A series of National Association of Counties (NACo) summits encouraged counties to develop homegrown businesses and entrepreneurs, rather than looking to lure a ‘big fish’ company.
Local governments seeking sustainable growth can benefit from systematic economic development that encourages regional collaboration and leverages diverse capital.
This year, NACo held five pilot County Prosperity Summits in Titus County, Texas; Shasta County, California; Scott County, Kentucky; Cheatham County, Tennessee; and Cape May County, New Jersey sharing the WealthWorks approach of using community assets to increase shared wealth.
Shasta County’s summit, which Dahl attended, focused on making better use of the region’s natural assets—rivers, lakes, mountains and clean air—while ending cyclical poverty.
NACo continuously emphasized place-based capital throughout all its summits as a means of attracting new residents, businesses and investors.