Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the deep dive. Today. We're jumping into something well,
really fascinating. I think it's this intersection of digital innovation
and community growth economic development.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Yeah, it's a space that's changing fast, it really is.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
And usually when you think economic development, you think big things, right,
like new factories, huge projects, tangible stuff.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Definitely groundbreakings, ribbon cuttings exactly.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
But what if I told you one of the most
powerful tools getting recognition right now winning a major award
is a website.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
It sounds surprising, doesn't It really does.
Speaker 1 (00:37):
Just a website. How can a digital platform be that important,
important enough to drive jobs, investment and win global awards.
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Well, that's what we're digging into.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
We've got some great sources here about Partnership Gwinnett. They're
focused on bringing jobs in capital to Gwinnett County and
their website just got this huge nod. Okay, let's unpack this, yeah,
and see why this digital approach is maybe a big
lesson for communities everywhere.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
I think that's spot on. It really challenges our usual view.
We see the buildings, the roads, the physical results of
economic development, right, but what's driving those results is shifting.
It's often less visible, more subtle, but incredibly powerful.
Speaker 1 (01:18):
So this isn't just about an award.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
No, not at all, this deep dive. It's really about
understanding the strategic value of these digital assets, things we
might underestimate, like a website, and how they're well fundamentally
changing the game for communities trying to grow.
Speaker 1 (01:34):
Okay, so it is a game changer. Let's get straight
to the big news then, because that really sets the scene.
Partnership Gwynett. You know that public private group working on
jobs and investment here in Gwennett.
Speaker 2 (01:46):
Yeap, very active group.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
They've just won a silver Excellence in Economic Development award.
And not just any award.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
This is from the IEDC, the International Economic Development Council,
that's the big one, the global standard exactly.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
And what's really striking, almost revolutionary, you could say, is
that the award is for their.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Website, specifically for the website.
Speaker 1 (02:05):
Yeah, a site that only launched back in November twenty
twenty four, so it's what not even a year old
and already making these huge waves.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
That's incredibly fast recognition.
Speaker 1 (02:15):
The IDC pointed to its innovative design, its community impact,
real results, and how it's helping push Economic Development Forward.
Here's where it gets really interesting, because it just confirms
that digital strategy isn't just nice to have anymore. It's
like core to success.
Speaker 2 (02:31):
It absolutely is. And you can't overstate how significant an
IEDC award is. These excellence awards, they're globally respected. They
recognize leadership, creativity, and crucially, measurable results. Results matter, they do,
and historically maybe an award went to a big infrastructure
project or some clever incentive program for a website to
(02:51):
get this kind of recognition that sends a massive signal
to the whole sector, the kind of signal that digital
isn't secondary anymore, it's primary. It's off the very first
way a community makes an impression, the first interaction.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Right the digital handshake.
Speaker 2 (03:06):
Precisely. Kevin Carmichael, he's the senior VP of Economic development there.
He put it perfectly, he said, and I'm quoting here.
This award affirms that partnership Gwinnett is executing the right
strategies to make our community visible to site selectors and
key decision makers.
Speaker 1 (03:22):
Site selectors. Okay, so those are the people who scout
locations for big companies.
Speaker 2 (03:27):
Exactly, they're the specialists They dig into everything, demographics, workforce, infrastructure, costs,
you name it. They're the ones advising companies on where
to invest millions, potentially billions and create tons of jobs.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
So being visible to them is critical.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
It's everything. If your community story, your data isn't easily
accessible and compelling online, you're just you're not even in
the game. You won't make the long list, let alone
the short list.
Speaker 1 (03:53):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
So the website, it's not just a digital brochure. It's
the virtual front door. It's the data hub. It's the
first point of contact for potentially huge investment.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
That totally reframes it. It's not passive, it's an active tool.
So if this website is getting this kind of praise,
what makes it so good? What's it actually doing differently? Yeah?
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Good question.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
The sources call it a central hub for businesses, site selectors, stakeholders.
Sounds good, but let's peel back the layers. What are
the actual features making it win awards?
Speaker 2 (04:21):
Okay, what's fascinating here is it's not just a static
information dump. Partnership Gwinnett designed it as an active tool
for making decisions active How Andrew Hickey, the director of
Economic Development, He calls it the first source of information
for great companies choosing gwinnet, and that's key. It's designed
to be that first best source.
Speaker 1 (04:43):
So what does that look like in practice?
Speaker 2 (04:44):
Well, let's break it down first. Those comprehensive industry resources.
It's not just lists, think interactive data dashboards. Imagine a
site selector looking at say Advance Manufacturing in Gwinnet. They
can go on the site and see real time labor
market data, visualize the talent pype line from local colleges,
map out supply chains, even see projected growth trends for
(05:05):
specific niches.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
WHOA, that's specific, right.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
It answers those really detailed questions right away, workforce skills, logistics.
It makes it super easy for them to see if
when it fits their exact needs. It's about giving them
actionable insights, you know, not just raw data they have
to sift through.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
Okay, that's way beyond a typical our industry's page. Yeah,
that's like a mini consultant built into the website.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
Kind of Yeah. It anticipates their questions.
Speaker 1 (05:30):
So what about the investor and business engagement tools? How
do they go beyond just to contact.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
Us form good point? These tools are about streamlining connection.
For example, they have this secure matchmaking platform. It sounds fancy,
but basically, if a new business shows interest, yeah, the
system can intelligently connect them with relevant local folks, lawyers, recruiters,
potential suppliers, even R and D partners at universities.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
So it helps them plug into the local network immediately exactly.
Speaker 2 (05:59):
It cuts down the friction, the who do I even
talk to problem when you're looking at a new place.
Plus things like virtual site.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
Tours uh using tech for that too.
Speaker 2 (06:09):
Drone footage three D models of available buildings or land
gives decision makers a really good feel for the place
without having to fly out. Initially, this whole package, the
smart connections, the immersive virtual info, that's part of that
innovative design the award mentioned. It's functional, it's built to
help businesses take the next step right.
Speaker 1 (06:30):
It's anticipating needs, making it easy, proactive totally.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
It builds this collaborative vibe right from that first click.
Speaker 1 (06:38):
Okay, and the third piece you mentioned was events and
use updates. How does that make it an economic engine?
Isn't that just news?
Speaker 2 (06:45):
Well, it's more strategic than just a news feed. It's
about building a narrative. In the narrative, yeah, it consistently
share success stories, often with real numbers and quotes, which
adds credibility to social proof.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
Right makes sense.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
It features articles from local business leaders, positions when it
as a place where people are thinking ahead, and importantly,
it highlights community wins, maybe even user shared stuff, which
fosters this sense of shared success. Makes it feel like
a vibrant, welcoming place.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
So it's painting a picture of momentum exactly.
Speaker 2 (07:15):
It keeps the site feeling alive and shows potential investors
they be joining a thriving, forward moving community, not just
a location, but a story they can be part of.
It hits both the logical and sort of the emotional buttons.
Speaker 1 (07:29):
That's clever. It's building a brand, really yeah, community brand. Okay,
that gives a much clearer picture of why it's effective.
But let's talk bottom line, the real world.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
Results, right, because that's the ultimate tests.
Speaker 1 (07:41):
What are the actual outcomes? Because economic development, at the
end of the day, it's about jobs, it's about investment,
and the numbers here they're really quite something. Our sources
say in twenty twenty four alone, and remember the website
launched late that year November.
Speaker 2 (07:57):
Yeah, so really, in its first full operational period.
Speaker 1 (08:00):
More than sixteen hundred new jobs were created and over
two hundred and seventy five million dollars in capital investment announced.
Those are strong numbers, they really are, especially now, and
the source directly connects this to partnership Gwynet's mission attracting,
retaining expanding businesses, and it explicitly says the website plays
a key role in these results right there the link.
(08:20):
So what does this all mean? How direct is that
link between a slick website and actual jobs, actual money
coming into the community.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
It means digital isn't just support anymore, it's a lead actor.
Those numbers, sixteen hundred jobs, two hundred and seventy five
million dollars, they're influenced directly by how well that website
does its job. How so, think back to those features,
the interactive data, the matchmaking, the virtual tours. Those aren't
just bells and whistles. They're tools. They shorten the time
(08:52):
it takes for companies to make decisions, They reduce the
perceived risk. They make the case for gwinnet very clearly,
very quickly.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
So the speeds thing up and builds confidence exactly.
Speaker 2 (09:01):
It turns complex questions into ah, okay, I see the
value here, right. And remember Andrew Hicky's quote, he said,
the award signifies the pro business environment and the ability
to share the story with these companies.
Speaker 1 (09:13):
Ah, sharing the story again.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
That's where the website is critical. It's the main channel
for translating when its strengths, its environment, its workforce, whatever,
into a story that global companies understand and find attractive.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
It lets them control the narrative.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Proactively tell their story, yeah, instead of just waiting for
someone to stumble upon them. So, if you connect this
to the bigger picture partnership, Gwenett's whole mission is strengthening
the economy, attracting investment, fostering growth. Huh. This website, this
award winning tool, is clearly acting as a major lever
to make that happen. It's translating local potential into global opportunity,
(09:50):
not just by saying when it is great, but by
showing it in a really functional, engaging way.
Speaker 1 (09:56):
That really crystallizes it. The big takeaway here seems to
be that, yeah, economic development relies on strategy, and increasingly
that strategy is digital. It's not just about the physical
stuff anymore, not solely. No, This gwinnet example really drives
home that a well thought out, well executed website isn't
just marketing fluff. It can be a primary engine driving jobs, investment,
(10:18):
and the whole economic health of a community.
Speaker 2 (10:20):
The silent engine sometimes.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
Yeah, working behind the scenes, but incredibly powerful, making those
big headline announcements possible precisely.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
Yeah, and you know, this raises an important question I
think for everyone listening, particularly if you're involved in community
leadership or business. Okay, this case study shows us this powerful,
often silent digital infrastructure information connection that's really shaping economic
futures everywhere. These platforms, they seem like just websites, code images,
(10:49):
but they're becoming the fundamental way communities introduce themselves and
how businesses make huge decisions. So here's a thought to
leave you with.
Speaker 1 (10:57):
Lay it honest.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
Consider how many other where critical first sources of information
are out there right now, maybe less flashy than this one,
maybe less visible, but just as vital, and how they're
designed and what they do. How many of these are
quietly shaping the economic map around the world, and what
will it take for them to get the recognition to
really shine for the impact. They're already having an impact
(11:19):
that leads directly to the growth and prosperity we see
on the surface. It's a whole digital frontier out there,
you know, constantly changing, full of these hidden engines just
waiting to be noticed.