About the Organization:
Who is REDDI: REDDI, Regional Economic Development District Initiatives of
South-central Pennsylvania, is one of eight Economic Development Districts (EDD) in
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. REDDI targets urban and rural economic
development projects with a concentration on urban and rural distressed communities.
The REDDI region consists of the following:
Borough of Gettysburg / Adams County; City of Reading / Berks County; Borough of
Carlisle / Cumberland County; City of Harrisburg / Dauphin County; Borough of
Chambersburg / Franklin County; City of Lancaster / Lancaster County; City of
Lebanon / Lebanon County; and the City of York / York County.
REDDI's Mission Statement: To be a catalyst for urban economic development,
including agriculture economic development, by fostering redevelopment strategies
and projects that stimulate economic growth in urban and rural distressed
communities through collaboration, facilitation, and building of alliances among key
stakeholders of the Regional Economic Development District.
The newly formed district was organized in October 2001 as a 501-c4 nonprofit
corporation and is directed by a board of directors that embody locally elected officials
from the cities/urban centers which comprise the eight counties, along with economic
developers, and private citizens that represent the business, education, labor, and
minority communities. REDDI is designed to create a value-added economic
development vehicle whose charge is to facilitate the development of urban
technology/industrial business parks, technology and small business incubators, with
a general focus on brownfield redevelopment within the eight cities/counties region.
REDDI and Urban Development: REDDI has focused its energy on distressed
places of the urban centers. Many potential projects in the region are within the
Commonwealth of PA's Keystone Opportunity Zones (KOZ), Enterprise Zones, and
redevelopment areas of the municipalities.
The REDDI region is a manufacturing, service, and agriculture based economy. While
the manufacturing cluster as a whole is decreasing in numbers, the quality of the
remaining manufacturing jobs have maintained, for the most part, family-sustaining
wage components. Thus, identifying the growth clusters and preparing a sound
retention program to include redevelopment of smart facilities and space, provisions
of business assistance and a quality workforce delivery system will contribute to
maintaining and growing those key industry clusters in South-central PA.
REDDI and Rural Development: REDDI also focuses on linking agriculture with
tradition economic development; a relationship that has not been previously
established. This agriculture initiative has resulted in the creation of the Agriculture
Economic Development Alliance and created such projects as those associated with
renewable energy and has strengthened funding resources for the agriculture
community.
