Southern Tier 8 regional goals. As an Eight County Regional Economic Development Organization, we’ve analyzed the region’s needs and strategically outlined goals of core importance to support, sustain, and advance the economic growth of the Southern Tier 8 region. We refer to these goals as initiatives.

Our 5 regional initiatives are designed to target the area’s challenges with a holistic approach. Our process involves developing innovative ideas, aligning the right partnerships, and developing feasible and smart solutions to meet the region’s current and future needs. Within these initiatives, we develop programs, assist with funding and grant writing, support projects from other organizations that further these goals, and continuously adapt our initiatives to meet the demands of the ever-changing economic forecast and growth of our region.

In 2018, the Southern Tier 8 Regional Board re-structured the region’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) process. The CEDS is designed to serve as our organization’s guiding document to be used in directing and evaluating regional community and economic development progress over the next five years. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, we’ve focused on our resiliency goals to meet the current and pressing needs of our area. But, the CEDS still serves as a strong foundation to evaluate and access our regional needs, challenges and opportunities.