NADO presentation to Illinois Association of Regional Councils 2013 Annual Meeting on 09/10/13

1. ILARC 2013 ANNUAL MEETING
09/10/13 | BLOOMINGTON, IL
Best Practices for Economic Development Districts

2. Ground Rules
EDDs can have a tangible and measureable
impact on regional economies—and your
CEDS should reflect that commitment
Creating a high-quality, high-impact CEDS is a
reasonable expectation for all EDDs
CEDS reflects unique regions and EDDs—no
one-size-fits-all process or product

3. http://www.nado.org/about/nado-survey-of-regional-development-organizations/

4. Upjohn Institute survey of
5,000 IEDC members:
How many EDOs are aware
of a CEDS in their region?
14% rural
4% urban

5. CEDS Challenges
Commitment—“check the box” mentality is
most significant barrier to improvement
Readability—140 pages average, basic Word
formatting, no executive summary or
photos, data not well-integrated with
strategies
Usefulness—should inspire residents to work
together for measurable changes in regional
economy & clearly articulate EDD’s role

6. “CEDS is about the process,
not the product.”

7. Would you be excited about reading this?

8. Venture Fund –
Wisconsin Rural Enterprise Fund (WREF)
Enterprise Center Network –
Six Business Incubators located
throughout the Region totaling 180,000
square feet
Business Start-up & Sold –
Botanic Oil Innovations, Inc.
New Business Start-up –
Wolf Wood, Inc.
NORTHWEST REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION

10. http://www.resilientregion.org

11. http://www.pennyrilefuture.com
Make it easier for busy business owners
to participate—consider aligning board
members for EDD/CEDS and WIB.
EDDs and WIBs both need data analysis
for federally required plans—why do it
twice for the same region?

12. http://www.dllr.state.md.us/workforcedashboard/

13. http://www.eda.gov/pdf/CEDS_Flyer_Wht_Backround.pdf
Background
Analysis of Problems and Opportunities
Goals and Objectives
Community and Private Sector Participation
Strategic Projects, Programs, and Activities
Performance Measures

14. EDA Proposed Rule Changes
(expected 2013)
More emphasis on clusters and
innovation and entrepreneurship
infrastructure (e.g., incubators)
Allows up to 80% for projects
leveraging other federal resources
Eliminates mandatory formula for
EDD and CEDS strategy committee
board member representation
Prioritizes four main components
of CEDS: (1) summary of regional
conditions; (2) SWOT analysis; (3)
strategy and implementation plan;
(4) performance measures
Makes project list optional
http://www.nado.org/eda-requests-public-comment-on-new-proposed-regulations/

15. Economic Resilience
How well prepared is your region to respond
to an economic shock (e.g., recession, plant
closure or opening, base realignment)?
How quickly could your region recover from a
devastating natural disaster?
How do you get people to acknowledge the
importance of resiliency thinking and make
investments in strategies?

16. High-Quality/High-Impact CEDS
Builds on region’s unique strengths
Represents true regional priorities
Showcases EDD’s value & impact
Tells a compelling story
Motivates action
http://www.knowyourregion.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/EDA-CEDS-Standards-of-Excellence.pdf

17. Know your audience (it’s not EDA)
1. How is our economy performing?
2. How can we compete successfully?
3. What are you going to do about it?
4. How will you measure success?
5. How long will it take?

18. Source: NADO

19. Communicating Impact
Balance your focus on traditional (GPRA) and
non-traditional metrics (wealth creation)
Demonstrate return on investment—quantify
outcomes of EDD/CEDS, not process
Create clear lines linking goals, strategies, &
implementation activities

20. Aroostook 2015
Goals
1,677 new jobs @
$42,000
1,118 new jobs @
$38,500
Improvement of
6,628 jobs
by $5,000/yr.
$365M new wages
Increase Internet
Subscriptions
to 37,500
Reach Regional
GDP of $2.8B
27.7% Private Payer
Healthcare
Reimbursements
Renewable
Energy
Economy
Strategy Direct Impacts
62 jobs (3.6%)
$45.3M (12.4%)
604 jobs (54%)
$94.6M (3.7%)
650+ jobs with
benefits
Strategic Opportunity Value
$69.9M per year
• 16 commercial installations,$19M, $2,1M savings/year
• 100+ residential installations
• JIAC grant award, $1.9M, $1M private match
• $1.2 NMCC Award, largest private donation in Maine history
• 12x1 investment leverage
Measurement &
Outcomes: 2011-2012
Emphasize how CEDS implementation will “move the needle.”

21. CEDS Formatting Suggestions
Executive summary that can be used as stand-
alone document—focus on most compelling
data, opportunities, & EDD implementation
Shorten and streamline the document (25-30
pgs) with balance of qualitative/quantitative
information & quotes from regional leaders
Emphasize measureable goals, strategies, &
outcome-based performance metrics

22. CEDS Formatting Suggestions
Don’t abandon what you like doing (regional
background, “planner” data) but keep your
audience in mind and use appendices
Project list—key regional projects should be
clearly tied to assets, goals, & strategies in
main sections of the CEDS document
Consider going beyond PDF—CEDS
website, interactive data, even mobile app

23. http://regionalcouncils.ny.gov/themes/nyopenrc/rc-files/southerntier/CU_RegEcoDevRprt_loR.pdf
Experiment with report formats. Consider hard copy executive summary and CEDS website.

24. http://www.houstonartsalliance.com/images/uploads/documents/The_Creative_Economy_of_Houston.pdf
Full-page text doesn’t have to look boring.

25. http://www.houstonartsalliance.com/images/uploads/documents/The_Creative_Economy_of_Houston.pdf
Use CEDS as an opportunity to showcase real people, not just NAICS codes.

26. http://psrc.org/econdev/res/current-strategy/
Avoid planner jargon as much as possible. Try to make process interesting.

27. http://www.texoma.cog.tx.us/news/tcogs-fiscal-year-2011-economic-impact-statement/
Celebrate success. Invest in marketing.

28. Statewide CEDS
Source: NADO. As of July 5, 2013. Includes projects in discussion, planning, implementation, or completed.

29. http://ceds.alabama.gov

31. National Association of Development Organizations (NADO)
and the NADO Research Foundation
400 North Capitol Street, NW | Suite 390 | Washington, DC 20001
Ruraltransportation.org | Knowyourregion.org | Regionalcouncilguide.org
202.624.7806 | Info@nado.org
NADO.org
Regional Strategies. Solutions. Partnerships.
Brian Kelsey | Director of Economic Development | bkelsey@nado.org | 512-731-7851

32. This presentation is based on work supported by the U.S. Economic Development
Administration (EDA) under Agreement No. 99-06-07548 and is part of the Know Your
Region project. Any opinions, findings and conclusions, or recommendations expressed
in this presentation are those of the presenter(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views
of EDA or the NADO Research Foundation. The NADO Research Foundation would like to
thank EDA for their support with this presentation and the Know Your Region project.
http://www.knowyouregion.org