Clients & Partners

Working with the team of Liz Povar and David Denny on our economic development strategic action plan brought a deep understanding of economic development to our community’s vision and turned it into a clear, achievable roadmap. Their stakeholder engagement and genuine commitment to our priorities, backed by data, helped build an actionable plan with practical recommendations that have already guided meaningful progress.

One of the founding partners in Rural Resilience Advisors is the RiverLink Group, which was an invaluable partner during Mecklenburg County’s Strategic Economic Development Action Plan (SEDAP) process. Their team was highly knowledgeable, responsive, and practical in their approach—providing guidance that was both strategic and easy to implement. The organization developed a sample Business Retention & Expansion (BRE) program tailored to our needs as part of the report. They also prepared a clear, well-researched evaluation of regional marketing group options for the County. Their expertise and support added real value to our planning efforts, and we greatly appreciated their professionalism and insight throughout the process. It’s also nice to know that they are available for continued coaching/mentoring when needed – that is invaluable!

Our local economic development organization needed a full refresh of our strategic plan. It also needed to be built out significantly. Given the lift and what was required, I knew exactly where to start. Liz Povar and David Denny brought a wealth of experience, credibility, and gravitas, frankly, that made the process meaningful and the product actionable. As an authority, we represent three local governments. So for us, stakeholder engagement was one of the most critical pieces. Having buy-in and participation from public and private sector partners brought needed real-world insight to the work we do and how we do it. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses made this a well-rounded, well-reasoned plan that we could begin executing right away.