The city of Stratford, Ontario was known in Canada as that “quaint little town 90 minutes outside of Toronto.” Its economy was based on agriculture, tourism and light manufacturing with repeated cycles of growth and decline, leading nowhere.
Then, under a new mayor, Stratford made strategic investments in digital infrastructure and services. Creative deal-making led the city to attract first one, then another data center. Neither was a major employer by itself – but the density of digital assets laid the foundation for Stratford to persuade two banks to move their IT staff from high-priced real estate in Toronto to this attractive community with good schools, strong social bonds and rich cultural offerings.
Communities accelerate by starting an Intelligent Community Journey. Each is different, but all follow similar paths. Start yours.
You can learn from the story of Stratford and much more in the Community Accelerator online training course, Digital Challenge, Digital Opportunity. One hour of your time will pay big dividends in your work.