Paths to Prosperity is an invitation—to reflect, learn, and engage with others working to strengthen local and regional systems. Whether you’re shaping policy, leading economic development, or investing in communities, these video resources are meant to support better conversations and better decisions.
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Are You Investment Ready? | Paths to Prosperity: Preparing Your Community for Growth & Investment
In this episode, we break down what it really means for a community to be investment-ready. Whether you’re a municipal leader, economic development professional, or regional partner, this video explains the essential steps communities must take to attract, secure, and retain investment.
Resilience and Readiness: What’s the Connection? | Paths to Prosperity: FutureReady
Communities
In this episode, we dive into a powerful truth: Resilient communities are investment-ready communities. You will see how community resilience, infrastructure readiness, and social cohesion directly influence a community’s ability to attract and retain investment.
You’ll learn what community resilience really means, why investors prioritize resilience, the three pillars of investment-ready communities, and strategic actions.
What Do Clusters Have to Do With It? | Paths to Prosperity: Strengthening Regional
Competitiveness
Industry clusters are more than a concentration of firms—they are collaborative ecosystems of businesses, suppliers, institutions, and public partners working together to reduce risk, share resources, accelerate innovation, and attract investment.
You’ll learn how clusters support economies of scale, strengthen supply chains, attract skilled labour, encourage entrepreneurship, and enhance regional and sectoral competitiveness—all while improving investment readiness.
Procurement: What Role Does It Play? | Paths to Prosperity: Local Procurement & Community Growth
Community aligned procurement strengthens local economies by reducing economic leakage, supporting local suppliers, building supply chain resilience, and expanding opportunities for small and regional businesses. These practices help communities retain wealth, improve competitiveness, and signal to investors that the region is stable, inclusive, and ready for growth.
Is It Time for CEDS? | Paths to Prosperity: Comprehensive Economic Development
This episode highlights what makes Comprehensive Economic Development Strategies (CEDS) unique: its inclusive planning approach, focus on collaborative action, emphasis on resilience, and role in preparing communities for sustainable investment attraction.
You’ll also learn how CEDS helps align vision, priorities, and resources to strengthen competitiveness and drive community renewal.
Are You Taking Care of Business? | Paths to Prosperity: Business Retention & Expansion Explained
This episode is a powerful look at how Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) forms the foundation for strong, resilient, and investment ready communities. Existing businesses generate the majority of job growth in communities, making BRE one of the most impactful economic development strategies available. This video explores how communities can strengthen business relationships, gather meaningful data, and build collaboration that fuels both retention and investment attraction.