Enterprise Group widens focus

Posted by Chris Gautz | Citizen Patriot September 14, 2008 00:08AM

Quantum. Windmill. Cookie.

Those names that don't mean anything to anyone outside local economic-development circles represent Jackson County's efforts to attract hundreds of jobs and millions in investment.

For years, The Enterprise Group focused on retaining jobs in a county that has been hemorrhaging them. Now the agency is broadening its focus to attract new businesses.

Enterprise Group President and CEO Scott Fleming said after he arrived on the job in February, he asked business and community leaders what they wanted.

"What everyone told me was we need new businesses here to inject more dollars into our economy," he said.

To help track that, he presents a scorecard each month to the EG board, which contains a list of the attraction activities he and his staff are engaged in.

The August scorecard contains 12 potential and confidential projects that represent a potential total investment of more than $300,000 and 1,000 jobs. Each project has a code name.

Among the others are Global Solutions, MMC, International and Greenwood.

Fleming said aside from manufacturing and high-tech companies, the EG are also looking to Hollywood.

"Much like the rest of the state, we're trying to attract some of the movie industry to the area, because of the large tax incentives the state now offers," he said.

Fleming knows that every pitch won't be successful, but he said you need to juggle 10 to 20 potential projects in hopes that one of them will come through.

"One home run is all we need," he said. More here.