Southeastern Connecticut Demographic Data Now Available Online
07/31/2007
Contacts:
Kristi Sullivan, CERC, 860-571-6213
Deborah Donovan, seCTer, 860-437-4659 x202
Site selectors and others who need data to make business location decisions can now easily research and learn about Connecticut's southeastern region through E.D.D.I. (Economic Development Data and Information), a web site developed by the Connecticut Economic Resource Center, Inc. (CERC).
The SouthEastern Connecticut Enterprise Region (seCTer), representing 21 towns in New London county, has added localized data points about their region and municipalities to the only online searchable database of economic and demographic information for all of Connecticut, Western Massachusetts and its metro areas, regions and towns. E.D.D.I. contains hundreds of data points representing labor force, wages, leading employers and business growth, and provides communities with an important resource to market and promote their location to the world.
"Maintaining accurate, comprehensive online data on the web is vital to our region's economic vitality," said John Markowicz, executive director of seCTer. Director of Marketing Deborah Donovan added, "Businesses and site location consultants rely on the web for information to make relocation decisions - if our regional data isn't online, our region isn't on their short list."
Recent research shows that most businesses begin their search for new properties and new locations online. The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) developed guidelines with nationally recognized site selection professionals nationwide for the type of information businesses need to make investment decisions; E.D.D.I was developed according to these IEDC standards. CERC manages E.D.D.I. with funding provided by its utility partners and supports the efforts of Connecticut towns to utilize E.D.D.I. and keep its data current.
E.D.D.I. is based on a web database called LOIS - Location One Information System - which also houses data and information web sites for states such as Iowa, Missouri and others. Since its launch in April 2005, Connecticut's E.D.D.I. has consistently ranked in LOIS's top four most visited states.
"The participation of seCTer is important," said Robert Santy, president and CEO of CERC. "As CERC continues to provide objective research that assesses Connecticut's regions and cities and compares the state on a national and global level, the data from organizations like seCTer and its towns provides insight for our research team as well as for site selectors evaluating our area."
About seCTer
The SouthEastern Connecticut Enterprise Region is a public-private regional economic development agency serving the towns of New London County, Connecticut with a mission of promoting and preserving the region's attractiveness, to encourage new businesses, and to assist and to nurture existing and expanding local enterprises. The 21 seCTer communities are: Bozrah, Colchester, East Lyme, Franklin, Griswold, Groton, Lebanon, Ledyard, Lisbon, Lyme, Montville, New London, North Stonington, Norwich, Old Lyme, Preston, Salem, Sprague, Stonington, Voluntown and Waterford. For more info, visit www.secter.org.
About CERC
Based in Rocky Hill, the Connecticut Economic Resource Center, Inc. is a nonprofit corporation that provides objective research, marketing and economic development services to local, regional, state and utility entities and policymakers. CERC is a public-private partnership, funded primarily by utility and telecommunication companies, with a mission of making Connecticut a more competitive business location. Visit www.cerc.com for more info.
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