Choosing the "RIGHT" Geographic Location

Here is a reprint of site location considerations from www.toolkit.com/small_business_guide. Some of these factors need to be assessed during an on-site visit, but a majority of them can only be discovered using geospatial information analysis.

An important factor in selecting a location is that you keep a long-term perspective. Site selection can be a big investment. Choosing the right site now can avoid the costs of relocation in the future.

Here are some factors that you should consider in making your site decision:

Access to public transportation
Availability of inventory and supplies
Availability of utilities
Availability of workforce
Availability of physical plants
Community services and amenities
Cost of physical plant
Location of competitors
Parking facilities
Proximity to markets
Suitability of location for future expansion
Taxes
Traffic flow
Transportation facilities
Transportation rates
Wage scales in the locality

Economic Gardening makes an impact AGAIN!

Economic Gardening is a concept that works! Again, EG makes an impact in a community that needs jobs and economic growth. Check it out: Pueblo, Colorado

Geospatial Analysis for the Economic recovery

Hi everyone:

I’m speaking at GITA’s 2010 Geospatial Infrastructure Solutions Conference in Phoenix, AZ, on 4/27/2010, from 3:15-4:00 p.m. at the Phoenix Convention Center in Room N226B. I hope you can make it to my presentation. I’ve pasted the abstract below, and here’s a link to the main conference page: http://www.gita.org/gis. You can navigate to conference registration information from there as well.

GIS and the Economic Recovery
Economic gardening (EG) is an innovative, entrepreneurial approach to local economic development that was founded 20 years ago by Chris Gibbons, the economic development director of Littleton, Colo. EG has multiplied the jobs and sales tax base of Littleton and other communities worldwide that have employed this approach. Learn what economic gardening is, how it works, and how GIS is used and has become an integral part of the program.

Thanks, and I look forward to seeing you there!

Wayne Kocina

Presentation at GITA’s 2010 Geospatial Infrastructure Solutions Conference in Phoenix, AZ

Hi everyone:

I’m speaking at GITA’s 2010 Geospatial Infrastructure Solutions Conference in Phoenix, AZ, on 4/27/2010, from 3:15-4:00 p.m. at the Phoenix Convention Center in Room N226B. I hope you can make it to my presentation. I’ve pasted the abstract below, and here’s a link to the main conference page: http://www.gita.org/gis. You can navigate to conference registration information from there as well.

GIS and the Economic Recovery
Economic gardening (EG) is an innovative, entrepreneurial approach to local economic development that was founded 20 years ago by Chris Gibbons, the economic development director of Littleton, Colo. EG has multiplied the jobs and sales tax base of Littleton and other communities worldwide that have employed this approach. Learn what economic gardening is, how it works, and how GIS is used and has become an integral part of the program.

Thanks, and I look forward to seeing you there!

Colo. Legislature & Governor take action against small business

By enacting HB 10-1193, the Colorado Legislature and Governor Bill Ritter have taken a huge step backward and enacted a law that will further depress the economy of Colorado. All this bill is doing is closing down online sales by Colorado companies, and moving them out of state. Rather than complying with this bill, Amazon is closing my online account. Now the on-line revenue earned by Colorado businesses will no longer be flowing into Colorado, where we can provide jobs and spend it on products and services that will generate more legitimate sales taxes for Colorado. Passing this bill was near-sighted and counter productive. Instead of penalizing small businesses in Colorado, you should be supporting them with services to help them grow and flourish.

NY Times article on GrowFL

The New York Times posted an article discussing what states are doing to help small businesses and the economic recovery. The last paragraph of the article, titled "Helping Businesses Expand", discusses the GrowFL program. GeoWize and the Economic Gardening Jumpstart Team have been supporting the GrowFL program. Over the next several months we will be providing business development services to another 77 Florida companies. Read the NYT article

A Local Perspective: Littleton’s Economic Gardening Strategy

Read about the Littleton Economic Gardening program from the founder of Economic Gardening. This is a reprint of Chris' article in the National League of Cities, January 11, 2001 issue:

Economic Gardening has become a hot topic in economic development circles. The alternative approach, which focuses on nurturing second stage growth companies and growing an economy from within, has caught the attention of many economic developers. Yahoo! has more than 350,000 references to the term and over 700 communities have contacted Littleton, Colo., to learn more about our project. Read the full article