Region's economic development leaders dismiss collaboration, slight D.C.

Michael Neibauer
Washington Business Journal

Fierce competition for new business among Washington-area jurisdictions has left little interest in economic development collaboration on the region’s behalf, and little love for the center of it all — the District.

“Washington, D.C., is like California in that they can’t seem to chase companies out of their jurisdiction fast enough,” Gerry Gordon, president of the Fairfax County Economic Development Authority, said Friday during a panel discussion at the Cardinal Bank-George Mason University Greater Washington Economic Conference. The panel was moderated by Washington Business Journal Publisher Alex Orfinger.

Gordon, Terry Holzheimer of Arlington County, David Iannucci of Prince George’s County and Jeffrey Kaczmarek of Prince William County generally agreed that regions with strong areawide branding efforts tend to focus those efforts on a strong central city.

But D.C., they said (all except Iannucci), is not that, leaving the suburbs to fend for themselves. More here