You've got to look for new entrepreneurs. Economic development is an evolutionary process . . . . You've got to look for new entrepreneurs. Over time, it has evolved into a cluster of related programs. Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge, noting that small businesses constitute 98 percent of the state's economic base, points out that corporate downsizing makes state-local partnerships more important than ever.
Local officials know best the needs of their communities.
The Northwest Commission does in fact use a great many economic development tools. For example, since 1983 the agency has operated a Procurement Technical Assistance Center, one of 114 such centers nationwide, to help regional firms compete for business from federal, state, and local governments. She estimates it has created or preserved more than 1,500 jobs. John Homer is president of HomerWood Corporation of Titusville, Pennsylvania Similarly, the Northwest Commission is helping some 700 companies reach markets in other countries. Its Export Trade and Development Assistance Program works actively with about 50 companies per year, helping as many as 20 per year attend overseas trade shows.