GrowthWheel for Economic Developers
—A Toolbox For Business Retention Specialists

GrowthWheel is used by Business Retention Specialists (or Business Expansion Specialists), who use the toolbox and online platform to open conversations with local businesses about how to grow and create jobs.

It can can be a challenge to get the attention of a business, whether it is in a crisis or whether it is in a high growth mode. But without a dialogue the business will never know how the city or county can help strengthen the organization to the benefit of all.

GrowthWheel is a certification program for economic development specialists which will help:

  • Open the doors to local businesses through offering a 360° screening
  • Facilitate a structured process to explore opportunities for growth and high-quality job creation or retention with a robust visual toolbox.
  • Help create the basis for an ongoing long-term relationship with the local business though working with a 360° scoreboard

 

For the leadership of an Economic Development Organization (EDO) GrowthWheel will bring about some other benefits:

  • Document success and impact before and after job creation takes place.
  • Help justify the relevance and impact of the economic development activities
  • Offering an attractive training and certification program to benefit economic development staff

 

As GrowthWheel is also used by incubators, SBDCs, Woman Business Centers, Veteran Business Outreach Centers and entrepreneurial education programs. The system might also be a part of the glue that ties together the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the city or the region.

Starting or running an incubator? 
—Let GrowthWheel be the backbone for management and reporting

EDOs who are starting or funding an incubation program might recommend the applications or incubation managers to explore the option of using the GrowthWheel Business Advisory System for intake, program design and reporting.

 

See more at this page if you are an incubator 

For more information about GrowthWheel for economic developers contact Elizabeth Binning.