City of Powder Springs

What Makes a Community Attractive to Investors

Quality of life is the true baseline asset. Investors look for vibrant parks, sound municipal governance, forward-thinking urban planning, strong public safety, top-tier schools and active downtown revitalization.

When a city invests in these elements, it fosters authentic community pride. Businesses want to invest in communities where people actively want to live, work and spend their time.

Creating Conditions for Small Business Growth

It starts with removing friction. This means expediting the permitting process, modernizing zoning and lowering barriers to entry. Waiving business license fees for targeted, high-growth industries provides low-hanging fruit that signals a city is open for business.

“Quality of life is the true baseline asset. Businesses want to invest in communities where people actively want to live, work and spend their time.”

Beyond policy, strategic partnerships matter: pairing local entrepreneurs with Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) or regional banks builds long-term operational resilience.

For example, during my work as Economic Development Director in Powder Springs, we partnered with the Kennesaw State SBDC to offer free, local business consulting hours, which immediately became an active, high-value resource for local business owners.

Factors Guiding Investment Decisions

The core framework relies on three strategic principles:

• Alignment: Ensuring new development complements existing commercial corridors and fits in with our existing plans and strategies.

• Fostering Commercial Synergies: Intentional recruitment and tenant curation. A new catalyst project, hotel, or major anchor tenant should drive foot traffic directly to nearby local shops and restaurants rather than operating as an isolated bubble.

• Proactive Public-Private Alignment: Engaging local business owners early through business retention visits, roundtable discussions, and targeted tools—such as facade improvement grants—so existing business owners can upgrade their storefronts and grow alongside new private investments.

Measuring Investments That Create Lasting Community Value

Beyond hard data like tax base expansion or job creation, the ultimate measure is public sentiment and utilization. Are residents actively using the space, enjoying it and speaking positively about it?

Transformational projects often spark initial skepticism or pushback. In Powder Springs, early downtown investments faced initial resistance, but as projects like our downtown park opened, resident sentiment shifted entirely. Today, that space is an active focal point where community members gather, spend money, go to our festivals and take pride in their city.

Building a Career in Economic Development

Seek out proactive mentorship early. Reach out via LinkedIn or at regional conferences to professionals whose career trajectories align with your interests.

Economic development is remarkably diverse, spanning municipal government, regional planning commissions, electric utility economic development teams and corporations. Find a niche and a community where the projects genuinely excite and challenge you, and focus on building relationships across all sectors of the field.