Scott Martin is convinced that economic growth and tree-hugging go together just fine.

The Franklin County official made his name by using the region's mountains, rivers and open country to draw not just tourists, but industries that brought jobs and millions of dollars to invest in the regional economy.

It's a strategy that's caught on in Franklin County and in the greater Roanoke Valley region.

But as of January, regional economic developers will need to practice it without Martin: After eight years he's leaving Franklin County, where he's served as director of commerce and leisure services, to take what amounts to his dream job with a nonprofit parks group in Louisville, Ky.

Martin will head up an effort to build a brand new, nearly 4,000-acre park along 20 miles of Floyds Fork, a river in the city's outskirts. The $100 million project will include athletic fields, canoe paths, hiking trails and numerous other components.

"This is to me the single most important and largest local parks and rec project occurring in the United States right now," Martin said. "A lot of communities talk about building great park systems. Very few do it. These guys are doing it."

Dan Jones of 21st Century Parks -- the group that hired Martin -- said he hopes the extensive Floyds Fork project "will make Louisville one of the most livable cities in the country."

And quality of life, according to Martin's philosophy, draws economic development.

A prominent example of that was Martin's pitch to Alexander Maksimow, a Finnish executive of a German company, on the region's natural beauty and quality of life. He touted Franklin County's public canoe access and offered samples of one of the county's better known exports -- "Our friends in Europe do enjoy their schnapps. They may enjoy some of Virginia's finer local projects as well," Martin said.

But a bald eagle flying over during a boat ride around Smith Mountain Lake, too?

You can't plan that, even if Maksimow suspected otherwise: He's joked since then that the bald eagle was a setup.

But a few months later, Maksimow announced that McAirlaid's Vliesstoffe GmbH & Co. KG would bring $86 million and 160 jobs to its new North American headquarters just south of Rocky Mount.

The pitch worked as a case example of Martin's economic development strategy. He expresses it this way: "Natural resource conservation and public park systems are economic development. Northern Virginia cannot build the Blue Ridge Mountains."

Franklin County won't just lose Martin -- it also loses his wife, Jennifer, who is the county's geographic information system coordinator.

"It's a double hit for us," said County Administrator Rick Huff. "I had known for quite some time it would be difficult to hang on to him given some of the skill sets he has that are very, very marketable. We've been fortunate to have Scott's enthusiasm and talents for eight years."

Martin grew up in Hopewell but moved across the country to attend college at Boise State University. The county hired him in November 2001 to head its parks and recreation department. Officials soon noticed his contagious enthusiasm.

"He'd show people around, brag on the school system, brag on the parks system, and was such a good salesman that Rick [Huff] said, 'Wait a minute. Maybe we can use him for some of these other things as well,' " said Boone District Supervisor David Hurt.

Huff describes Martin as "irreverent" and said: "He is not, was not and will not be a conventional either economic developer or outdoor amenity recruiter. You can't put him in a box and expect him to produce."

Within two years the county had created a new title for Martin: director of commerce and leisure services. He essentially worked as department head for both economic development and parks and recreation. "Our thought was with a county like ours with a lean small budget, you've got to maximize your resources," Martin said. "One of the things we tried to do was do things that brand us. Instead of buying a bunch of stuff for an ad campaign, we tried to do lifestyle events that brand us."

He worked with county river rats to reinstate the old Pigg River Ramble, which has now expanded into a three-day, corporate-sponsored event. He lured the pro Bassmaster tour to Smith Mountain Lake for tournaments, which drew national coverage on ESPN.

Martin's also beefed up the county's park system. In 2004 the board of supervisors adopted a plan that's resulted in 14 miles of trails and 42 miles of blueways. The latter included numerous pieces of land that were donated by county property owners to serve as put-ins and takeouts.

The county has also added four new community parks and has secured about 500 acres of public access -- not all of it yet announced publicly -- to land fronting Smith Mountain Lake.