Dooly County Economic Development Council

1
Dooly County Economic Development Council

• Marketing Plan
• Donna Wall
• PADM 7040

2
Mission

• Dooly County Economic Development Councils
  mission is to improve the quality of life for all
  citizens of Dooly County. The Authority serves
  to promote and assist in the retention of
  existing jobs and improvement of new job
  opportunities for the citizens of Dooly County.
  Recruiting new business investment in Dooly
  County will mean jobs and strengthen the tax
  base.

3
Goals

• Dooly County EDC facilitates grant applications
  for the cities and towns, along with the county.
  These grants are improving infrastructure and
  thus making better opportunities for Dooly
  citizens and prospective businesses.
• The Economic Development Training Center serves
  to improve the education and technical skills of
  Dooly citizens. The Training Center offers adult
  literacy (GED) classes, industrial training, job
  training, computer classes, nursing and weekend
  college.

4
Culture of Organization

• The culture of the EDC is certainly of the
  corporate nature.
• The current director comes from 20 years in a
  highly competitive corporate job, and brought
  that into the EDC. He certainly does not view
  competitors as benign and cooperative. He is
  very cautious with his prospect information.
• The director emphasis economic development and
  lots of times the education end gets lost in the
  shuffle. The training center end of the EDC
  spectrum needs the most promotion.

5
Public Served

• Population Profile
•   Dooly County 11,525
• Total City 6,485
• Total County 4,680 
• County Race Data  
• Total 11,525
• White 5,398
• Black/African American 5,709
• American Indian Alaskan Native19
• Asian 49
• Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander 13
• Other 332
• Hispanic or Latino (any race)537

6
Publics served

• Dooly County is comprised of the following
  cities
• Byromville Population 415
• Dooling 163
• Lilly 221
• Pinehurst 301
• Unadilla 2,772
• Vienna 2,793
• Dooly is a tier one county and is part of the
  Empowerment Zone which offers an even more
  attractive incentive package to locating industry.

7
Competition and Environment

• The main competition for the EDC is with other
  counties. Dooly is a small rural county with
  undereducated citizens. They are in competition
  with surrounding counties with many more
  resources.
• Dooly County is constantly struggling to provide
  bigger and better incentives to locating industry.

8
Strengths

• One of the main strengths is that Dooly is a part
  of the Empowerment Zone. This enables them to
  provide more funding sources and to level the
  playing field with larger counties competing for
  the same industries.
• I feel that having the EDC is a strength.
  Without the EDC the county would not have a
  designated workforce to promote the county. The
  local Chamber of Commerce does mainly special
  events.

9
Weaknesses

• Again, the county is small and poor. It is hard
  for them to compete with larger counties.
• The citizens are undereducated. Most do not
  graduate from high school. This area is one that
  needs focus. It can be of two fold benefit. If
  the citizens become more educated, then
  industries may be more likely to locate in Dooly
  County and the citizens will benefit from being
  better educated. It is a win/win situation!

10
Threats

• Dooly County is in a service delivery area
  serviced by one tech school, and their
  neighboring county is under another tech school.
  The tech school there has a thriving satellite
  campus that takes possible students from the
  training center.
• Most potential students need to complete their
  GED requirements before they can enter a trade
  program that would benefit some of the
  manufacturing firms that have been interested in
  the area.

11
Core Marketing Strategy

• The main emphasis will be on promoting the
  training center and the educational
  opportunities.
• An Open House-
• Give tours of facility, have information on
  classes offered and which schools that
  participate. Invite representatives from each
  school to be on hand with their information.
  Promote an instant acceptance to school.
  Schools would be able to admit students on the
  spot and work registration. The Open House would
  be advertised in the local newspaper, on local
  television, handouts at the local high schools
  and church bulletins.
• Mail marketing
• Use mailing list and distribute class information
  and schedules through local churches, Chamber of
  Commerce newsletters, local businesses and local
  civic organizations.

12
Core Marketing Strategy contd

• Visit existing businesses
• EDC representatives will go out in the
  community and meet with existing businesses and
  find out their training needs. This information
  will then be used to develop a plan for long term
  training.
• Local newspaper and television ads
• Run promotional and informational ads about the
  training center and classes offered.
• Promotion within the high schools
• Work with local high schools to promote form
  within the schools. Set up informational booths
  at lunch and break times to recruit the local
  high school students. Promote the Dual
  Enrollment program offered through the local
  technical college that allows students to earn
  technical college credit while still enrolled in
  high school.

13
Use of Marketing

• The EDC can use marketing to promote all aspects
  of their mission and goals. They maintain they
  are not looking to add a membership aspect to
  their organization and because the training
  center is currently under used they arent sure
  what they would do with volunteers. Part of this
  marketing strategy would provide plenty of
  activities for volunteers. Volunteers could help
  plan and organize the open house, develop the
  flyers, distribute the information, visit
  businesses and high schools. It may be possible
  to incorporate a built in aspect to recruit
  volunteers within the strategy provided. Once
  more people know about the goals and missions and
  come out to the open house, etc. they will be
  more inclined to volunteer their time and energy
  to the project.

14
Use of Marketing contd.

• The deputy director would take on the task of
  carrying out the marketing strategy. It would be
  her responsibility to organize and arrange the
  marketing.
• No official marketing has ever been done for the
  training center end of the EDC, and it is time to
  market that end of their mission and goals. The
  deputy director is excited to try new avenues to
  recruit and promote more educational activities
  in the center.