Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Hurricane Katrina has had a wide-reaching impact on communities across the Gulf Coast. As a region directly impacted by the natural disaster, the Baton Rouge Area Chamber wanted a better understanding of how post-Katrina pressures were impacting the availability, quality and cost of their workforce. The Chamber hired WDG and their partner Younger Associates to complete a comprehensive labor market assessment for the nine-parish metro area.  Completing this assessment and better understanding their assets and challenges would help position the Baton Rouge area to compete in the global economy for the best economic development opportunities and the highest-level jobs. In conjunction with Younger Associates, we were able to document the current strengths and weaknesses of the workforce, quantify labor supply and quality, quantify hidden labor resources, define emerging employment trends and economic opportunities and, guide training providers in preparing the workforce for existing and emerging employment opportunities. This was accomplished through a unique system of primary and secondary research consisting of one-on-one interviews with employers and residents, an employer survey and extensive secondary data collection and analysis.

Greater Memphis, Tennessee Region
Regional cooperation is imperative to successful economic development efforts and the Memphis Regional Economic Development Council (MREDC) understands that regional boundaries don’t always stop at state lines. In the fall of 2005, the MREDC retained WDG to conduct an in-depth labor market analysis and target industry study for a 52-county region centered around the City of Memphis, which spanned the states of Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee. The short term objective of this study was to assist existing businesses in finding qualified workers, help workforce agencies match workers with jobs and training programs, and guide educators and other training providers in preparing the workforce for existing and emerging employment opportunities.  Long term, this project will provide a plan to transition the workforce into the new economy which requires higher skills. 

Detailed data was collected from employers and from a large cross-section of the workforce. The Wadley-Donovan Group (WDG) and Younger Associates used a number of research tools to conduct their analysis including their proprietary Data Delivery System, a web-based query system that allows a user to obtain primary labor force data for standard or customized geographies. Additionally, as customary, consultants from both companies traveled to the region to conduct interviews with representative employers, educators, utilities, realtors, government officials and other key stakeholders. Extensive secondary research was collected and analyzed as well. Upon completion of the labor market analysis, WDG identified and profiled six target industries suitable for the region’s business recruitment and attraction efforts.

Since completion of the project, the assessment done by WDG and YA has helped the region attract several high-profile companies including Toyota, which used the Data Delivery System to evaluate a location in the region and the workforce available to them.

Topeka, Kansas
After several years of economic development initiatives that failed to achieve the desired results, decision makers in Shawnee County and the City of Topeka determined that an integrated proactive solution was needed to steer future development. A bold plan was put in place to finance economic development activities through a local economic development sales tax, and in 2002, the Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce/Go Topeka retained the Wadley-Donovan Group (WDG), Development Counsellors International (DCI), and Whittaker Associates to develop a comprehensive assessment of the Greater Topeka region. Elements of the study included a full locational assessment, recommendations on competitive improvement measures, an industrial park feasibility analysis, target industries, and a detailed marketing blueprint.
Extensive primary research provided the foundation of WDG’s analysis, including field interviews with community stakeholders, employers, and state and local officials, as well as public forums designed to gauge the opinions of county residents. The public meetings and focus groups were very well attended and provided valuable input into the selection of the three target industries. The final industries profiled for recruitment and attraction efforts were Office and Business Services, Light Manufacturing, and Mission Critical Facilities.  Since adoption of the plan, the Chamber has undertaken a pro-active marketing campaign and implemented a number of the recommendations put forth in WDG’s analysis. Since completion of the project, Topeka has attracted a regional distribution center, as well as captured a significant expansion at a local Goodyear tire manufacturing plant. A program to develop the downtown into an educational and residential center is also planned.

The Sandhills Region, North Carolina
The Sandhills Region of North Carolina, largely known for its outstanding golf courses such as Pinehurst, was facing a set of challenges as a rural community with a declining industrial and agricultural base.  Local leaders realized that a comprehensive study outlining the assets and the challenges in the area would need to be undertaken before a blueprint for future development could occur. The ultimate goal was a plan, including industries that could be targeted for recruitment and attraction efforts that would not compromise the environment or landscape that is the basis for their tourism, recreation and retiree based industries.

To address these issues, the Sandhills Chamber of Commerce asked The Wadley-Donovan Group (WDG) and its strategic partner, Younger Associates, based in Jackson, Tennessee, to perform a comprehensive locational assessment, identify three target industries and conduct a retiree impact assessment. Research input underlying the assessment included a random survey of residents, aged 55 to 80 to obtain data on the economic impact of the retired population; more than 50 field based interviews with local employers, state and local government officials, educators, and utilities and extensive secondary research.

The study resulted in growth strategies that balanced the need for maintaining a unique quality of life and providing better quality jobs for area residents.