On October 27, 2020, the Transylvania Economic Alliance, Executive Director Josh Hallingse presented an economic development briefing to the Cedar Mountain Small Area Plan Committee. The Alliance's comments provided an overview of the organizations focus on 1) existing business support 2) sites/buildings intiatives and 3) marketing the county to prospective target markets. Hallingse also highlighted the organization's target markets 1) tourism, 2) advanced/niche manufacturing 3) beverage 4) food and organic products 5) outdoor gear manufacturing and 6) creative services.
During the meeting Hallingse noted the various types of business which the Alliance believes are the closest alligned with the specific community attributes. Of these target markets the Cedar Mountain community's business sector has historically been most heavily involved in the community's growing tourism economy given the close proximity to DuPont State Recreational Forest, the burgening food and organic product sector, outdoor gear manufacturing (original home of SylvanSport) and creative services which can include entreapreneurial businesses and those businesses which can leverage remote workers to fill critical functions, something of particular interest in a post COVID-19 world.
In follow up to the discussion of the Cedar Mountain community the Alliance has leveraged some basic GIS/ESRI-based retail leakage data to help existing commercial businesses understand the market in more detail to help local business owners refine and offer new products and services that might bolster business activities in this area of the county.
ESRI Retail Leakage Data: 1, 3 & 5 Mile Report
