Savannah Economic Development Authority & the Creative Coast Anna Chafin, Development Authority of Bryan County Loretta Cockrum, Foram Group, Inc
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Propel Savannah Strategic Economic Development Action Plan Spring 2019 Acknowledgments AngelouEconomics wants to express our appreciation to the individuals who provided invaluable input to this strategic planning process. The key issues identified within this report could not be fully identified and explored without their help. We want to give special thanks to the following individuals for their time and assistance: 2019 SEDA Board of Directors Chairman Kevin Jackson, EnviroVac Vice Chairman John Coleman, Bonitz of Georgia, Inc. Secretary/Treasurer Paul P. Hinchey, St. Joseph's/Candler Health System Loretta Cockrum, Foram Group Cheri Dean, Park Place Outreach, Inc. Reed Dulany, Dulany Industries, Inc. Truitt Eavenson, Georgia Power Kay Ford, BankSouth Nina Gompels, NTG Enterprises Bill Hubbard, Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce Robert E. James, Carver State Bank Frank Macgill, Hunter Maclean Quentin Marlin, Ellis, Painter, Ratterre & Adams LLC Greg Parker, The Parker Companies Kalpesh Patel, Image Hotels Joyce Roché, Girls, Inc. Willie J. Seymore, ILA Local 1414 Robert “Trey” Thompson, Savannah Pilots Association Past Chairman Stephen S. Green, Stephen Green Properties, Inc. i Acknowledgments AngelouEconomics wants to express our appreciation to the individuals who provided invaluable input to this strategic planning process. The key issues identified within this report could not be fully identified and explored without their help. We want to give special thanks to the following individuals for their time and assistance: Propel Savannah Steering Committee Jen Bonnett, Savannah Economic Development Authority & The Creative Coast Anna Chafin, Development Authority of Bryan County Loretta Cockrum, Foram Group, Inc. John Coleman, Bontiz of Georgia, Inc. Jason Coley, Georgia Power Leia Dedic, Savannah Economic Development Authority Mayor Eddie DeLoach, City of Savannah Manny Dominguez, City of Savannah Reed Dulany, Dulany Industries, Inc. Truitt Eavenson, Georgia Power John Petrino, Georgia Ports Authority Nina Gompels, NTG Enterprises Brynn Grant, Savannah Economic Development Authority & World Trade Center Savannah Angela Hendrix, Savannah Economic Development Authority Brandt Herndon, Effingham County Industrial Development Authority Paul Hinchey, St. Joseph’s/Candler Health System Bill Hubbard, Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce Kevin Jackson, EnviroVac Dr. Ann Levett, Savannah-Chatham County Public School System Dr. Kathy Love, Savannah Technical College Frank Macgill, Hunter Maclean Jay Neely, Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. Greg Parker, The Parker Companies Al Scott, Chatham County Lee Smith, Chatham County Benjy Thompson, Development Authority of Bulloch County Trip Tollison, Savannah Economic Development Authority ii Table of Contents Foreword............................................................................................................................................................ 1 Executive Summary.................................................................................................................................... 2 Stakeholder Engagement........................................................................................................................ 11 Stakeholder Engagement – Introduction...................................................................... 12 Resident Survey............................................................................................................................. 12 Business Survey............................................................................................................................. 14 Managing Expectations: A Caveat.................................................................................... 15 Market Assessment.................................................................................................................................... 16 Market Assessment – Introduction.................................................................................. 17 Current Economic Climate..................................................................................................... 17 SWOT Analysis............................................................................................................................... 20 Competitive Positioning Summary.................................................................................... 28 Community Scorecard............................................................................................................... 29 Target Industry Analysis......................................................................................................................... 30 Target Industry Analysis – Introduction....................................................................... 31 Selection Process......................................................................................................................... 31 Target Industry Chart................................................................................................................ 33 Manufacturing & Logistics..................................................................................................... 34 Creative & Technical Services............................................................................................ 37 Entertainment Production....................................................................................................... 40 Health Care...................................................................................................................................... 42 Target Industry Summary....................................................................................................... 44 Strategic Action Plan................................................................................................................................ 45 Economic Development............................................................................................................ 47 Entrepreneurship............................................................................................................................ 66 Education and Workforce....................................................................................................... 83 Community Capacity Building..............................................................................................114 iii Table of Contents Economic Development Metrics.........................................................................................................134 Implementation Matrix..............................................................................................................................137 Appendices.......................................................................................................................................................138 iv Foreword Successful economic development starts with a good plan. But it can only be Strategic economic development planning must be dynamic and flexible. successful with solid execution and that requires strong, committed leadership, Leadership may need to adapt the plan to meet the changing economic dedicated professional staff, motivated community partners and adequate landscape of the region. But while flexibility is necessary so is consistency. A resources. common challenge for communities across the country and the world is generating and sustaining a commitment to execution. A community must This strategic economic development action plan, Propel Savannah, represents pursue the collective vision with tenacity and willingness to work through a collaborative effort by Savannah’s public and private sector community inevitable obstacles in order to achieve it. leaders to develop and promote the community as a world-class economic destination. It is a guide for developing policies and directing day-to-day This plan outlines strategies that fall well outside the scope of SEDA alone, activities, charting a course for holistic, sustainable economic growth in the and requires the commitment of other stakeholders for maximum success. It is future. important to mobilize the resources necessary to execute the plan in collaboration with key local, regional and state partners, and to develop an In preparing this plan, AngelouEconomics, with oversight from the SEDA Board annual economic development scorecard with performance measures, ensuring of Directors, Propel Savannah Steering Committee, and SEDA staff, faithfully that Savannah’s economic growth and the strategic plan continues to align adhered to a set of clear and concise project objectives: with the economic well-being of the community. ᐧ Understand Savannah’s economic and demographic data through research Through an integrated mix of economic development activities, capital and analysis. investment, and innovative programs, the Savannah region is well-positioned to attract and grow businesses, boost the competitiveness of the region’s ᐧ Build upon existing economic development efforts, community established economic drivers, improve job quality and further diversify the organizations, programs, resources, and assets. economy with new sector development—while maintaining its renowned coastal lifestyle and preserving its core historic district. ᐧ Create a vision for economic development with stakeholder engagement and commitment. ᐧ Identify target industry clusters for expansion, retention, recruitment, and entrepreneurship. Angelos Angelou Hugh “Trip” Tollison ᐧ Develop