Best Practices From Bedford

Bedford, PA impressed me with a couple of unique programs that they are doing, which I hope other towns will copy. Whenever a new plant manager moves into Bedford, they hold a get together with all of the other plant managers to allow them to introduce themselves. It has opened a lot of doors and allowed for synergistic increases in business for their local manufacturers. The plant that we brought into town just landed a $1+ million local contract and is working on others.

The local newspaper designates one page/month to Bedford’s leadership class. The students use the space to write articles, including photos, about what they are studying and projects they are working on. I've found that many towns don't educate their citizens enough about the benefits of economic development and think that this idea has some wonderful long term potential.

The Bedford Chamber is sponsoring a series of seminars called "Spring Into Prosperity" on how to capitalize upon the Bedford Springs project, which will bring a higher income, more desirable demographic into the community. All in all, some pretty impressive programs for a town of only 3,141.