FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

July 16, 2001

JENNIFER BOES, 302.672.6840

(Dover, Del.) -- Delaware Economic Development Office (DEDO) Director John D. Wik is asking business executives and owners from 100 Delaware businesses for their input in identifying the challenges and strengths of the Delaware economy.

Over the next three months, Wik and his team of DEDO business development specialists will be traveling throughout the state to host a series of individual and group meetings with Delaware’s top 50 employers and representatives from 50 small businesses. Wik will also be visiting many of the towns involved in Delaware’s Main Street Program. The Main Street Program, administered locally by DEDO, works with communities to revitalize their downtown areas.

Information garnered from the meetings will be paired with statistical data, including job growth, unemployment rates, and an industry break-down, to create an Economic Health Assessment for Delaware.

“Statistics do not tell the whole story,” stated Wik. “As we consider the direction for the state’s economic development strategy, it is imperative that we hear directly from those that are most affected by it -- our corporations and small business owners. These are the front line warriors: they carefully watch the market to see how it will affect their bottom line; they strategize on ways to attract good employees; and they continuously fight to stay competitive with new product or service offerings.”

The four questions posed to executives and small business owners will be:

1. What is the outlook for your company or business and what competitive issues are you facing?

2. What are your business plans for the coming six to 12 months?

3. - What is your outlook on the Delaware economy and how has the economy impacted your business plan?

4. What can DEDO do to support your business? What are DEDO’s strengths, and what are the opportunities for improvement in supporting Delaware businesses?

DEDO’s Economic Health Assessment will be paired with a report of recommended target industries being created by the Strategic Economic Council, a group of high-level business leaders, government officials, and academics appointed by Governor Ruth Ann Minner. DEDO Director John Wik serves on the Council.

The assessment and report, to be released this fall, will drive the focus of DEDO in growing Delaware businesses and attracting new companies that present the greatest opportunity and benefit for the state and its residents.

Wik is enthusiastic about the opportunity to meet and listen to Delaware businesses. “The Economic Health Assessment will identify our strengths and weaknesses, and how we, as a state, stack up against the competition,” he said. “The recommendations of the Strategic Economic Council will use national and global economic trends to identify the potential areas for economic growth that will be the drivers in shaping Delaware’s future economy.”

For more information on the Delaware Economic Development Office, visit www.state.de.us/dedo.