New report says Dalton high in business climate, low in workforce, entrepreneurship

Rob Bradham

A new report shows the Dalton, Ga., area ranks low among similar-sized metro areas in its workforce and in innovation, but is tops in terms of its business climate.

The findings are part of an effort to craft a new strategic plan to grow Dalton's economy in the aftermath of the Great Recession.

"In 2015, it started coming out. The economy is better, but nobody had a plan for greater Dalton," said Rob Bradham, the Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce's chief executive.

After several months of interviews, a community survey and research by a consulting firm, a key takeaway is that greater Dalton faces a talent drain as many of the college-educated who work there choose to live elsewhere, the report said.

Related to the finding is that Dalton lacks a "quality of place" and housing, especially in its downtown, which are needed to retain talent, the report said.

Also, the Dalton area needs renewed focus on entrepreneurship, and low educational attainment rates and child poverty undermine and threaten economic competitiveness and community success, it said.

On the up side, Dalton State College is a big plus, as are programs such as the College & Career Academy's Advanced Manufacturing and Business Academy, which provides students with manufacturing-related high school and post-secondary certificate programs. In addition, Georgia Northwestern Technical College was cited as a key asset.

Bryan Hair, president of Dalton-based Marketing Alliance Group and a steering committee co-chairman, said the report offers a realistic view of both challenges and opportunities.

"We have plenty of work to do, but the community never shies away from hard work," he said.

Up next is the crafting of the economic development implementation plan, Bradham said. A five-year blueprint is expected to be ready by mid-summer, he said.

One area in which greater Dalton ranked No. 1 among a group of peer communities was in business climate as it relates to taxes and regulations, infrastructure and utilities.

Bradham said the communities with which it compared itself are often competitors with Dalton for economic development projects.

Concerning Dalton's workforce, Bradham said that 62 percent of those earning more than $40,000 a year live elsewhere, often in the Chattanooga area.

"They're spending their money in Chattanooga rather than spending their money here," he said. "People have a choice where people decide to live. We have to focus on making Dalton a better choice."

One factor is a lack of quality housing among the options for that group of people, the report found.

"There's not sufficient quality that young professionals are looking for," Bradham said.

He said there's no lack of community pride in greater Dalton. A meeting this week drew more than 175 people to hear the report's results, the Chamber chief said.

"People are pumped about participating in the process," he said. "People were cheering. That tells me we have got people who want to come along side us."

The funding for the study came from private monies, Bradham said.

Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6318.