Business Attraction and Anti-Poaching Protocol

About the Program

Category: Community and Economic Development (Best in Category)

Year: 2013

In September 2011, Cuyahoga County Executive Edward FitzGerald asked the 59 communities of Cuyahoga County to sign a “Business Attraction and Anti-Poaching Protocol” in an effort to encourage collaboration on economic development. The protocol commits each community to improving its economic development efforts and to not “poach” or lure the re-location of businesses, in other signatory communities, that have not expressed a desire to move. The protocol encourages communities to compete as a region against the world, rather than against each other. It commits them to extending to each other certain courtesies, including notice and an opportunity for discussion, in the event of an intra-county business re-location. It also establishes a level of trust and a platform for future collaboration on economic development, shared services, and other matters. As of January 2013, in a rare showing of unanimity, all 59 of Cuyahoga County’s diverse communities had signed the protocol.