It is nice when things fall into place. Like today…. it is a holiday for me and it is my birthday. Of course, the weather didn’t get the memo so I can’t do any of that outdoorsy stuff I wanted to do. However, all is not lost. I have gotten a few things accomplished, it has been relaxing so far, I plan to make my do-gooder blood donation to the Red Cross this afternoon, and we are going out for dinner and to a Renee Fleming concert this evening. Not a bad birthday, as I can ignore the occasional thunderstorm.
Things are kinda the same in economic development. Stuff sometimes just falls into place. Other things are out of one’s hands. You can plan some good things. And to make it all work, you have to negotiate and not be paralyzed by the noise, the negative forces, and the harsh environment while one works toward sustainable, long-term economic development.
And as I give my pint of blood this afternoon, I’ll be thinking about how sometimes you have to endure a little pain to make things better for the next person.
About Daryl Phillips, CEcD
I am a professional economic developer. I presently work for communities and companies in developing and implementing workforce and economic development solutions as CEO of Phillips Economic Development Solutions (Phi EDS).
Prior to September 2017, I was the economic development professional who served a community team of elected officials, business people, community leaders and dedicated stakeholders for economic development in Cheatham County, Tennessee (pop. 39,880) and its four towns. During my five-year tenure, I served the team as Cheatham County grew over 1,700 jobs, turned around population declines at the start of this decade into healthy population growth, increased tourism expenditures 20.3% and local tax revenue from tourism 25.4%, grew sales tax revenue 36%, focused on developing the local workforce and was recognized by SmartAsset as having the 9th highest Incoming Investment Index of all the 95 counties in Tennessee.
I am a member of International Economic Development Council, Southern Economic Development Council, Tennessee Economic Development Council and International Council of Shopping Centers.
I have earned the designation of Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) from International Economic Development Council (IEDC), the Economic Development Finance Professional (EDFP) certification from National Development Council and hold a Master of Business Administration from Tennessee Technological University.
