Improving Communities One Sector at a Time: A Sneak Peek into Griffin & Strong’s Economic Development Work
For more than 30 years, Griffin & Strong (“G&S”) has built a strong reputation for taking on complex projects that require more than a cookie-cutter approach. Every project conducted by G&S is uniquely tailored to the needs of the community being served and ultimately leaves a lasting and positive impact.
One recent example of this is an Economic Growth and Opportunity Study (“Study”) in the State of Alabama (“State”), where G&S’s goal was to examine economic growth across multiple sectors, identify opportunities for citizens and businesses statewide to participate, and provide actionable recommendations for more inclusive economic development within the State. The analysis focused on identifying structural or systemic barriers that may obstruct or limit equitable participation and the policies needed to close existing gaps, using economic status and growth as a proxy to evaluate the quality of life of State citizens.
The capabilities of individuals to flourish are a function of the economy in which they live. As a result, a central element of the Study’s methodology was conducting anecdotal evidence and qualitative interviews to capture the lived experiences of underrepresented communities. The Study involved examining the State’s procurement practices, and economic linkage to employment, education, environment, healthcare, transportation and housing, criminal justice, and business environment sectors. G&S also evaluated peer reviewed studies and literature in each sector where available.
G&S recognized that the determinants of human/health capital are important for individuals to participate in any economic growth, so the Study specifically focused on how racial/ethnicity status impacted the ability to participate in the opportunities presented in each sector. Accordingly, G&S gathered quantitative and statistical data from a number of publicly-available sources to measure individual participation in the State’s growth.
Ultimately, the Alabama community recognized and appreciated the contributions made by G&S in leaving a lasting imprint on its future economic growth. When projects are unique in scope and involve complex data, G&S’s team is equipped to rise to the challenge. The Economic Growth and Opportunity Study in the State of Alabama exemplifies how G&S approaches rigorous projects, handling it with an unwavering focus on outcomes that create meaningful impact on communities.