EVOLVE Business and Professional Magazine August 2018 | Page 28

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
IN VOLUSIA COUNTY
by Dwight DuRant, PE
Chairman, Team Volusia Economic
Development Corporation
and workers and raises standards of living for all, thus
achieving deep prosperity – growth that is robust, shared,
and enduring.”
Team Volusia EDC is doing its part to fuel the local
economy by implementing three strategies that will help
the organization achieve success in the future.
T
he pace of business increases exponentially year
over year. But in the economic development arena,
things seem to happen in the blink of an eye. That
means that economic development professionals must
leverage every marketing discipline and every outreach
initiative to remain competitive.
The executive staff of Team Volusia Economic
Development Corporation is keenly aware of this and
already is taking steps to ensure it remains a contender for
new and expanding companies well into the future. To do
anything less would amount to hollow victories.
Amy Liu of the Washington, D.C.-based Brookings
Institution, echoed that sentiment in an address to the
International Economic Development Council. She
said, “Success in economic development in the future
calls for putting a regional economy on a trajectory of
higher growth that increases the productivity of firms
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First, Team Volusia EDC practices aggressive outreach,
putting the organization’s president & CEO Keith Norden
and his team in dozens of key forums across the nation
and around the world every year. Technology makes
it easy and affordable to extract valuable information
from various forums, trade shows and sales missions
without having to travel to them. However, getting that
information in person and interacting with key players
one-on-one is priceless and often results in Volusia
County being considered for projects. High-touch has a
bigger and bigger impact in today’s high tech world.
Second, Team Volusia EDC is sharpening its marketing
focus on the aviation and aerospace industry. The
organization plays a key supporting role in pursuing this
marketing segment, working closely with the Volusia
County Economic Development Division, which takes
the lead on pursuing aviation and aerospace leads. Our
geography alone is a strategic advantage to aviation and