An ED Litmus Test for your Community: Are you in Hostile Waters and What do do about it? Ohio Planning Conference October 20, 2011

1. Della G. Rucker, AICP CEcD
The Wise Economy Workshop
Jim Kinnett, CEcD, FM, EDFP
The Kinnett ConsultingS Group
Mark Barbash, FM
Economic Development
Consultng

2.  Whatis Local Economic
Development?
 Best
Practices and National
Trends
 How is your community doing?
 What
you can do to help your
community improve?

3.  Della Rucker
 Jim Kinnett
 Mark Barbash

4. Economic development is acting to
ensure that the economy of your
community or region (your income or
savings) grows faster than your
population (your expenses) so you have
the extra resources in the future to
finance improvement.

6.  Public-private organizations
 Chambers
 City departments
 Regional organizations
 State organizations
 Neighborhood, downtown,
community development
organizations
 Increasingly, you.

7. Never waste a
good crisis!

8.  Cuts at state AND federal
levels
 Stress
on operating ED
budgets

9.  New ways to
collaborate
 Restructuring of state
and local ED
partnerships
 What’s the future of
incentives?

10.  Changing State
Roles
• Wisconsin
• Florida
• Ohio
 Localand regional
groups adjusting to
the new reality

11.  Ambivalence/Disconnect
over manufacturing
 Re-shoring in some
industries, but it’s not the
same
 Pressure to improve
efficiency
 The right skills for the right
job.

12.  Web –enabled site
selection
 Globalcompetition - even
for small communities

13.  Critical
need for retention
and expansion

14.  Musthave a fully qualified
workforce

15.  New types of work and
spaces
 Increasing importance of
small businesses (but not
just any)
 Changing ways to do
business
 Freelancer Economy

16.  StrategicDoing vs.
Strategic Planning
 Increasedfocus on skill
and workforce
development
 EconomicGardening vs.
Entrepreneurship

17. “The knowledge
economy…”
 Everyone’s in the
innovation business
 Connect to higher
education.
 Importance of places
that matter.

18.  Online
networks and
communication
 Speed & reach of ideas
 Crowdsourced finance

20.  Is
your economy growing
faster than your
population?
• Economy: Income, savings,
wages,
• Population: Count,
demographic, and the costs of
serving the population
 Incomegreater than your
expenses?

21. A-list
 Do you have adequate fiscal
resources to meet short-term
needs?
 Do you have adequate fiscal
resources to meet long-term
needs?
 Is the community maintaining
the number &quality of jobs?
 Is the community dependent
on one or a small number of
businesses?

22. B-List
 Is your environment
improving?’
 Is your crime activity
increasing?
 Do you have housing
that your residents can
afford, and a range of
housing choices
available?
 Is educational
attainment improving?

23. C-List
 Is leadership strong in your  Do your have strong
community? transportation
systems?
 Is tolerance, diversity and
interest strong in your  Is there social
community? harmony in the
Community?
 Do you have a strong
healthcare delivery
system?

24. Town A:
Litmus Item High Medium Low
Short term fiscal strength? X
Not dependent on one /small # X
businesses?
Quality of jobs? X
Educational attainment? X
Lack of crime? X
Housing cost? X
Leadership? X
Diverse range of people? X

25. Town B:
Litmus Item High Medium Low
Short term fiscal strength? X
Not dependent on one /small # X
businesses?
Quality of jobs? X
Educational attainment? X
Lack of crime? X
Housing cost? X
Leadership? X
Diverse range of people? X

26. Strategic Perspective
Tactical Opportunistic
Organized Delusion
Clueless Apathy
Hostile Waters

27.  Talk to each other
 Prod the economic
developers to talk to
each other
 Tear down the walls
between you and them
 Make all plans in real
partnership

28.  Beaccountable to the
public
 Pullthem into the
conversations to help you
find the best answers
 How? Stay tuned….

29. Della Rucker, AICP, CEcD James Kinnett, CEcD, FM, EDFP
The Wise Economy Workshop The Kinnett Consulting Group
www.wiseeconomy.com www.kinnett.biz
Della.rucker@wiseeconomy.com Jim@kinnett.biz
513.288.6613 812.290.5663
@dellarucker
Mark Barbash, FM
Della Rucker AICP CEcD Economic Development Consulting
Also on LinkedIn and www.markbarbashconsulting.com
Google+ mark@markbarbashconsulting.com
Also on LinkedIn