Initiative launched to tout the region

November 1, 2010

John Anastasi, Bucks County Courier Times

The Economy League wants the area to be the place to be by the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

To hear Steven T. Wray tell it, the Philadelphia region got a wake-up call on July 26, 2006, the day it was officially eliminated from the competition to host the Olympic Games in summer 2016.

"We had the infrastructure, we had the culture and we had the entertainment," said Wray, executive director of the Economy League of Greater Philadelphia. "What we didn't have is the reputation or image as a world-class region. They didn't have a negative image of us or a positive image of us because we weren't in the game."

He was not slighting Philadelphia 2016, the bid committee that worked to get the region noticed by the United States Olympic Committee. Wray was saying that, for decades, the region did not market itself as aggressively as it could have.

"We took pride in being the best-kept secret," he said.

The Economy League has launched an initiative - World Class Greater Philadelphia - to make the region a top place to live, work and play by 2026 - the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

"We're looking to identify successful factors and priorities we must focus on regardless of the economic cards we'll be dealt," said Wray, who listed a talented workforce, an economy rife with products and services and connections in the global marketplace among them.

Bucks County has a role to play in the initiative, too, according to Wray, who addressed members of the Lower Bucks County Chamber of Commerce at last week's Economic Development Forum in Bensalem.

The county already boasts a great geographic location near Philadelphia and within a few hours of New York City and Washington, D.C. The lower portion of the county also benefits from its proximity to the Pennsylvania Turnpike and I-95, all of which make it an attractive market for relocating businesses.

"Continue to focus on high-quality schools and the workforce," said Wray, who lives in Newtown Township. "Talent is a major driver of corporate decision-making."

He also stressed that the city and the counties can do more to think as a region.

"We've seen a lot of good things going on, but they're going to have to continue working together to succeed," he said. "We're in a competition with regions around the world. No one entity can do it on (its) own."

The region can compete with outsourcing by focusing on innovation and working to export high-value products, said Wray.

"International trade is the future of this region," added Dale Foote, of the export assistance group World Trade Center of Greater Philadelphia, who also addressed the audience.

He encouraged companies to consider exporting both to help their businesses and to raise the region's profile in the international community.

"So many (foreign companies) know New York, D.C., Miami + but they don't know Philadelphia. They're totally amazed about the opportunities that exist here," he said.

John Anastasi can be reached at 215-949-4170 or at [email protected].

Read it online at http://ow.ly/32xQQ.