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 at 1 p.m. Monday in the City/County Building.
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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WHAT: New Castle County Executive Thomas P. Gordon will be joined by City of Wilmington Mayor Dennis P. Williams, New Castle County Chamber of Commerce President Mark Kleinschmidt, and Downtown Visions Executive Director Martin Hageman to announce new Economic Development Strategic Plans for both New Castle County and the City of Wilmington. These new plans will serve as a blueprint with action steps aimed at short term goals and long term opportunities for the county to take and enabling economic growth and sustainability. Each was developed through numerous focus groups, interviews and stakeholder meetings with leaders from business, academia, government, and civic organizations. The new plans are some of the first of their kind for New Castle County and Wilmington.
WHEN: 1 p.m. Monday, November 10th
WHERE: Louis L. Redding City/County Building, 800 N. French Street. Wilmington, DE
WHO: County Executive Thomas P. Gordon, New Castle County
Mayor Dennis P. Williams, City of Wilmington
David Grimaldi, New Castle County Chief Administrative Officer
Director Marcus Henry, New Castle County Office of Economic Development
Director Jeff Flynn, City of Wilmington Office of Economic Development
President Chris Bullock, New Castle County Council
President Theo Gregory, Wilmington City Council (invited)
Mark Kleinschmidt, New Castle County Chamber of Commerce
Martin Hageman, Downtown Visions
Bill Fredrick, Wadley-Donovan GrowthTech
DETAILS: The Economic Development Strategic Plans for New Castle County and Wilmington, respectively, are the first such documents outlining a clear economic path forward to good-paying, middle class jobs, the restoration of the middle class, and achievement once again of the American dream.
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