Sunday, August 21, 2011
Augusta Tomorrow works to rebrand Augusta area, attract economic development
What sets Augusta apart? Some local business minds are trying to pin that down.
Augusta Tomorrow is spearheading an effort to “rebrand” the greater Augusta area, studying data and getting community feedback on what makes it somewhere businesses and individuals want to be.
The rebrand project, officially titled Defining Our Region for Continued Economic Development, is based on the thought that the Augusta area has myriad qualities that make it a good place for business – people just don’t know enough about them. More here.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Duluth Looks For Skilled Workers In Hopes Of Attracting A New Company
Duluth, MN - City officials are working hard to help an industry-leading aviation company “choose Duluth” as one of only a handful of communities under consideration for a new aircraft maintenance facility.
The Duluth Economic Development Authority (DEDA) and its partners, Minnesota’s Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), the Duluth Airport Authority (DAA), and APEX have been courting AAR Aircraft Services, a leading provider of aircraft maintenance and modifications services and part of AAR CORP., a publicly traded company with over $1.7B in fiscal year 2011 revenues, to expand its maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) operations in Duluth.
City officials are seeking skilled workers to attend a Career and Networking Fair to meet company representatives.
More here.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Louisiana Economic Development Secretary sets job creation goal
Louisiana Economic Development is looking for Louisiana to create 40,000 new jobs per year over the next 20 years, Louisiana Secretary of Economic Development Stephen Moret said during a speech in New Orleans on Thursday. "My goal is to hit that growth rate of 40,000 to make us the leader in the South," he said.
"We have to be head and shoulders above everyone else to consistently perform as the best in the region."
The biggest challenge, Moret explained, is that Louisiana's traditional economic base is rooted in industries like agriculture and shipbuilding, which are not expected to experience significant job growth in the United States.
"We have a low to negative growth industry base, with the exception of the energy industry," he said. More here.
Initiative works to connect the dots in Norwalk
Fostering creativity, forming collaborations and empowering others to get involved in their community are just some of the goals of a recently launched initiative that aims to bring Norwalk to its "next version."
"(Norwalk's) got everything," said Norwalk resident Maribeth Becker. "We're just committed to making Norwalk even better than it already is."
For Becker, 44, and Norwalk resident Jackie Lightfield, 45, co-founders of Norwalk 2.0, that means working on several community-based projects, many of which focus on the arts and culture, such as a public murals program, arts programs and exhibits, public performances, student workshops and a street beautification project.
Read more.
New Memphis-Shelby County economic development agency open for business
The Economic Development and Growth Engine board raised a few edgy questions Wednesday but steered away from local politics as usual on the first agenda item of its fresh history.
The inaugural EDGE meeting seemed to raise the question: Will the pursuit of consensus and harmony for the sake of economic development sacrifice the healthy checks-and-balances of traditional politics?
The new board with broad oversight of economic development for Memphis and Shelby County unanimously approved its bylaws, but not before member Deidre Malone questioned how the EDGE president -- the top staffer -- will be selected and held accountable.
More here: http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/aug/18/edge-makes-its-debut/
The inaugural EDGE meeting seemed to raise the question: Will the pursuit of consensus and harmony for the sake of economic development sacrifice the healthy checks-and-balances of traditional politics?
The new board with broad oversight of economic development for Memphis and Shelby County unanimously approved its bylaws, but not before member Deidre Malone questioned how the EDGE president -- the top staffer -- will be selected and held accountable.
More here: http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/aug/18/edge-makes-its-debut/
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Rural development: Are we selling out?
Darin Rutledge blogs about the challenge of economic development in smaller communities here.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Columbus2020 taking regional role in JobsOhio plan
Several regional development organizations around the state will grow under a new plan to privatize a chunk of Ohio’s economic development efforts.
Ohio officials visited Sinclair Community College in Dayton Wednesday for a public rollout of Ohio’s new economic development strategy. At the stop, they said a $24 million pool is being established for six organizations around the state, including Columbus2020, that will be charged with putting together the initial stages of economic development deals, then funneling those to the new private nonprofit JobsOhio organization.
More here.
http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2011/08/16/jobsohio-plans-to-boost-regional.html
Ohio officials visited Sinclair Community College in Dayton Wednesday for a public rollout of Ohio’s new economic development strategy. At the stop, they said a $24 million pool is being established for six organizations around the state, including Columbus2020, that will be charged with putting together the initial stages of economic development deals, then funneling those to the new private nonprofit JobsOhio organization.
More here.
http://www.bizjournals.com/columbus/news/2011/08/16/jobsohio-plans-to-boost-regional.html
Community Futures initiatives keep up with changing times
Businesses in the South Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys have the support of one of Canada’s leading regional economic development agencies – the first in the country to deliver a bold new program to help small companies expand their markets.
In its recently released 2010-11 Annual Report, Community Futures Okanagan Similkameen (CFOS) provides details of its groundbreaking introduction of the proven ‘Economic Gardening’ program, as well as details of its other major initiatives and operations during the past year.
More here: http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/127899653.html
In its recently released 2010-11 Annual Report, Community Futures Okanagan Similkameen (CFOS) provides details of its groundbreaking introduction of the proven ‘Economic Gardening’ program, as well as details of its other major initiatives and operations during the past year.
More here: http://www.bclocalnews.com/news/127899653.html
Monday, August 15, 2011
Analysis to help chamber go after jobs for the region
By ROBYN L. MINOR, The Daily News, rminor@bgdailynews.com
The Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce is both narrowing and broadening its path to creating jobs and boosting economic development for southcentral Kentucky.
A recently completed target market analysis will help guide the chamber in going after jobs for the region, according to Chamber President Ron Bunch.
The idea is to attract businesses or industries that would bring in new dollars to the region or to help existing industries expand through export, which also can bring new dollars into the region.
In some respects, the study narrows the focus of which industry sectors it should foster, and in others, it broadens them because the areas have not previously been studied.
Bunch said the study was actually conducted before he took over the post in January but was only recently completed, reviewed and is now being implemented, at least in part.
A group of site selectors visited Bowling Green in 2009 and suggested that the chamber conduct this target sector analysis, according to chamber marketing and communications director Jessica Thompson.
The analysis takes into consideration the skill level of the available work force, infrastructure in place for a particular field, whether the industry is a growth sector and has average wages above $35,000, as well as other factors.
The analysis made the chamber take an introspective look at the “talent supply chain” in the region and consider how to coordinate education and skill development for the already available jobs, as well as for jobs in new sectors that might work for Bowling Green.
“I have shared this information with our superintendents and educational leaders,” Bunch said of the targets.
Those areas being targeted include food processing and the manufacture of equipment needed for that industry, automotive parts and suppliers, distribution and logistics, fabricated metal, niche and emerging industry sectors, such as cyber defense, cellulosic biofuels and green building products.
The food and green industry categories would be a new focus.
Such things as headquarters and management offices were eliminated.
“Mostly because of the lack of Class A office space available,” Bunch said.
Class A refers to the top-of-the-line finish and amenities available for the space.
Western Kentucky University can play a role in helping develop those niche markets with its applied research capabilities. WKU President Gary Ransdell said he would like the university to be able to provide more applied or practical research but is somewhat limited because of state law. Is that something Ransdell would like to see change? Yes.
“But we have to play the political dynamics as best we can given the funding challenges we have in Frankfort and Washington,” he said. “But we want to use our emerging research capacity to benefit the region as much as possible.”
Ransdell cited one recent example of how such research can help the region. University researchers and Bowling Green Municipal Utilities this month opened a high-speed computing center at the Center for Research and Development and have had in place a scanning electronic microscope, both of which are available to business and industry in the region.
“That is infrastructure they don’t have to develop,” Ransdell said.
In going after these target markets, the chamber has or will develop marketing sheets for each of those industries.
In the automotive supply industry, the chamber shows that the operating cost in southcentral Kentucky is less than that for facilities in Nashville, Huntsville, Detroit and Windsor, Canada.
This region already has 10,462 full-time workers at 56 vehicle-related facilities.
“Just because something isn’t one of those targeted industries (of the study), doesn’t mean we won’t consider going after it,” Bunch said.
The Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce is both narrowing and broadening its path to creating jobs and boosting economic development for southcentral Kentucky.
A recently completed target market analysis will help guide the chamber in going after jobs for the region, according to Chamber President Ron Bunch.
The idea is to attract businesses or industries that would bring in new dollars to the region or to help existing industries expand through export, which also can bring new dollars into the region.
In some respects, the study narrows the focus of which industry sectors it should foster, and in others, it broadens them because the areas have not previously been studied.
Bunch said the study was actually conducted before he took over the post in January but was only recently completed, reviewed and is now being implemented, at least in part.
A group of site selectors visited Bowling Green in 2009 and suggested that the chamber conduct this target sector analysis, according to chamber marketing and communications director Jessica Thompson.
The analysis takes into consideration the skill level of the available work force, infrastructure in place for a particular field, whether the industry is a growth sector and has average wages above $35,000, as well as other factors.
The analysis made the chamber take an introspective look at the “talent supply chain” in the region and consider how to coordinate education and skill development for the already available jobs, as well as for jobs in new sectors that might work for Bowling Green.
“I have shared this information with our superintendents and educational leaders,” Bunch said of the targets.
Those areas being targeted include food processing and the manufacture of equipment needed for that industry, automotive parts and suppliers, distribution and logistics, fabricated metal, niche and emerging industry sectors, such as cyber defense, cellulosic biofuels and green building products.
The food and green industry categories would be a new focus.
Such things as headquarters and management offices were eliminated.
“Mostly because of the lack of Class A office space available,” Bunch said.
Class A refers to the top-of-the-line finish and amenities available for the space.
Western Kentucky University can play a role in helping develop those niche markets with its applied research capabilities. WKU President Gary Ransdell said he would like the university to be able to provide more applied or practical research but is somewhat limited because of state law. Is that something Ransdell would like to see change? Yes.
“But we have to play the political dynamics as best we can given the funding challenges we have in Frankfort and Washington,” he said. “But we want to use our emerging research capacity to benefit the region as much as possible.”
Ransdell cited one recent example of how such research can help the region. University researchers and Bowling Green Municipal Utilities this month opened a high-speed computing center at the Center for Research and Development and have had in place a scanning electronic microscope, both of which are available to business and industry in the region.
“That is infrastructure they don’t have to develop,” Ransdell said.
In going after these target markets, the chamber has or will develop marketing sheets for each of those industries.
In the automotive supply industry, the chamber shows that the operating cost in southcentral Kentucky is less than that for facilities in Nashville, Huntsville, Detroit and Windsor, Canada.
This region already has 10,462 full-time workers at 56 vehicle-related facilities.
“Just because something isn’t one of those targeted industries (of the study), doesn’t mean we won’t consider going after it,” Bunch said.
Despite success, work never done for Natchez Inc.
By Emily Lane
NATCHEZ — Natchez Inc. Executive Director Chandler Russ has been getting picked on lately about the pressure his economic development team has created for itself after landing two big industries within two months time.
“I get the joke,” Russ said, “when people come up to me and say, ‘What are we doing next month?’”
Russ said the pressure to lure industries, however, remains the same — no less and no more.
Eye on the future
Attracting new companies to Natchez-Adams County will always be a front-burner issue, Russ said, regardless of the number of economic development announcements the governor makes about Natchez.
“Our work is not near done,” Russ said.
Russ said he still has a very active portfolio of prospective companies and Natchez Inc. is currently pursuing several projects.
But the nature of economic development business, Russ said, is that the naturally recurring life cycles of businesses requires communities to be consistently searing for the next one.
“Eventually, (businesses) do run their course,” Russ said.
Once a business closes after a certain number of years — often through no fault of its own — it’s too late to replace that business if others haven’t been recruited in the meantime.
“International Paper (Company) is an example of a (business) life cycle,” Russ said.
Russ said cigarette filters became a large sector of the products IP manufactured. And when the United States market for cigarettes began to shrink, IP suffered due no fault of its own.
“It wasn’t anything the labor force did or the community did (that led to the IP closing) other than national market shrinking on them,” Russ said.
Constantly seeking growth and new industries creates padding for those natural industry life cycles, Russ said.
“You have to keep churning the local economy at all times,” he said.
Eye on the present
After the politicians left town following the announcements of Elevance Renewable Sciences and Enersteel in June and August, respectively, Russ said plenty of work remained for Natchez Inc.
“Now you have to do what you said you were going to do as far as an incentive package,” Russ said.
Russ said the work he has already started by acting as a liaison to the Adams County Board of Supervisors in setting up tax breaks for Elevance will soon be in the works for Enersteel.
“And we have to keep projects on task and on track,” Russ said.
Russ said additional responsibilities include, for example, pursing upstream suppliers for chemical producing Elevance.
Russ will also be working with Copiah-Lincoln Community College and the WIN Job Center in Natchez on specifically geared training programs to provide both companies with a ready-to-go workforce.
Russ said Elevance is currently on track for beginning construction at the former Delta Fuel site in November.
Russ said Elevance has completed “a tremendous amount of engineering” during the last two to three weeks and is beginning to finalize some of plans for its ground-breaking.
“No one has indicated they have begun to slow down and (the company) is going full steam ahead,” he said.
Russ said those with lingering impatience for Rentech Industries should know the company is currently actively pursing capital investors to get the project off the ground, but the money is not available at this time.
Eye on the past
Russ said while there isn’t a magic number of jobs Adams County needs, it helps to look at the past to get a clearer sense of the economic health of the community today.
During the past 20 years, the labor market and number of people employed in Adams County has dropped by approximately 2,000 people.
In 1991, an average of 13,500 people were employed in all of Adams County and the labor force contained 15,170 people.
The labor force, Russ said, equals those either employed or seeking employment.
In 2010, an average of 11,790 people were employed in Adams County and the labor force contained 13,180.
“We’ve got a long way to go just to get back to where we were,” Russ said.
Russ said employment numbers also reflect a downward shift U.S. Census numbers from the past 20 years.
“So our work is not done yet, and it’s really never done,” Russ said. “It’s a constant progression.”
Eyes on Natchez-Adams County
While landing two big industries in a row isn’t an excuse to slow down recruiting other companies, Russ said recent announcements do bode well for luring other industries.
Regional media coverage and media coverage in trade publications — like the chemical and steel industries — gives Natchez-Adams advantageous exposure to prospective businesses, Russ said.
For example, if a steel supplier remembers reading Enersteel just located in Natchez, Russ said the company might realize the area has a good environment for steel. The media coverage might also let them know about the 250-ton pedestal crane at the Natchez-Adams County Port, not to mention the area’s access to the river,
“It puts them in the mindset (to locate in Natchez),” Russ said.
Russ said while he won’t slow his recruiting, he will happily accept the perks of the momentum from the success of landing two quality companies as a result of a team effort between Natchez Inc., the Mississippi Development Authority, the Adams County Board of Supervisors and other groups.
“Momentum is definitely something that is important in this businesses,” he said.
NATCHEZ — Natchez Inc. Executive Director Chandler Russ has been getting picked on lately about the pressure his economic development team has created for itself after landing two big industries within two months time.
“I get the joke,” Russ said, “when people come up to me and say, ‘What are we doing next month?’”
Russ said the pressure to lure industries, however, remains the same — no less and no more.
Eye on the future
Attracting new companies to Natchez-Adams County will always be a front-burner issue, Russ said, regardless of the number of economic development announcements the governor makes about Natchez.
“Our work is not near done,” Russ said.
Russ said he still has a very active portfolio of prospective companies and Natchez Inc. is currently pursuing several projects.
But the nature of economic development business, Russ said, is that the naturally recurring life cycles of businesses requires communities to be consistently searing for the next one.
“Eventually, (businesses) do run their course,” Russ said.
Once a business closes after a certain number of years — often through no fault of its own — it’s too late to replace that business if others haven’t been recruited in the meantime.
“International Paper (Company) is an example of a (business) life cycle,” Russ said.
Russ said cigarette filters became a large sector of the products IP manufactured. And when the United States market for cigarettes began to shrink, IP suffered due no fault of its own.
“It wasn’t anything the labor force did or the community did (that led to the IP closing) other than national market shrinking on them,” Russ said.
Constantly seeking growth and new industries creates padding for those natural industry life cycles, Russ said.
“You have to keep churning the local economy at all times,” he said.
Eye on the present
After the politicians left town following the announcements of Elevance Renewable Sciences and Enersteel in June and August, respectively, Russ said plenty of work remained for Natchez Inc.
“Now you have to do what you said you were going to do as far as an incentive package,” Russ said.
Russ said the work he has already started by acting as a liaison to the Adams County Board of Supervisors in setting up tax breaks for Elevance will soon be in the works for Enersteel.
“And we have to keep projects on task and on track,” Russ said.
Russ said additional responsibilities include, for example, pursing upstream suppliers for chemical producing Elevance.
Russ will also be working with Copiah-Lincoln Community College and the WIN Job Center in Natchez on specifically geared training programs to provide both companies with a ready-to-go workforce.
Russ said Elevance is currently on track for beginning construction at the former Delta Fuel site in November.
Russ said Elevance has completed “a tremendous amount of engineering” during the last two to three weeks and is beginning to finalize some of plans for its ground-breaking.
“No one has indicated they have begun to slow down and (the company) is going full steam ahead,” he said.
Russ said those with lingering impatience for Rentech Industries should know the company is currently actively pursing capital investors to get the project off the ground, but the money is not available at this time.
Eye on the past
Russ said while there isn’t a magic number of jobs Adams County needs, it helps to look at the past to get a clearer sense of the economic health of the community today.
During the past 20 years, the labor market and number of people employed in Adams County has dropped by approximately 2,000 people.
In 1991, an average of 13,500 people were employed in all of Adams County and the labor force contained 15,170 people.
The labor force, Russ said, equals those either employed or seeking employment.
In 2010, an average of 11,790 people were employed in Adams County and the labor force contained 13,180.
“We’ve got a long way to go just to get back to where we were,” Russ said.
Russ said employment numbers also reflect a downward shift U.S. Census numbers from the past 20 years.
“So our work is not done yet, and it’s really never done,” Russ said. “It’s a constant progression.”
Eyes on Natchez-Adams County
While landing two big industries in a row isn’t an excuse to slow down recruiting other companies, Russ said recent announcements do bode well for luring other industries.
Regional media coverage and media coverage in trade publications — like the chemical and steel industries — gives Natchez-Adams advantageous exposure to prospective businesses, Russ said.
For example, if a steel supplier remembers reading Enersteel just located in Natchez, Russ said the company might realize the area has a good environment for steel. The media coverage might also let them know about the 250-ton pedestal crane at the Natchez-Adams County Port, not to mention the area’s access to the river,
“It puts them in the mindset (to locate in Natchez),” Russ said.
Russ said while he won’t slow his recruiting, he will happily accept the perks of the momentum from the success of landing two quality companies as a result of a team effort between Natchez Inc., the Mississippi Development Authority, the Adams County Board of Supervisors and other groups.
“Momentum is definitely something that is important in this businesses,” he said.
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