The thing about attracting industry is that it is really hard to measure.
Most of the stuff is done in secret meetings - ok, executive sessions :), but the public has no way of knowing what is going on.
We think nothing is happening, yet the people in charge - Cowley First, the chambers, the city etc., - all say they are busy and working. The problem is you always get the same answer ... "There is a lot going on but I cant tell you about it."
Businesses don't want the information to be public either. Part of the deal with the big box was that no one would publicly say it was a Lowe's, and that was at Lowe's insistence.
Of course, it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure it out.
But the thing is, all this activity in attracting industry is done in private, so ... it is hard to know what is going on, hard to hold them accountable.
On the flip side, we tend to think they are not doing anything because we get no information.
This is just another reason that all public business should be done in public.
I understand negotiating a deal being done in private, but still ... they could be more public about it.
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The problem is you always get the same answer ... "There is a lot going on but I cant tell you about it."
This is the typical statement given. It is easy to give that type of statement when you don't have to produce any evidence. Information could be given to the public to show what many of these tax funded organizations are doing. I would like to see monthly reports of contacts made, leads followed, potential projects in the works. The old statement of "we are working hard" should not cut it anymore. We should hold them more accountable! P.S. You are doing a great job James, keep our elected officials feet to the fire. They have made some very particular statements about what needs to be done, now lets see if they can deliver.
PCDA in Ponca sends out a monthly email that talks in detail about the businesses and industries that they are working on. It is specific enough to show progress, but fuzzy enough to not betray any confidentiality.
The difference is that they have people working on development "every single day" and Ark City is not and it shows. It sometimes seems like Ark City has people working against development.
How to tell if they are working or sidetracking? Easy:
"You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes.." (Matt 7:16 although 7:19 seems to apply here too)
In economic development, you're either a grape or a thorn bush, and it's pretty easy to tell by looking at the results.
Keep up the good work, James. You are a real grape.
James,
I disagree. I believe that most of what is going on is public. I just don't think you are looking in the right places. Yes, when working with specific companies there is a lot of secrecy. Each company has a number of reasons for keeping their part quiet whether it be competition, prevent real estate from escalating before the deal, testing the waters, or any number of reasons.
As a city there are a variety things we can do to attract business. We are much the same as most other small towns, but we have to find a way to make ourselves better, be able to compete. Industry looks at a number of things: work force, real estate, incentives, housing, education system, retail industry and others. The more we can provide the better we look to them. Companies send out letters to areas they are prospecting and ask for this information in return to help them decide. Cowley First has responded to a number of these in recent months.
Ark City was showing significant signs of improvements in the areas companies are looking for. Cowley College has added and will continue to add courses for training in local industry. The Mechatronics classes are a great example of that. Our elementary schools have earned two national blue ribbon awards in the last 2 years. The city has worked with Goff Industrial Park and other industrial areas in the city to be able to provide the land and infrastucture needed. The city has shown, until recently, that it would use incentives to help businesses come (Future Beef, the hotels at the north end of town, and most recent the sale of property on south summit for a meat store, and there are others). Neighborhood revitalization was extended to cover all residential areas of the city to promote housing growth, and to improve our housing stock. The city has worked with various groups to try to enhance retail. The most recently noticed was the big box store which had been in the works for 3 years, but others include the shopping center where the Crestview motel used to be, and some work with Buxton to identify retailers which would see us as a good match.
The idea behind all these things is to give us an edge over those hundreds and in some cases thousands of small towns competing for these industries and businesses.
Cowley First is another fine example of how we are trying to reach out. By having several entities (both cities, the county, and some of the local banks) investing together we have enough capital to support an office that reaches out to, and responds to industry and business looking for new places to expand.
Arkansas City is still on the way up. We are improving in the right things that will help to draw business to us. We need to continue to keep improving so that we will stand out among competing towns.
That is what I am working for. I am sure you will find others with different opinions. Let's hope that with all of these things together we can attract some attention.
My apologies if this message seems broken or confused. I was interupted several times in the writing of it. I think it conveys my message. I'm sure there are a number of other things I could add, and would be happy to discuss this with anyone.
Patrick McDonald
Good post Patrick
So where do i look to see what is specifically being done for economic development ?
You may be right, that I'm not looking in the right places ... but where do i look ?
j
James,
There are many forms of economic development. They range from improving local business to drawing in new business. From improving the value of our properties, to creating possibilities for local people to become entrepreneurs. I guess it depends on what part of the economic development you are interested in.
I am trying to look into and improve all avenues, and it seems to be a big job. Each individual thinks their particular avenue is most important. And though each avenue is important I do not want to restrict our opportunities to just one direction.
There are a lot of ideas out and working now. The big box was an important one that was coming to a head, but there are many more in the works. The possibility of passenger train would be great. The Kansas Avenue rail overpass will be another (allowing trains more time to load and unload opens a lot of opportunities). The neighborhood revitalization plan has opened a lot of work for contractors and hopefully will draw developers to create new housing. The Streetscape downtown has excited some businesses and caused some terrific changes such as Graves. The possibilites are unlimited if we stay open to all of them. My biggest fear is that we will focus on such a tight area that we will let many opportunities slip away.
If you have a question on a specific line of development I will be glad to answer the best I can, or point you in a direction to get a good answer.
Let's just keep an open mind and look for everything we can get!
Patrick McDonald
Ok, In the interst of keeping an open mind. Retail is retail and industry is industry! They are both important and inter-related to meaningful growth.
But, do retail people "Know" what drives industry better than those who specialize in industry? Where are these people?
We have sevearal large corporations in ou area GE, ADM, Newell/Rubbermaid and others in the surrounding areas. Is anyone picking their brains or communicating with them?
I am not suggesting selling our souls to large corporations. We don't have the infrastucture or workforce for major expansions - although we do have the area.
I give you an example:
There is a trend toward "Green" alternatives regarding fuel and even a possible emerging market for bio-de-gradeable plastics.
ADM is a leader (one of the largest ag-related businesses in the World). Has anyone from the area ever invited someone from their company to our area or researched opportunities through those channels?
While these type companies may not want to invest in our area they certainly have the overview as to where things are headed. Why, because they are the ones
in the driver's seat.
I do have to ask - There was a rumour at one time that a group of investors wanted to possibly build an ethanol plant on the old Total property and that your city was blocking it?
You should take the time to review the recently passed energy bill as it relates to ethanol use as an alternative - there is a great hope that cellulosic ethanol and bio-diesel can provide help to off-set our oil imports.
"We have 15% of the world population yet consume 25% of the world oil production".
We are working to identify sites right now. You have to know what are the available locations to which you are attracting the industry. That is the nuts and bolts of it. You cannot just "attract them to the area." They have to have a specific place to land. Thus, it all comes down to how you make a particular spot attractive. If the jobs they are bringing are good enough, the employees will follow. Then, you will get the housing boom and the retail. There is a rhyme and a reason to these things. It is not a mystery. I see plenty of individuals who are willing to step up, but they need a specific project or projects to rally around in order to get to the next level.
I want to follow up that previous post with an opportunity and this will be my last post if you say Stop! I don't want to squat on the editor's blog site.
We in the U.S. are huge wasters of energy! If you read the new energy bill the incandescent light bulb is to be discontinued by 2014! In favor of CFL LED etc. that are much more efficient.
One of the industrial problems is that energy has been cheap for so long that companies were not concerned about energy cost when building/location!
I love ADM and follow them - one of their solutions to increasing energy cost is co-generational facilities. Taking the waste energy in the form of heat/steam to generate elctricity to run or supplement another operation.
I wonder if that opportunity exists in Ark City where the waste energy from an ethanol plant can run a flour mill or two! I'm not an engineer so it may not be feasible!
Now I'll stop if you wish, really! But it seems to me that what people say they want can't be accomplished with small Town thinking or Ark City Industries or a "Lowes and one other store"!
It wasn't my intent to cram things down your throat only to try and open your eyes and minds!
Signed, Replace Fear with Vision
Now I'll stop if you wish, really! But it seems to me that what people say they want can't be accomplished with small Town thinking or Ark City Industries or a "Lowes and one other store"!
It wasn't my intent to cram things down your throat only to try and open your eyes and minds!
>>>>
Its ok
you could take this over to the Idea blog and see if it gets going..
jj
Now I'll stop if you wish, really! But it seems to me that what people say they want can't be accomplished with small Town thinking or Ark City Industries or a "Lowes and one other store"!
It wasn't my intent to cram things down your throat only to try and open your eyes and minds!
>>>>
Its ok
you could take this over to the Idea blog and see if it gets going..
jj
Amen!!! Well said to the poster signed, replace fear with vision.
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