Now that the realities of recession have hit hard, it’s time for Santa Barbara County to launch a targeted and effective economic development initiative.

All around us are examples of people doing a good job with limited resources. The Economic Vitality Corp. in San Luis Obispo, the EDA activities that are taking place under the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce, efforts by VCEDA and the EDC-VC in Ventura County all are helping to brand the region. Many of those activities are fully supported by the Business Times.

The gaping hole in this lineup is an umbrella organization to foster economic development and job growth on the South Coast. Such an organization could be an outgrowth of local chambers of commerce, the Santa Barbara Industrial Organization and a combination of organizations or an entirely new group.

But it does need to get up and running and help the region create a brand that, to put it bluntly, means business.

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