Rebuilding Ferguson

Job Creation

Ferguson 1000 Jobs believes that we have the talent in our local market. Our strategy is to expand the Economic Gardening approach that fosters expanding our assets in our local markets.

Economic gardening takes an entrepreneurial approach to regional prosperity. Often referred to as a “grow from within” strategy, it helps existing companies within a community grow larger. In contrast to traditional business assistance, economic gardening focuses on strategic growth challenges, such as developing new markets, refining business models and gaining access to competitive intelligence. Economic gardening specialists help CEOs identify which issues are hindering their growth and then leverage sophisticated tools to deliver insights and information that CEOs can apply immediately.

Driven by research Economic Gardening is a “grow from within” strategy targeting existing growth companies and offering them critical strategic information that is customized to their needs. This information can be key to propelling the company to its next phase of growth. Statistics from an Economic Gardening pilot program of 28 companies cited that those companies grew revenues by an increase of 26.9% and jobs by an increase of 29% after their Economic Gardening engagement.

Ferguson 1000 Jobs will blend  Economic Gardening principles with traditional economic development tactics. Our economic development strategies include connecting entrepreneurs with support institutions and helping them with their operations, workforce development or tax credits.  While economic gardening is about leveraging research using sophisticated business intelligence tools and databases that growth companies either aren’t aware of or cannot afford. Research specialists typically assist in four key areas: strategic market research, geographic information systems, search engine optimization and social media marketing. Examples of how specialists help companies include:

  • Identify market trends, potential competitors and unknown resources
  • Map geographic areas for targeted marketing
  • Raise visibility in search engine results and increased web traffic
  • Track websites, blogs and online communities to better understand competitors and current and potential customers
  • Make informed decisions on core strategies and the business model

The virtual model, using trained specialists and team leaders, enables time-crunched CEOs to participate in an Economic Gardening network without ever leaving their offices.

Our job creation model has the following:1.) Target Existing Companies Job Need

2.) Grow Minority Businesses so they can HIRE from the community

3.) Develop Youth Technology and Entrepreneur Training