This research project, which included both primary and secondary research elements, was designed to inform the economic development activities of a county government in southwestern Pennsylvania. The project began with identifying and defining the county’s unique location attributes such as the proximity to markets, the transportation and communications infrastructure, workforce availability, and a variety of similar criteria. The research then focused on identifying those industries that were likely to find the county’s location attributes desirable when considering expanding or relocating operations. The hypothesis regarding the desirability of the identified attributes was tested and verified via a phone survey to a representative sample firms from the identified industries. As a result of the research findings, the client was able to utilize its limited resources to create a national marketing campaign that was targeted toward firms in the identified industries.
Research Benefits
- The county was able to focus limited budget resources on the target industries with the greatest likelihood of success
- The research results supported the development of focused promotional and messaging elements