OUR GOALS
Initiate State and Community Efforts that Support Economic Sustainability
Collaborate with stakeholders to positively impact policy and regulatory issues
Assist stakeholders in developing relationships with key constituencies
Provide guidance and support in educating key policy and decision makers
Support state and local efforts on behalf of constituents
Support education and awareness activities that support diversified, sustainable economic development
Facilitate Actions of Stakeholders and Communities to Advance Economic Development Activities
Facilitate meetings with varied and diverse community groups to achieve common goals and positive economic outcomes for the community
Create collaborative and mutually beneficial implementation plans that protect, enhance and support the interests of community members
Organize grassroots efforts to implement statewide efforts at the community level
Increase the Impact of Community Programs through Statewide Implementation and Increase the Impact of Statewide programs through Community Implementation
Serve as a funding channel and fiscal sponsor for federal and statewide initiatives
Serve as the program administrator to coordinate Statewide and Community execution of programs
Help develop effective public awareness campaigns, tailored to the unique communities of each county
Increase community support through education and outreach programs
Expand as a Relevant Data Gateway
Provide access to timely and current data and statistical analysis from state and county sources and businesses
Develop metric criteria for economic data measurement, program evaluation and refinement activities that add value to decision makers
A POTENTIAL FISCAL SPONSOR
EDAH and the Economic Development Boards (EDBs) have a diversity unlike County, State, and Federal agencies who serve specific missions aligned to the administrations of Government and needs of the communities (with policies and public resources). EDAH and the EDBs cast an umbrella through economics which connects to every public agency through the interest of economic development and impact as grassroots members of our communities.
As a fiscal sponsor we bring economic relevance to grants and initiatives.
STATEWIDE PRIORITIES
EDAH has successfully contributed to the growth of the technology and agricultural sectors and is broadening its focus to renewable energy and infrastructure.
It uses the following indicators as a measure of the state’s progress:
1. ECONOMIC STABILITY OF EXISTING INDUSTRIES
Future initiatives must favor the preservation and growth of established business sectors, including travel, agriculture, energy, research and innovation and defense.
2. ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION AND SUSTAINABILITY
Hawaii’s business sectors must be able to withstand political and economic fluctuations to provide economic opportunities and enhanced quality of life for its citizens.
3. JOB CREATION AND RETENTION
Knowledge-based industries are the largest drivers of economic growth. Increased support must be given to industry sectors that can contribute to the modern knowledge-based society. Attention must also be given towards retaining high-quality jobs in Hawaii through economic incentives. High-quality jobs are characterized by the need for higher-level skills and offer better pay than those in low-technology and service sectors.
4. WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
Demand for workforce skills will be driven by industry, and government policies will need to support that growth through the types of infrastructure and incentives that will encourage investments in research and training.
Examples include establishing programs for education-industry-government collaborations; establishing programs to promote the development of new skills and competencies; improving access to education, and providing incentives to businesses and individuals to pursue training and lifelong learning. These activities will help Hawaii’s workforce take advantage of the opportunities in higher paying, knowledge-based industries.
STRATEGY
The CEDS strategic plans prepared by EDAH involved a collaborative process engaging numerous stakeholders to responsibly steward Hawaii’s resources and manage economic growth to ensure stable long-term economic vitality for all residents of the state. The CEDS process utilized cluster-based strategies which identified actionable initiatives at the local (county) level that nurture economic resilience and growth. Each CEDS is developed for a 5-year period with the goal of promoting economic diversification and long-term stability which benefit all of Hawaii’s people.
Click to view the CEDS 2010-2015 Strategic Plan.
Click to view the CEDS 2016-2020 Strategic Plan.
STRATEGY COMMITTEE
The Hawaii CEDS Statewide Strategy Committee is comprised of key business, government, community, and education stakeholders. They identified the opportunities and threats that impact Hawaii’s economic viability. They then applied their common understanding of the state’s strengths and weaknesses to capitalize on national and global opportunities and to defend against threats. This provided the basis for strategic actions to improve the quality of life for the people of Hawaii.
COUNTY PRIORITIES
Each county has a list of priorities of actions within the CEDS (see above for CEDS PDFs).
To see a listing of the Kauai County priorities, please see page 42 of the 2016-20 Kauai CEDS.
To see a listing of the Maui County priorities, please see page 49 of the 2016-20 Maui CEDS.
To see a listing of the Hawaii Island County priorities, please see page 16 of the 2016-20 Hawaii Island CEDS.
To see a listing of the Oahu County priorities, please see page 2 of the 2016-20 Oahu CEDS.
PROJECTS
Below is a list of our recent projects. Click on the project title to see details of each project.
