With this year coming to an end, and the Grow Smarter Summit on the horizon, we must reflect the lessons learned through our unique collective impact journey. In tandem with the St. Petersburg Area of Chamber of Commerce, we’ve established that equity is a critical piece to the economic development equation—but how exactly do we fuse the two together?

One way is by weaving ideas like the social determinants of health into the world of economic development. The chart below highlights some of the many determinants that contribute to a person’s holistic well-being. Similarly, Grow Smarter is incorporating determinants of health and wealth into 6 workgroups: Targeted Job Creation, Coordinated Education and Training, Districts and Corridor Development, Housing, Entrepreneurial Growth, and Culture and Community.

As we continue to expand, Grow Smarter seeks to provide an inclusive space for our business, government, and non-profit communities to better understand the importance of equity to economic growth that benefits all of St. Pete. If you’re interested in learning more please visit our website and register here,growsmarterstpete.com/summitfor our annual summit on December 6, 2019