In a nutshell, the initiative's purpose is to help communities help themselves. The communities, located in the poorest of neighborhoods, are determined by 1990 U.S. Census data. In Wilmington, for instance, the targeted zone creeps outward from downtown to cover such areas as the Eastside, the Northeast, and the industrial and port environs. Obviously, improving those neighborhoods' economic climate is a major priority. While such incentives are good for businesses within the zone, they can be a source of disappointment for those located nearby.
Business outside can benefit in two ways, however.
A key component to the Enterprise Community initiative is its connections to existing organizations, such as the Small Business Resource and Information Center, located at 18118 N. Market Street, which it helped to fund. Others include Wilmington 2000 and the Wilmington Economic Development Office, as well as neighborhood schools and churches. But the Enterprise Community is about more than just brining in new businesses, said Grubbs, who recently completed an evaluation of the program. We don't need huge incentives. Which is why the Enterprise Community partnered with Wilmington 2000 to develop a pre-job fair.