DANCY RESEARCH
Shaping Strategies with Data
Services
Your Research Department
We are your go-to research department! We can:
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Gather community statistics
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Help field requests for a variety of information
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Produce marketing info sheets
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Prepare presentation decks
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Management projects
Demographic, Labor & Cluster Industries
Our team will dive into the key drivers in your community, region or drive-time radius to profile:
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Labor force
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Key demographics
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Existing industry composition
Studies can be general, or focused on a particular industry or occupation group. Whatever it takes to give you the data to understand trends and formulate strategies.
Stakeholder Engagement
Sometimes decisions require input from your stakeholders. We will engage key constituents via:
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Focus groups (virtual or in-person)
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Online surveys
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One-on-one interviews to fill in the gaps from surveys
Our process is designed to give an opportunity for your stakeholders to have a voice. We partner with you to identify those key individuals and companies that make up your audience.
Case Studies
A coalition of two fast-paced, successful economic development organizations needed responses for their clients ranging from demographics to extensive talent pipeline data.
Dancy Research partners with the Guilford County Economic Development Alliance to be their research department to supply the data necessary to keep winning projects like the Toyota Battery Manufacturing Plant, Boom Supersonic Superfactory, and JetZero.
Deliverables include:
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Project-specific data analysis
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Labor force studies
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Competitive comparisons
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Industry cluster research
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Presentation materials
The availability of affordable, quality childcare is a growing concern for many communities Its effect on talent retention and labor force participation drives a need to assess the early education ecosystem.
Wilkes Economic Development, supported by the Herring Family Foundation, wanted to learn more about child care in their county. A task force was assembled to identify gaps and resources to better address the issues. Putting a number to the shortfall of child care was key in crafting recommendations.
Housing is another factor in community and economic development related to talent development. The City of Burlington, NC, needed an assessment of the existing housing stock to create appropriate programs and initiatives for the city.
Dancy Research, with Wolf Creek Advisors, conducted a comprehensive housing inventory establishing a baseline of existing residential options through the city. The study included estimates of the effect of large economic development announcements on housing as well as the residential construction pipeline.
Additional Capabilities
In addition to the services listed above, we have completed studies for our clients that are outside the standard economic development subjects. We will help you think outside the box to gather the data that is important to your organization and your decision-making process.
Housing
Housing has become an economic development issue. Key to the attraction and retention of talent, housing studies assess the existing housing stock, rental markets and ownership trends. Data will be compared to household income and demographic to identify gaps in product.
Childcare
Childcare is a crucial factor in labor force participation for many families today. Studies inventory the existing childcare infrastructure in a community compared to current demographics to reveal potential gaps in childcare.
Benchmarking
A benchmarking report contains economic, demographic, and livability metrics compare to other communities. This is a useful tool to gain insight on your own market and those of your competition or aspirational communities.
Cyndi Dancy
PRESIDENT
Since 2016, Dancy Research has been led by Cyndi Dancy, an economic Development professional with 30+ years of experience. Rounded out by partners in various specialties, Dancy Research offers a range of economic development services.
Experience
Economic Development Consulting
Since 2016
Economic Development Practitioner
Education
Cyndi Dancy has served as a consultant on multiple projects from community assessments and strategic plans to housing and childcare studies. Serving economic development organizations in the Carolinas and throughout the United States.
In her career Cyndi has held roles such as Vice President at the Greensboro Chamber, Director of Research at the Charlotte Regional Partnership and the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce, Research Manager at the York County Economic Development Board and High Point Economic Development.
Cyndi has a Bachelor of Arts in History and Political Science from High Point University located in High Point, NC. Cyndi has also completed IEDC professional training and graduate-level coursework at the North Carolina State University Center for Geospatial Analytics toward a Master's degree in Geospatial Information Science and Technology.
Partners & Collaborators
Jay Garner, Garner Economics
Garner Economics offers site location advisory services, analytical research, industry targeting, strategic action planning and organizational assessments with a wealth of expertise to companies, communities, and organizations globally. Cyndi Dancy serves as Chief Research Officer at Garner Economics.
Libby Brown
Research Analyst
Barbara M. West
Project management, stakeholder engagement.
Ellie Hamby
Research Assistant
Demi Dancy
Chief Morale Officer