A strategic plan for Matagorda County’s economic development – a road map for the future - was made public at the Matagorda County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) annual meeting Dec. 8.
MCEDC retained Garner Economics, LLC, in early 2021 to help create a multiyear, countywide economic development strategy that will guide economic development activities.
The new strategic plan is titled, “A New Chapter for Matagorda County: An economic development action plan to attract talent and investment.”
Jay A. Garner is the president and founder of Garner Economics based in Fayetteville, Ga.
He guided the meeting audience through the plan.
“As a complement to the assessment of the physical and regulatory structure of Matagorda County against its benchmarked peers, Garner Economics conducted three focus groups of key stakeholders in the area,” Garner told those attending.
“The purpose of these exercises was to solicit a variety of perceptions of the business climate and seek areas for improvement from community stakeholders,” Garner said.
Chapter 1 details results, comparisons, and general themes of stakeholder engagement.
Garner Economics assessed the area based on the qualities, elements, and infrastructure that a business will examine when evaluating a location as a place for its operations or as an investment.
“The Assets & Challenges Assessment is both an objective and subjective evaluation of the area,” Garner said during his presentation.
“This review allows us to document challenges.
“By knowing what challenges or gaps exist, the County can take the steps necessary to mitigate the situation, strengthen its overall ‘product,’ and be a more attractive business location,” Garner explained.
“Likewise, by knowing its strengths, the MCEDC can better leverage them in efforts to attract businesses.
Chapter 2 details the Assets & Challenges Assessment.
“For context, Matagorda County was compared to itself over time and against two benchmark communities, the state of Texas, and the United States as a whole.
“The benchmark counties used to view Matagorda’s competitive status are Brazoria County and Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana,” Garner said.
These benchmarks were selected by Matagorda County’s economic development team for their similarities or for their aspirational qualities.
Metrics analyzed for the process include:
Target business sectors such as Agribusiness/Food Processing,
Green Energy/Clean Tech,
All Things Manufacturing/
Process engineering and manufacturing, and Ecotourism/Experiential Economy/ Outdoor Recreation.
“These targets are best fits for Matagorda County based on the current economic and business climate conditions along with national trends for sector growth and recovery,” Garner said.
“The targets are recommended given the county’s attributes, assets, and proximity to other economic drivers.
“Each target group has a profile with valuable data and narrative to support the selections.”
Garner pointed out that while target marketing is primarily the work of economic development, the execution of the quality of place target may involve partner organizations in Matagorda County.
In conducting this analysis, the Garner Economics team found that Matagorda County has some assets but also has challenges that need to be overcome or mitigated to strengthen the county’s competitiveness as a place for business.
Chapter 5 offers a set of implementable recommendations that will help MCEDC better focus its efforts to attract high-quality companies and talent.
The recommendations reflect items that the county should undertake to highlight its value proposition to companies looking to invest in the area as well as tactics the MCEDC can use to leverage strengths and effectively market the county to the recommended targets.
The recommendations for action are categorized under three areas of opportunity: Strengthen the Product (Asset Development), Communicate the Brand (Marketing), and Execute Effectively (Organizational).
Under Strengthen the Product (asset development), the plan calls for developing assets and initiatives that support the community’s desire to attract and grow more high-quality economic activities in the area and to support the current and future residents of Matagorda County.
“To execute effectively, create new where new is needed,” Garner said.
Communicate the Brand (marketing): “Tell the Matagorda County story and promote the brand, locally and globally.”
With Execute Effectively (organizational), “Build programming that results in outstanding economic development service delivery across all county and municipal economic development functions.”
In his presentation, Garner noted that MCEDC sets aside $6,000 annually for marketing, which he indicated wasn’t enough to effectively market the county.
He suggested a number closer to $50,000 “to market effectively.”
He later expanded on spending to hire more staff in areas such as business retention which he said was a primary goal for MCEDC.
He also recommended using American Rescue Plan (ARP) funding in reaching certain goals.
Those include creating gateways, signage and a beautification effort for the county’s “living room.”
Under public/private partnerships, Garner said, “bring the private sector to the table with the public sector” to see the financial opportunities from both.
“We’ve laid out a plan that is implemental and raises the bar for Matagorda County.”
Garner said he didn’t see the plan “sitting on a shelf.
“There is a collaborative spirit here. You’re here because you’re community leaders.”
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