry lead this initiative.
“This new Strategic Plan is a big first step in making some needed changes to programing and future planning for local jobs and businesses,” Director Henry said. “But we can’t afford to sit this on a shelf and need use this as a plan of action to make responsible changes.”
The plan has three parts:
• Strengths and weaknesses of Delaware (a SWOT analysis)
• Identifies the growth areas of the future and demographic shifts
• Outlines an action plan to help New Castle County remain a competitive destination for business
The action plan contains nine initiatives, each with a set of detailed best practices and opportunities complete with timelines and estimated budgets. The implementation of the plan will be a collaborative effort with our New Castle County Council, for their review of the proposed economic development initiatives and the necessary resource allocation.
Wadley-Donovan GrowthTech and Garnet Consulting Services were the economic development consulting team hired to help develop the new strategic plan. The firms were selected because of their esteemed reputation in the realm of economic development.
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