They realize we live and operate in a dynamic world, not a static one. To remain viable, businesses must mange and allocate resources efficiently while simultaneously growing their resource base. Income creation is just as important as managing resource allocation. In the public sector, income creation is economic development. The community at large spends a disproportionate amount of time and energy on how to slice up the pie and not enough time and attention on how to make the pie bigger.
Economic development is a community endeavor.
Without the right community climate, an army of economic development professionals can not succeed in securing our future. Our pie gets bigger through growth in the tax base, and we each have a role to play in the effort. Most jobs, the drivers of growth in the tax base, are created within the community. These come from new start-ups or through expansion of existing businesses. Business relocation also adds new jobs, but most are created within the community.