Growth and development initiatives Business Development Economic Development

Growth and development initiatives Business Development Economic Development Community Development How will we get there? Where are we now? Enhancing the workforce Conducting a targeted industry study Committing to youth and young families Committing to existing businesses Analyzing the retail and service sector Marketing the Buffalo County region rant EDA g f o e p o c In s Developing new businesses Preparing a tourism assessment Promoting entrepreneurship Developing a broadband plan Where are we now? Ready Where are we going? Aim How will we get there? Fire Pursuing a "Placemaking" initiative Comment: Business and Community Development initiatives are destinations, while Economic Development is studies or planning. 1) Should we convert this whole page to one or the other to make it consistent? 2) Should we beef up “Where are we going? ” 3) Should we build a cross-silo coordination into the strategy? 4) What have we learned in our work that we can share to back up these broad suggestions?

Business development Enhancing the workforce Committing to existing businesses Developing new businesses Promoting entrepreneurship Where are we now? How will we get there? Where are we now? Ready Where are we going? Aim How will we get there? Fire Survey potential and existing workforce Design and implement a Conduct market study to Target natural resourcelarge-firm retention and support new market based and value-added ag expansion program expansion of existing firms business development Interview existing employers Support business networks that facilitate Train community leaders Selectively "recruit" new value-added business to conduct businesses that satisfy development and visitation programs for market needs enhanced businesses to small firms business (b 2 b) transactions Assemble schools, Provide resources and Recognize and reward employees and employers workshops and other businesses for civic Promote e-commerce to [identify and] address support for business contributions and business opportunities and expansion, relocation, or successes challenge new business startups Where are we going? Comment: The Business Development initiatives do contain some elements of ready, aim, fire. But they are heavily weighted towards “fire” – seems like there’s an opportunity to beef up the front and middle parts of the plan. May want to balance out the columns so that they each do ready, aim, fire. EDA help for the studies?

Economic development Conducting a targeted Analyzing the retail industry study and service sector Preparing a tourism assessment Where are we now? Developing a broadband plan Where are we now? Ready Where are we going? Aim How will we get there? Fire Examine existing industry Conduct study to Study the regional retail Assess broadband access clusters for strengths and determine visitor market and service trade area and adoption status value chain opportunities (value and characteristics) In scope of EDA grant Where are we going? Assemble coalition of Share with businesses and Share with tourism Share with existing firms partners to plan and facilitate businesses and encourage advocate for enhanced and encourage growth roundtable investigations growth into unmet market needs broadband quality and networking needs access How will we get there? Market vacancies to target Assemble businesses with Support broadband Make inquiries to "recruit" businesses that could common interest for joint adoption by organizations explain/locate to meet marketing and shared and businesses, including businesses and fill gaps local demand training ecommerce training Comment: This could be a model for the other two types of initiatives. Ready, aim, fire is in place across all columns. Seems like there’s an opportunity to broaden the scope of plans being developed in the EDA studies to help the other two broad initiatives that are a little under-studied at the moment.

Community development Committing to youth and young families Marketing the Buffalo County Region Where are we now? Survey youth (those that have left and that have returned) about their interests and aspirations Identify regional assets for residents and visitor market segments Pursue a "placemaking" initiative Where are we now? Ready Where are we going? Aim How will we get there? Fire How will we get there? Placemaking is focused on the public spaces that make up our communities Engage in efforts to address the Strengthen linkages between The process that is used to interests of youth and young community and area attractions identify vision, values and families. Acknowledge their (across the region); commit to initiatives is consistent with the contributions. Include them in addressing challenging process employed for the larger genuine ways (including conditions planning effort governance) Implement doable, visible Promote the area with a world Create a campaign and invite projects in each of our class website and contemporary communities that can serve as young adults and families back social marketing effort catalysts for other investments Comment: There isn’t any “where are we going? ” activity here. There’s an opportunity to add those across all three columns. The first two activities in the “placemaking” column are description or justification and could be replaced with “Ready” and “Aim” tasks. EDA help for the studies?