With its clear vantage point from the top, the Chester County Economic Development Council (CCEDC) has witnessed an impressive vista of accomplishments throughout 2014 and 2015, and the initiator of smart business growth has its sights set on an even more magnificent future.
Some of the highlights of the recent past and present are being heralded in the CCEDC’s new annual review released Friday morning at the Council’s annual Stakeholder’s Breakfast at the Desmond.
Among the headlines are Chester County’s claim to fame as the top tech hub in the state and a national top-five mega-sized community ideally positioned to attract modern investment and managed economic growth.
It ranks first in the country for its value of nursery, greenhouse, floriculture, sod and mushrooms; hosts the best urban trail in America; and provides enviable opportunities as the sixth-happiest county in the United States.
But the credits goes to the folks on the ground — the 1,275 volunteers and staff members who pitched in to assist 578 dislocated workers; train 1,252 local employees; inspire 3,380 youth to explore future careers; help channel $22.8 million into tech research, development, testing and evaluation; and secure $188 million in public financing for local projects.
From the transformation of National Liberty Insurance’s old campus into Saint-Gobain’s new cutting-edge $80 million North American headquarters to the new 9,000-square-foot Downingtown Library to the 20 acres of Phoenix Steel property reforged into the fresh 349-unit French Creek Apartments alongside nine acres of green space, the CCEDC is helping to blaze a trail to its VISTA2025 vision of an unparalleled “quality of place” filled with a talented and employer-ready workforce that converges upon critical corridors of infrastructure that lead to streamlined industry clusters and pioneering entrepreneurial ventures.
Explore more of what the CCEDC and Chester County are capable of in this year’s annual review, including the opportunities at your fingertips through the Ideas x Innovation Network and the Innovative Technology Action Group; Seedcopa, the seventh-most efficient loan processing certified development company in the nation; emerging partnerships with China; influential local Industry Partnerships; the Smart Energy Initiative; and more.
Scroll through or download a copy of CCEDC’s annual report below.
2015 Annual Report of the Chester County Economic Development Council
