A Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) is the outcome of a regional planning process designed to assess current conditions and guide the responsible economic growth of an area. It includes an analysis of factors that account for a community’s current economic state, identification of critical issues and economic opportunities, a clear vision statement, specific strategies to achieve community goals, and an implementation plan which ensures community and stakeholder participation at every level. The successful implementation of a CEDS results in economic growth through capitalization on current strengths, utilization of community resources, and improvements to labor, infrastructure, health, education, and housing. This is achieved while protecting natural resources and the environment, resulting in a higher quality of life for community members. The CEDS process, repeated every five years, is manageable means to achieving enduring economic health. It maintains, strengthens, and revisions long-term economic goals over decades by apportioning them into practical and attainable projects which create real and visible solutions to immediate problems.