Ridgecrest Region (DD)
Abstract
Kern County, CA seeks to develop a regional economic strategy to further diversify the economy in eastern Kern County so that the local economy is not dependent on Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake (NAWSCL) and Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB) defense expenditures and to create a sustainable economic base that enables residents and businesses to thrive and prosper independent of budget cycles and changing priorities related to defense spending. As a result of the project, Kern County anticipates the following key outcomes: 1) An assessment of the overall industry clusters in eastern Kern County and the subset of these clusters that support, rely on, benefit from, or have synergistic partnerships with the existence of NAWSCL and EAFB; 2) An assessment of the workforce in Kern County and the ability of the workforce and local industry to meet the demands of a more diversified economy related to existing industry areas or to evolve into a workforce that can satisfy potential new industry opportunities; 3) A better understanding of the workforce/talent leakage to neighboring regions; 4) An assessment of the potential opportunities to further diversify the eastern Kern County economy and complement the County’s vision; and 5) The recommendation of a regional economic diversification study that identifies courses of action to refine economic development initiatives to expand and further diversify the economic base of eastern Kern County.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- May 06, 2016
- Source ID
- HQ00051510028
Entities
People
- John Nilon
Organizations
- Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation
- Office of the Secretary of Defense