Most would agree that Harrison County needs strong sustained economic development. This is not a new issue but one that has been present most of my lifetime. It may be even truer today than ever before. It is certainly true for the future, as we are reminded daily of the influence of the global economy by those items marked “Made in China”.

So how do we in Harrison County achieve sustained economic development in a global marketplace?

By developing a comprehensive approach to economic development, and leveraging local assets to competitively out position the competition.

A comprehensive approach includes a focus on tourism, small business development, entrepreneurial climate, business retention/expansion, and yes, business/industrial recruitment. The magic of this approach is that if you are doing a good job the first four, you have a distinct competitive advantage in business/industrial recruitment.