Congressman Robert Aderholt announced Wednesday that the Appalachian Regional Commission approved a $24,787 grant to the DeKalb County Economic Development Authority for its Enhancing Capacity Through Systems Modernization project.
“The ARC grant for the amount of $24,787.00 to the DeKalb County Economic Development Authority will strengthen the organization’s operational capacity to support business retention and expansion, workforce awareness, and regional economic development initiatives throughout the region,” Aderholt said.
The grant will help the authority train three workers and adopt a customer relationship management system to track business outreach, industry contacts and project inquiries. The system will also support reporting, planning and decisions by the authority’s leadership.
The project will provide access to economic development research, technical assistance and leadership development programs. According to Aderholt’s news release, those resources are intended to improve business engagement and workforce awareness in the region.
“This investment will create long-term prosperity and strengthen economic development for DeKalb County by supporting professional development opportunities, business outreach, and stronger data management systems,” Aderholt said.
Local sources will contribute $9,000, bringing the project total to $33,787.
The Appalachian Regional Commission is a partnership between the federal government and 13 state governments that supports economic development in the Appalachian region. Congress funds its grant programs through appropriations.
