Governor's Office of Economic Development
RELEASE DATE: Friday, February 8, 2002
For More Information Contact: Mary Lehecka Nelson, 773-5032

Highmore/Hyde County Economic Development Group Starts Planning Upcoming Efforts

Pierre –  Highmore and Hyde County want economic development and plans to work hard to get it. The local development group kicked off its renewed efforts by meeting with officials from the Governor’s Office of Economic Development in on February 7, 2002.

The purpose of the meeting was to help the community assess its strengths and weaknesses and determine its next plan of action. "It’s important for communities to really look at where they are at today," said Chris Braendlin, commissioner, GOED.

"What we encourage communities to do is take a good hard look at available buildings, available labor and available infrastructure," Braendlin said. "These are things that determine what type of industry a community will want to try and recruit."

Braendlin said the group is on the right track. "The people recognize that the first step in any successful economic development campaign is having a comprehensive community profile," Braendlin said. "Once the profile is in place, the group is ready to put together an aggressive marketing plan."

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