Civic Economics is currently engaged in a number of interesting projects around the nation:

In Grand Rapids, Michigan, the firm is expanding upon its groundbreaking research into “the Civic Economics of Retail” with a comprehensive study for Local First. Look for final reports and news in April 2008.

In Chicago, Illinois, the firm is providing economic and commercial analysis and strategies as part of a comprehensive plan for the dynamic Wicker Park and Bucktown section of the city.  Interface Studio of Philadelphia is leading the planning effort for the Wicker Park-Bucktown Special Service Area

Other projects currently underway include retail analyses in Weatherford, Texas and in Gunnison, Colorado.  Civic Economics is also assisting Probe Strategic Solutions in the evaluation of gaming facility proposals in a midwestern state.

Civic Economics recently released a study of the economic impact of public procurement. Building on previous work on retail economics, Procurement Matters: the Economic Impact of Local Suppliers addresses the important matter of purchasing goods and services for by large institutional, public, and business entities.

Looking specifically at office products, the study found that Tempe-based Wist Office Products produced more than three times the regional economic impact per dollar of purchases than did Office Max, which maintains a distribution center in the area.  Staples, which does not, circulates only a nominal portion of revenue in the state.

Civic Economics recently completed a comprehensive study of regional retail economics for the San Francisco Locally Owned Merchants Association, with financial support from the American Booksellers Association and its regional affiliates around the nation. 

The study provides the first detailed profile of the market shares garnered by independents in several lines of goods and forecasts the economic impact of enhancing those shares through consumer and institutional choices.

Visit the study site, and read what the editorial board of the San Francisco Chronicle had to say about it.

Three years ago, the documentary Independent America: The Two-Lane Search for Mom and Pop made a splash on the independent documentary scene and provided an entertaining and in-depth look at the state and direction of small business in America. The film is in frequent rotation in the US on the Sundance Channel.

Filmmaker Hanson Hosein and his crew are revisiting the issue with a singular focus on the plight and role of small business in post-Katrina New Orleans. Dan Houston traveled to his former home to introduce Hosein to the vibrant and fiercely independent community in the city.

Visit Hosein’s blog to learn more about the making of the film and watch for the world premiere in New Orleans.

Civic Economics is proud that its work has gained wide attention in the media, because that means our work is changing economic development practice for the better.

In recent months, our work has been featured in such publications as the New York Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, Business Week, Harper’s, and even Hemispheres, the in-flight magazine of United Airlines.

Have you run across our work in one of your favorite publications? Let us know about it.