The Surry County Economic Development Partnership is directed with being a catalyst for business innovation, growth, and development, resulting in an improved standard of living and quality of life for our residents. The EDP has been doing this work in Surry County since 1995, growing and adapting with the changing times and trends to continue being a resource to business, industry, and the community.
Throughout the past 10 months, the EDP has gone through an in-depth strategic planning process involving input from public institutions, community members, and businesses. This process asked for feedback on strengths the community should continue to support, weaknesses to address, and opportunities to take advantage of. Input from the process established a few priorities:
Community Priorities
- Promote Existing Business and Industry
- Business Attraction and Marketing
- Workforce Development
Investor Priorities
- Housing Development
- Business Retention and Development
- Workforce Development
Utilizing the input from the community along with data, trends, and momentum in the region, a reinvigorated direction and set of goals were developed. Below are the six categories of goals and activities that were constructed throughout this process:
- Retain and Grow Existing Businesses
- Develop Space that will Attract Businesses
- Support a Vibrant Entrepreneurship Ecosystem and Small Business Growth
- Market Surry County to Business and People
- Expand the Pipeline of Qualified Talent
- Be the Leader among Rural Communities in Economic Development and Leadership Development
These priorities establish the need for the Surry EDP to be an active instigator in the development of opportunities for the community to thrive and grow, taking care of our existing industry and looking for new ways to encourage their growth, finding a path for new housing development, encouraging our young residents to find meaningful careers in our community, attracting new folks from the region and country to find their place here in Surry, being a partner in the development of new opportunities and spaces for local business (big and small) to grow, and finally to be a convener and active leader in Surry County and the wider region.
Surry County has a lot going for it. We are blessed to have three school districts all in the top 20 for NC in performance and quality, 2 thriving and ambitious hospitals, a healthy tourism sector, a balanced economy spurred on by locally based corporations, engaged and active civic and business community, and plentiful outdoor and quality of life opportunities. We are in a region that is seeing a renaissance, the North Carolina Piedmont has boomed in the last 5 years and is anticipated to see continued influx of new growth, we believe Surry County can take part and benefit from that.
Our mission is to be a team player in the bringing about the goals of the community, our business, and partners here in Surry County. If you’d like to learn more about how you or your business can be a part of that we would be happy to speak with you. Become a member of the EDP here or reach out to Blake Moyer, President of the Surry EDP at blake@surryedp.com
