Pillar 04 · HSG Methodology
Six phases. Sixteen weeks.
One implementation-ready strategy.
The HSG methodology applies federal-grade analytic rigor to municipal economic strategy — designed for transparency, City control, and an output the City can actually act on.
Project plan
Six phases overlap intentionally so stakeholder engagement, data synthesis, and benchmarking proceed in parallel — not in series.
Phase 1 · Discovery & Data Foundation
Weeks 1-3- City-led kickoff & charter
- Authoritative data ingest (BLS QCEW, ACS, FL DEO LMS, EMSI)
- Document review (2014 Grow Smarter, ED-strategy, CRA plans, capital-improvement program)
- Establish baseline KPIs and reporting cadence
Phase 2 · Economic & Market Assessment
Weeks 3-7- Location quotient analysis (city, county, MSA)
- Workforce demographics, capabilities, underemployment
- Cluster performance scorecards
- Emerging-sector & innovation scan
Phase 3 · Stakeholder Engagement
Weeks 4-10- 129+ interviews, focus groups, surveys
- Public input portal (this site, post-award)
- Equity-impact dialogues w/ South St. Pete CRA
- Industry-cluster working sessions
Phase 4 · Benchmarking & Best Practices
Weeks 6-11- Peer-city deep dives (7+ cities)
- Strategy and incentive scan
- Cluster-development case studies
- Competitive advantage / barrier mapping
Phase 5 · Synthesis & Recommendations
Weeks 10-14- Refined and new target-cluster definitions
- Implementation roadmap & KPIs
- Public/private partnership architecture
- Workforce-development alignment
Phase 6 · Final Report, Presentation & Public Forum
Weeks 14-16- Comprehensive final report (with full appendix)
- Public forum presentation
- City Council briefing
- Implementation handoff package
Stakeholder engagement
129+ touchpoints across six categories
Per RFP §4.4.B — large employers, small businesses, business associations, social service/healthcare providers, educational institutions, and public sector partners.
Large Employers
18+Sample participants
Raymond James Financial · Jabil · Bayfront Health · Johns Hopkins All Children's · Franklin Templeton
Methods
Small Businesses
60+Sample participants
Edge District operators · Warehouse Arts District · Grand Central District · Deuces Live
Methods
Business Associations
12+Sample participants
St. Pete Chamber · EDC of Tampa Bay · Greenhouse · Women's Business Center · South St. Pete CRA
Methods
Social Services & Healthcare
15+Sample participants
Pinellas Care Network · Daystar Life Center · United Way Suncoast
Methods
Educational Institutions
10+Sample participants
USF St. Petersburg · Eckerd College · St. Petersburg College · Pinellas County Schools
Methods
Public Sector Partners
14+Sample participants
City Council · Pinellas County BOCC · FDOT D7 · PSTA · CRA boards
Methods
What HSG brings
Six principles that shape the engagement
Federal-grade rigor
HSG runs municipal engagements with the same source-of-record discipline we use for HUD, USDA, VA, and Navy programs. Every datapoint traceable.
AI-enhanced synthesis
Faster pattern recognition across labor data, peer-city case studies, and stakeholder transcripts. AI/Expert Reconciliation Log included as deliverable.
Stakeholder-first design
129+ structured touchpoints across employers, small business, education, healthcare, civic, and CRA boards — not just executive interviews.
Two-way City collaboration
City Project Manager has live portal access. Bi-weekly working sessions. Decision gates at every phase, not just at final report.
Implementation-ready output
Final report includes 24-month implementation roadmap, KPIs, and partnership architecture. Not just a report — a runway.
Tampa Bay value engineering
Tampa-headquartered. Local stakeholder access reduces travel cost. Florida-qualified team reduces ramp time.
Next step
Schedule a 30-minute capability briefing
Walk through the methodology with the HSG team, examine the data baseline, and discuss how the approach maps to the City's May 21 deadline and post-award objectives.