An economic study of an eight-county section of Northwest North Carolina will be formally launched at a public meeting next month in Winston-Salem.

A consulting group, AngelouEconomics, of Austin, Texas, was hired late last year by two Triad agencies to provide an outsider's perspective on the region's economic future.

AngelouEconomics has been conducting preliminary work on the five-phase study of a region that stretches from Forsyth to Ashe counties. The other counties involved are Alleghany, Davie, Rockingham, Stokes, Surry and Yadkin.

A community meeting for the study has been set for 11 a.m. Feb. 24 at the Benson Convention Center. It will be open to the public.

The Northwest Piedmont Council of Government and the Mount Airy Chamber of Commerce hired the group. The federally financed study is one of five being conducted across the state along congressional districts. It is the only one touching the Triad.

The study's aim is to help regions that have been dealt major employment blows evaluate their economic strengths, weaknesses and opportunities, said Angelos Angelou, the president of AngelouEconomics. The group will offer in October a five-year economic strategy for each county and the region.

"It is our goal to create a plan that not only builds on the strengths of the region, but also on the unique character of each county," Angelos said. "We will look to identify specific industries on which they should focus economic development in the future."

After the Feb. 24 event, the group will remain in the region through March 5 to speak with economic officials and hold focus groups. The group plans to make at least six visits to the region this year.

A 43-member committee, made up of representatives from the counties, will assist AngelouEconomics on studying five core issues - work force, demographics, economy, infrastructure and leveraging the expertise and leadership of the public and private sectors.

"We feel this study will offer creative strategies for boosting current and future economic-development efforts in the counties," said Matthew Dolge, the executive director of the council.

"We're looking for the study to help find ways to take major development projects like the FedEx hub and downtown Winston-Salem revitalization efforts and coordinate them within the region. That way, the region can benefit in terms of the job created by those efforts and potential spinoffs."

Residents and business owners in each county are being encouraged to complete a short, online survey on how they would rate their county's economic-development efforts. The survey is available at www.northwestnc.com

• Richard Craver can be reached at 727-7376 or at rcraver@wsjournal.com