Economic gardening: Can it bear fruit here?

BY MARIAN RIZZOSpecial to Ocala Business Journal
Published: Friday, January 30, 2009 at 2:54 p.m.

Some plant, some water and some reap the harvest.

That’s basically the picture of “economic gardening,” an economic development strategy that promises to grow and expand businesses within a community.

The success depends on having a variety of entities contribute to help a small business develop, said Philip Geist, area director of the Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of North Florida.

An avid proponent of economic gardening, Geist said it differs from the traditional “economic hunting” most often used by the Economic Development Corp. to lure businesses from outside.

“We’re not replacing what the EDC is doing,” Geist said. “We’re supplementing it by helping to create business from within the community, as opposed to drawing business in from outside the community.”

Pete Tesch, president/CEO of the EDC, believes economic gardening, combined with economic hunting, has the potential to enhance the business climate in Marion County.

“I’m becoming a student of the concept and practice of economic gardening,” said Tesch. “It does resonate with people and organizations, in general, in that it is the concept of growing your own, working with individuals and entrepreneurs within the local business community. Buy local is a very strong concept. It’s really something that many individuals and businesses can actively engage in and impact the economy.”

Introduced in 1989 in Littleton, Colo., economic gardening involves a diversity of businesses, government entities and civic groups that come together to provide the tools and resources to help develop a small business. Similar programs already have found success in numerous communities across the nation, in fact, around the world.

The concept has two specific models. One is called the “gazelle,” a fast growing company that isn’t necessarily high-tech but has a product that’s in demand. The other is a demographic model involving a particular size of business, such as that adopted by the state of Georgia. Ocala’s demographics closely mimic those of Madison, Wis., where economic gardening has been successful, Geist said. More here.