Partnership Gwinnett Doing Survey of Residents

Gwinnett Chamber Economic Development is seeking input on the future direction of community and economic development in the county. The chamber announced Friday (June 24) it is about to enter the second strategic planning phase of the Partnership Gwinnett community and economic development initiative, and the survey is a crucial part of the process.

With more than 200 relocations and expansions yielding more than 10,000 jobs since the launch of the first phase in 2007, the goal of “Partnership Gwinnett 2.0” is to take the success of the past five years to the next level.

The survey will ask residents their opinions on topics like business climate, education and workforce development, and quality of life issues. The survey should only take 10-15 minutes and is confidential. Answers cannot be linked to individuals, the announcement stated.

Despite the official end of the recession, communities are still dealing with the challenges associated with the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. The purpose of the next phase is to ensure that Gwinnett continues to rebound from the recession quicker than other competing communities, according to the announcement.

“Residents and business owners in Gwinnett have an opportunity to participate in the Partnership Gwinnett community survey,” said Gwinnett County Commission Chair Charlotte Nash in the announcement. “This is a chance for folks across the county to share their thoughts and opinions about our community and its future.”

“The success of the second phase of Partnership Gwinnett’s economic development strategy is purposefully based on input from the community,” stated Partnership Gwinnett 2.0 Co-Chair Randy Dellinger, the Gwinnett District Manager at Jackson EMC. “The effectiveness of the effort is contingent upon the participation of all Gwinnettians.”

“We are passionate about creating and implementing an effective strategy that will continue to make Gwinnett County a leader in metro Atlanta,” said Partnership Gwinnett 2.0 Co-Chair Renee Byrd-Lewis, community relations director for Cisco. “This next phase will keep the strength and momentum of the initial Partnership Gwinnett plan while expanding the vision for continued positive community impact.”

“Now entering the fifth year of the initial Partnership Gwinnett implementation process, we have made solid and measurable progress on a wide range of goals,” said Nick Masino, vice president for Economic Development and Partnership Gwinnett, also in the announcement. “Despite the recession, Gwinnett has for the past 12 months and well beyond, had the lowest jobless rate in the core metro Atlanta counties.” This is not by accident -- it is through the partnership of dedicated individuals from the public and private sectors working in sync to generate results.”

Partnership Gwinnett 2.0 launched this summer in partnership with Market Street Services, a national community, economic, and workforce development consulting firm based in Atlanta.

The survey will close on Friday, July 1 and can be found here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/pgcommunitysurvey

For additional questions or comments, contact Mark Farmer at Gwinnett Chamber Economic Development mfarmer@gwinnettchamber.org or Alex Pearlstein at Market Street Services apearlstein@marketstreetservices.com.