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Economic Developers Association's Economic Development Handbook, the June 2009 North Carolina
<br />survey, The Role of Local Government in Economic Development, and his November 14, 2009
<br />presentation to the BOCC, also served as primary source material for best practices. Other sources
<br />included leading trade publications for entrepreneurs as well as economic development trade publications,
<br />INC., Entrepreneur, and Fast Company served as resources for tracking key issues in the
<br />entrepreneur /small business arena, while Site Selection and Trade and Lndustry Development were useful
<br />in tracking key issues for site selection specialists, economic development professionals, and relocation
<br />specialists for businesses of 50+ employees. Insight into local markets was gained from local Chambers
<br />of Commerce in Alamance, Chatham, Durham, Orange, and Wake counties as well as the North Carolina
<br />Department of Commerce, Research Triangle Regional Partnership (RTRP) and Piedmont -Triad
<br />Partnership, among others. This cache was augmented by information shared by regional economic
<br />development professionals and site selection specialists.
<br />Lastly, the EDC utilized various resources housed within UNC. In addition to tapping into the Carolina
<br />Entrepreneurial Institute, School of Government, the Institute for the Enviromnent, and the Center for
<br />Competitive Economies, the EDC enlisted the help of Dr. Meenu Tewari2, Associate Professor of UNC's
<br />Department of City and Regional Planning (DCRP)a and students from the Urban and Regional
<br />Development Seminar° (PL773) (Appendix D. Based on this research, along with additional information
<br />gathered last year, the EDC identified a critical path for the County to improve its fiscal prospects. The
<br />rationale for our recommendations takes into account the current economic development environment;
<br />standard practices engaged by commercial site selection professionals, property owners, and surrounding
<br />regional government entities; and the political and cultural environment in Orange County, all of which
<br />are summarized in subsequent sections.
<br />The Orange Count r Porradox
<br />The Triangle and its constituent communities pride themselves in their
<br />ability to attract, grow, and retain businesses. Based on industry standard
<br />criteria, the area continues to receive numerous accolades highlighting the
<br />region's business - friendly policies and regulations, entrepreneurial culture,
<br />highly skilled and educated workforce, educational infrastructure, and
<br />overall quality of life. Supporting these attributes is a robust collection of
<br />industry clusters. Additional discussion summarizing the inter - relatedness
<br />of North Carolina's universities and the growth of industry clusters is
<br />included in Appendix 11.
<br />Whereas many metropolitan areas are known for one to three or four
<br />industry clusters, the Triangle has become a center for I I primary clusters
<br />and numerous sub - clusters— largely due to the collaborative efforts of
<br />Research Triangle Park (RTP) and RTRP over the past 20+ years.
<br />Reflecting the strength of RTP, the region was the recipient of
<br />Primary RTRP Regional
<br />Industry Clusters
<br />• Advanced Gaming and
<br />E- Learning
<br />• Advanced Medical Core
<br />• Agricultural Biotechnology
<br />• Analytical Instrumentation
<br />• Biological Agents /Infectious
<br />Diseases
<br />• Clean /Green Technologies
<br />• Defense Technologies
<br />• Informatics
<br />• Nonoscole Technologies
<br />• Pervasive Computing
<br />• Pharmaceuticals
<br />appeared in the International Journal of Economic Development and Popular Government. He is a member of the NC Economic Developers
<br />Association, ACCRA -The Council for Community and Economic Research, and the International Economic Development Council. Morgan
<br />holds a BA from the University of Virginia, an MPA from Clark Atlanta University, and a PhD in public administration from North Carolina State
<br />University.
<br />2 Ph.D. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Economic Development, International and Regional Planning), M.C.P. and S.M. Arch.S.
<br />Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Economic Development, Housing and Human Settlements), B. Arch. School of Planning and
<br />Architecture, New Delhi. Massachusetts Institute of Technology continues to be rated as being the countrys top graduate planning and
<br />economic development program by Planetizen: Urban Planning, Design and Development Network.
<br />s Rated in 2009 as being the third best graduate planning programs in the United States by Planetizen
<br />4 Course Description: Fundamental concepts and theories applied, to local economic development including growth, trade, product - cycle,
<br />flexible specialization and entrepreneurship theories. Urban and regional development issues addressed in the North American, South
<br />American, European or South Asian contexts.
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