October 14, 2008 - Nationally known economist William H. “Bill” Fruth will conduct Coweta County’s first-ever Economic Summit, Wednesday, October 22, 8:30 a.m. – 12:00 noon, at the Centre for Performing and Visual Arts of Coweta County, 1523 Lower Fayetteville Road, Newnan. Coffee, Danishes, and networking will be available at 8:00 a.m. Admission is free.
Bill Fruth is certainly not considered a typical “run-of-the-mill” economist. Unlike many of his colleagues who spend much of their lives in an academic setting, Fruth has mostly “walked the walk” in both the private and public sectors.
After earning his Bachelor and Master degrees from Bowling Green State University in Ohio, Bill Fruth began his economic journey in 1980, when he was elected to serve as the full-time Mayor of Tiffin, Ohio. It was quite a challenge, as manufacturing companies / jobs were leaving town, the nation was in the grip of a deep recession, and the city’s economy and finances had reached crisis level.
Facing the unthinkable, a relatively young Mayor Fruth had no other choice but to become heavily involved in economic and community development, in order to save his city from financial collapse. His hard work and accomplishments drew accolades from across the State, and Fruth was named one of “Five Outstanding Young Men of Ohio” before finishing his term in office.
Bill Fruth’s rise to notoriety in the economic development field soon led him to Palm Beach County, Florida, where he served as president of the Business Development Board. Once again, Fruth earned statewide recognition, and was named Florida Economic Development Professional of the Year in 1987.
It wasn’t long before private industry took notice of Bill Fruth’s accomplishments. He embraced the opportunity and served as Vice President of a major industrial land development company from 1988-1995. Fruth’s responsibilities included directing the development and marketing of a 500-acre corporate park in West Palm Beach, Florida.
In 1996, Bill Fruth founded POLICOM Corporation, an independent economics research firm, located in Palm City, Florida. For the past twelve years, he has specialized in studying the dynamics of local economies, whether they are growing or declining, and what may be causing this to happen.
Fruth has personally evaluated more than 600 economies across the Nation. He has created more than 150 community studies, and since 1998, has provided presentations and workshops for state associations and communities in 32 states.
Bill Fruth is recognized by the Florida Administrative Court as an expert witness regarding local economies. He is the author of Where the Money Is … America’s Strongest Local Economies, along with numerous economic articles for newspapers and trade magazines.
Bill Fruth’s presentation style may come as a surprise to those who have suffered through dry, often uninspiring economics lectures. To the contrary, he provides a fast-paced, entertaining, but mostly thought provoking analysis. Fruth’s numbers are based on reality, rather than theory, and his purpose is to generate discussion of what makes an economy strong, and what each community must do to improve its economic condition and quality of life.
As a segment of the Coweta County Economic Summit, Fruth will first present examples
of some of the strongest and weakest economies in the Nation. He’ll then examine Coweta County’s own economic strengths and weaknesses, and further compare them to those of Fayette County, Cobb County, Gainesville, GA, Auburn-Opelika, AL, the Atlanta area, and Georgia.
The Coweta County Economic Summit is a “must attend” for business owners, business professionals, elected officials, candidates for office, and all citizens interested in the future of Coweta’s local economy.
As Bill Fruth explained, “The purpose of this summit goes beyond presenting Coweta’s economic strengths and weaknesses. I’d like to encourage discussion of what your community must do to further improve its economy during these difficult times, while motivating community leaders to work as one toward a common goal of long-term economic prosperity and a better standard of living for all citizens.”
The Coweta County Economic Summit is sponsored by AT&T, Atlanta Gas Light, Coweta-Fayette EMC, Georgia Power, and Newnan Utilities. For reservations and further information, contact the Newnan-Coweta Chamber of Commerce at 770-253-2270.
September 11, 2008 - As a means of creating a county-wide dialog, The Newnan-Coweta Chamber of Commerce has sent hundreds of cards and letters to local governments and authorities, encouraging their participation in Coweta’s first-ever economic summit, Wednesday, October 22, 8:30 a.m. until 12 noon, at the Coweta County Centre for Performing Arts, Lower Fayetteville Rd., Newnan.
Policom Corporation, a Florida-based independent economic research firm, will present its findings after spending the last several months collecting data and analyzing the state of Coweta County’s economy. The event is open to the public, and admission is free.
According to Chamber President Phil Aaron, “It’s been more than ten years since we took an in-depth look at Coweta’s economy. I believe everyone will agree that much has changed in our community since then. The information Policom presents will not only be a valuable tool for local business owners, but also for elected and appointed officials as they plan for our future.” He adds, “We are very fortunate and appreciative that our local utility companies recognized the need for this informational dialog, and have all come together to share the full cost of the study.”
The 2008 Coweta Economic Summit is sponsored by AT&T, Atlanta Gas light, Coweta-Fayette EMC, Georgia Power Company, and Newnan Utilities. For information, contact the Newnan-Coweta Chamber of Commerce at 770-253-2270.
August 15, 2008 - The Newnan-Coweta Chamber of Commerce today announced that Policom Corporation has begun collecting and examining data for its analysis of Coweta County’s past and current economic conditions. Policom will present its findings at a public forum to be held Wednesday, October 22, 9:00 a.m., at the Coweta County Centre for Performing and Visual Arts, located on Lower Fayetteville Rd., Newnan.
According to Chamber Chairman Phil Aaron, “The information presented at Coweta’s first ever Economic Summit affects the quality of life for every citizen. Chamber members, business owners, elected officials, candidates for office, community leaders, and all interested citizens are encouraged to attend.” Admission is free.
Policom is an independent Florida-based economic research firm that annually ranks U.S. geographic areas for their “economic strength,” or long-term tendency to sustain quality growth. They have also conducted more than 150 economic studies for communities, state-wide agencies, and businesses across the United States.
As part of the study, Policom and Chamber officials have chosen to compare the quality of Coweta’s economy with those of the Atlanta area, State of Georgia, Fayette County, Cobb County, Gainesville area, and the Auburn-Opelika, Alabama area. Coweta’s long-term economic trends (1977 until today) will also be tracked and presented.
According to Policom President William Fruth, “Our research of Coweta is already showing signs of a classic “bedroom” economy. While Coweta’s population growth is among the area’s fastest, the corresponding slow growth in wages should raise concerns.” He added, “As our research continues, we will dig deep inside the data to determine some underlying causes, possible remedies and opportunities.”
In 1998, Policom Corporation conducted a similar study for neighboring Fayette County. Most prominent among its findings was the determination that Fayette’s economy was far too dependent on one single industry -- the airline industry.
Speaking to a capacity audience, Fruth encouraged Fayette County leaders to work together in an effort to better diversify their local economic / jobs base. He also warned of possible economic instability, should the airline industry fall on difficult times.
The Coweta County Economic Summit is sponsored by AT&T, Atlanta Gas Light, Coweta-Fayette EMC, Georgia Power Company, and Newnan Utilities.
For information, contact the Newnan-Coweta Chamber of Commerce 770-253-2270.
