About Economic Gardening
Over 30 years ago, Economic Gardening introduced the idea that entrepreneurial activity should be a standard part of the economic development portfolio.
The term Economic Gardening was coined by Phil Burgess of the Center for the New West who made the observation that communities should do less economic hunting (recruiting companies from other towns) and stay home and focus on growing local companies (economic gardening).
Over 30 years ago, Economic Gardening introduced the idea that entrepreneurial activity should be a standard part of the economic development portfolio.
The term Economic Gardening was coined by Phil Burgess of the Center for the New West who made the observation that communities should do less economic hunting (recruiting companies from other towns) and stay home and focus on growing local companies (economic gardening).
Early research indicated several important facts that structured the program:
%
80% or more jobs, are created locally in every state
%
about 15% of all companies are stage 2 (10-100 employees & $1-50 million in sales)
%
about 40% of jobs are created by stage 2 companies
The Economic Gardening program has received three national awards including the International Economic Development Council’s entrepreneurship award. The program was also a finalist in Harvard’s Innovation in Government award program. Economic Gardening is term recognized around the world and has been implemented in numerous states and communities in the United States. It is one of the oldest, best tested, most productive entrepreneurial programs in the country.
Economic Gardening has several advantages as an economic development alternative:
- It produces regular and reliable results even in smaller communities that haven’t had success with other approaches. Much of the winner/loser gambling aspect goes away.
- It is relatively low cost both in absolute numbers and in cost per job created.
- It’s an investment in local businesses which are rooted in their communities. These are the same businesses that often pay the taxes that fund the economic development program and thus deserve the assistance.
- It is relatively easy to start a program using the National Center for Economic Gardening.
Economic Gardening was tested and refined in Littleton, Colorado over a twenty year period. During that time the job base doubled from 15,000 to 30,000 and the city did not recruit a single company or offer any incentives. While the job base doubled, the population only increased 23% during the same period. Other communities using the program have reported job and income increases ranging from 15% to 30% in the first year after the company engagement.