How ERC is Fostering Strategic Partnerships for Greater Impact   

Published on December 19, 2024

Hosts and Fellows are working alongside community stakeholders to tackle complex challenges – whether it’s mapping cultural assets, revitalizing historic streetscapes, fostering economic growth, or strengthening healthcare infrastructure. These initiatives showcase how strategic partnerships and community engagement can create sustainable solutions.

 

Cultural Preservation and Community Engagement in New Mexico 

ERC Host Taos County, New Mexico and ERC Fellow Contessa Trujillo are working on a project called “Cultural & Outdoor Asset Mapping Study for Equitable and Sustainable Development.” This study is meant to address the repercussions of COVID-19 that both devastated the local arts scene, while adding strain to outdoor spaces and traditional cultures through an influx of new residents.  

At the heart of this effort is an Advisory Group that serves as a microcosm of Taos County’s diverse community. The group includes long-time residents, cultural leaders, and new community members, creating a forum where different perspectives converge to shape the region’s future. The group has been successful in fostering meaningful dialogue across diverse constituencies, demonstrating how thoughtful community engagement can bridge cultural and demographic divides.  

In 2025, the Asset Mapping Study will begin mapping Taos County’s rich cultural and natural resources, laying the groundwork for sustainable community development.

 

Economic Revitalization in Antioch  

The City of Antioch is at the center of the cities which comprise the Northern California region’s economic engines: San Francisco and Oakland, Palo Alto and San Jose, Sacramento, and Stockton. Its home prices and proximity to high-paying jobs makes wealth-building more accessible than in other parts of the Bay Area. However, 90% of Antioch’s working residents commute out of the city every day. Antioch’s “Crossroads to the Delta” project is designed to revitalize the local economy, address commuter challenges, and promote a sustainable business ecosystem.
ERC Fellow Gaby Seltzer is supporting five initiatives to catalyze local jobs alongside their ERC host, Bret Sweet: (1) launching and evaluating the Antioch Business Collaborative; a partnership between eight (8) resource providers supporting Antioch’s small businesses, (2) convening stakeholders to co-design a Medical Innovation Accelerator that will improve workforce development pipelines as well as grow new practices in the medical field, (3) cultivating the attraction of clean tech startups towards a regional manufacturing hub, (4) inventorying and remediating vacant industrial lands, and (5) working with government leaders to improve city procurement practices.

In the photos above, Seltzer and Sweet are tabling at the Antioch Chamber of Commerce’s 2024 Business Expo (left) and introducing National League of Cities staff members to members of the Antioch Business Collaborative during their site visit at CoBiz Richmond (right).

Urban Revitalization in Nebraska 

By bringing together diverse knowledge, skills, and perspectives, many ERC Fellows are cultivating relationships and new collaborations that foster innovative solutions to complex local challenges. In Nebraska, ERC Host, North 24th Street Business District Association and ERC Fellow Che Barnett are undertaking the transformation of North 24th Street through a streetscape plan. This initiative represents more than just streetscape improvements – it’s a comprehensive approach to community revitalization that honors the corridor’s rich cultural heritage while building a foundation for economic growth.  

Through strategic partnership development, Barnett has coordinated stakeholders, including City Public Works, BID Representatives, and NDOT, to maintain progress on the North 24th Streetscape Project in Omaha, Nebraska. She has also organized monthly meetings to foster collaboration, culminating in a successful block walk event with the District Congressman that strengthened community support for the project’s vision.  Furthermore, the team obtained a $100,000 State DED tourism grant to help advance this important work.

Pictured above is the ERC Host LaVonya Goodwin (far left) and ERC Fellow Che Barnett (far right) gathering amongst their board members and staff from North 24th Street at a community event.

 
Building Regional Capacity in Louisiana Through Strategic Partnerships
 

In Louisiana’s Washington and St. Helena parishes, a transformative approach to economic development is taking shape. Working in partnership with St. Tammany Corporation and a network of community stakeholders, ERC Fellow Deeneaus Polk is addressing critical human capital challenges that have historically limited these communities’ ability to design and implement effective economic development strategies. 

Through a comprehensive approach that combines targeted technical assistance with deep community engagement, Polk is helping build sustainable capacity across the region. His work exemplifies how strategic partnership development can address complex challenges in rural communities.

A crowning achievement of his local outreach and collaborative efforts is the recent win for the Riverside Medical Center, Franklinton, Louisiana, a critical access hospital serving Washington Parish! Following an opportunity Polk shared with the mayor, the Riverside Medical Center applied and was selected for the Delta Region Community Health Systems Development (DRCHSD) for a technical assistance program.

This program provides technical assistance to critical access hospitals, small rural hospitals, rural health clinics and other health care organizations.  Wins such as these have the potential to strengthen healthcare infrastructure in rural communities.

In the photo above, members of the Washington Economic Development Foundation and ERC Fellow discuss economic development initiatives at the local level in Washington and Bogalusa, Louisiana.  The discussion was facilitated by CO.STARTERS+ to support the regional economic development efforts of ERC Host, St. Tammany Corporation.