After the approval of funding, Catoosa County Economic Development Authority Director Keith Barclift is preparing to tackle one of his preliminary goals from when he started his job around two years ago – developing a strategic plan for the county’s economic future.
On Feb. 9, members of the authority voted to approve $9,000 worth of funding for the initial phase of creating a guide outlining operations and goals to take the department in a new direction.
“I’m trying to build a department of economic development that hasn’t really been here before, in a way that hasn’t been here before,” he said.
Barclift said a main focus of the authority under his lead will be to recruit large industries to bring jobs to the area. But he knows they must strike a balance with what already exists.
“I would like to see a focus on industry. But at the same time, we also know that we have to serve the businesses and industries that are located in the county,” Barclift said. “So figuring out how to kind of marry those two pieces is going to be what’s important for me.”