CBER Recognized for Excellence in Economic Development Research

VALDOSTA - Valdosta State University's Center for Business and Economic Research was recognized for its excellence in economic development research at the annual Council for Community and Economic Research conference held earlier this June in Kansas City, Missouri.

The C2ER's awards program honors contributions of research to the success of local, regional or state economic development initiatives. Ultimately, it challenges institutions to improve the quality of economic development research by identifying successful, worthy projects and promoting the diffusion of creative ideas.

Projects were submitted in various areas of research and judged on contributions to economic development research, innovativeness in approach, implementation or collaborative efforts, responsiveness to customer needs, and benefits resulting from implementation.

CBER Director Cliff Lipscomb accepted VSU's award, which focused on a project that supported business development - specifically, the CBER's project titled: "Land-Use Decisions for the Valdosta-Lowndes County Industrial Authority."

With only 300 available acres remaining in its industrial parks, the local authority collaborated with the CBER to identify three particular parcels in Lowndes County that could be purchased at prices slightly below the current market value of land by the VLCIA to increase its available supply of land in local industrial parks. The research effort identified the number of acres required to meet the county's employment projections for the year 2030, while also allowing the authority to expand its recruitment and marketing efforts into new markets.

Lipscomb's efforts were used as the basis for an academic journal article, published in the 2008 Southern Business and Economic Journal, which links economic development recommendations with the rigor of peer-reviewed academic research.

Formerly the South Georgia Institute, the CBER changed its name in August 2008 to indicate its committing to supporting economic research not only in VSU's 41-county service region, but also throughout the state. Concurrently, Dr. Cliff Lipscomb, assistant professor of marketing and economics, took the reigns from Dr. John Boatwright and began working toward improvements and additions to the center's previous services.

A service arm of VSU and the Harley Langdale Jr. College of Business Administration, the CBER traditionally assists businesses and governments with strategic planning, research, human resource management, corporate training and other areas. Visit www.valdosta.edu/lcoba/cber or call Lipscomb at (229) 245-3774 for more information about the center.