Introduction

Creation, Attraction, Retention, Expansion

When a community embarks on an economic development program through business Creation, Attraction, Retention, and Expansion (C.A.R.E.), the community's citizens must evaluate their community and plan, initiate and carry out needed community changes (Attraction) to help the targeted economic development efforts succeed.

Success will be further facilitated when assistance can be made available to manager-entrepreneurs who are considering starting a new businesses in the community (Creation), moving their business operations from another community or opening a local operation to complement operations elsewhere (Attraction), or strengthening and expanding existing businesses (Retention and Expansion). Such manager-entrepreneurs should receive help evaluating the feasibilities of their ideas. It is important to both communities and entrepreneur-managers in those communities that the steps taken in the C.A.R.E. model are as achievable and realistic as possible.

The objective of the phases of this learning module is to help interested communities and the individual business leaders or future leaders within those communities evaluate whether it is worth it to embark on the never ending course toward economic development.