Competition creates healthy economies, according to the Federal Trade Commission, where it promotes fair prices and accountability toward businesses and organizations.
The Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness, a nonprofit think tank with the primary purpose of helping businesses compete, only wants to see regional and local economies grow with innovative workforce development, and that includes Southwest Colorado.
“We are working to state, regional, and local economic development efforts so that we can create programs and incentives more in line with what the local communities want, reduce redundancies, and maximize capacity,” Kim Woodworth, the Executive Director of the Economic Development Council of Colorado said.
Region 9’s executive director, Laura Lewis Marchino, was recently appointed to serve on Colorado’s Coalition to the 2023 CREC’s Policy Academy, where she replaced Trish Thibado, the former Region 10 deputy director of the committee.
CREC’s work highlights the need for data to inform factual-based public policy decision making. The organization provides expert advice, oversees research and extends leadership to practitioners and policymakers in higher education, economic development and the workforce development field.
The Economic Development Administration funded the Policy Academy to help Colorado, along with six other states, implement a collaborative, impactful and coordinated approach toward regional strategies.
A core group of economic development stakeholders in Colorado will pinpoint strategies to align the work that the states and regions do around economic development.
“In economic development we are only as strong as our weakest community, business, partnership or organization,” Marchino said. “I look forward to the collaboration this Policy Academy coalition will create to promote alignment between the state, economic development organizations and our economic development stakeholders.”
According to a news release, Marchino will join the Colorado team at the Economic Development Council of Colorado Drive, Lead Succeed Conference on Oct. 18 to 20 in Grand Junction. She will also attend in Cleveland in November.
