The Columbus-Lowndes Development Link is wooing more than $3 billion worth of economic development projects that could translate into 4,000 jobs. Link CEO Joe Higgins made the announcement at the agency”s quarterly luncheon, held Wednesday at East Mississippi Community College”s Mayhew campus.
“In most cases, we”re in the final few handful of communities being considered for these projects,” he said.
On the economy, Higgins said he”s not sure if it”s “out of the tank yet,” but the companies the Link works to hook are holding their own.
“The companies we recruit … are at the top of their game at what they do,” he said.
Higgins also noted Columbus” Policom rating this year. The Policom Corp. is an independent economics research firm based in Palm City, Fla.
The city climbed from No. 374 in 2004 on the Policom”s rankings, out of 574 micropolitans, to No. 57 this year.
Policom defines a micropolitan as containing an urbanized area with more than 10,000 people but less than 50,000. To determine rankings, the company calculates growth rates, consistency trends, industry averages and other factors.
“At some point, we”ll stop climbing, but we”re gonna try to stay top 10 percent,” Higgins said.
He also took the opportunity to remind the audience that in economic development, “It”s not just about the whales.”
In the fall, the Link plans to offer a seminar geared toward helping the community better understand economic development. In his eight years, Higgins said he doesn”t know if the Link has done a good enough job making sure the business community understands the flow of wealth in Lowndes County.
“For example, retail is not economic development,” he said. “Retail is a result of economic development. It is not economic development.”
Another session will focus on the needs of small businesses, and a specialist will visit about 16 small businesses to make recommendations on how to better market their business and their products or services.
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