Economic Development Support

	Serving 6 Counties and 42 Municipalities since 1965 • Anderson • Cherokee • Greenville • Oconee • Pickens • Spartanburg •		Directions
			Staff Directory
			(864) 242-9733

ACOG Economic Development Support

Economic development support is an important component of the Appalachian Council of Government's (ACOG) work programs. Below you will find the areas through which ACOG supports regional economic development:

InfoMentum provides integrated research tools to attract industry and create jobs in Upstate South Carolina. The wide array of regional geographic, demographic, and economic information provided by this customized decision support system enables users to quickly create maps, tables, and high quality graphics. The end result is a professional, comprehensive presentation of local information customized to satisfy specific client needs.

Economic Development Grant Writing is provided by the Grant Services Division. Local governments and other public economic development bodies utilize Grant Services to apply for funding which helps create an environment conducive to job creation and investment. Funding sources which often receive applications include the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), the Community Development Block Grant program (CDBG), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA).

Economic Development Planning involves not only developing and updating the Regional Five-Year Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS 2013-2017), it also provides communities with support on Business Retention and Expansion analysis (BRE), downtown development, planning to encourage entrepreneurship, tax increment finance (TIF) planning, and revitalization planning. For more information, please contact David Shellhorse, Economic Development Planner, at (864) 241-4649.

The Appalachian Development Corporation (ADC) is a strategic partner through its management of State and Federal local Revolving Loan Funds received over the years by ACOG. ADC is a non-profit economic development lending corporation which specializes in "gap financing" for small business using a variety of public loan fund sources in order to help create jobs in the region. Rather than replacing private bank loans, ADC works hand-in-hand with banks in order to package small business loans from a combination of private and public dollars. Such combinations often make loan deals more workable for both banks and borrowers. In addition to management of the region's Revolving Loan Funds, ADC is also a certified Small Business Administration (SBA) lender and an approved originator for the USDA B&I Loan program.

SC Appalachian Council of Governments

ACOG Economic Development Support