 Maniscalco, who came
on the job as the executive director of the Lincoln & Logan County
Development Partnership on Aug. 15, found no small task to confront
early in his tenure.
The first three weeks on the job, Mike made the rounds of as many
businesses as possible. He wanted to get to know everyone involved
in the community, and that kept his days filled into the night. Mike
said he also directed his efforts to determining what in the office
worked, and what didn't that needed immediate attention. He also had
to work on getting a new computer system integrated, and there were
some frustrating moments with that.
And then, the news came on Sept. 8 that Gov. Quinn intended to
close the county's third-largest employer, Logan Correctional
Center.
With less than a month on the job, Mike found his efforts being
driven toward local job retention rather than job growth. "I guess I
was seasoned enough," he said with a laugh.
He and the partnership board, city and county officials, as well
as the chamber and union representatives, joined forces in an effort
to change the governor's mind about closing Logan Correctional.
The dissemination of information to the community, a petition
drive, a courthouse rally, as well as a call to fill Earl C Hargrove
Chapel during a state hearing on the prison closing, all were extra
tasks Maniscalco helped with that had to fit in with his other
duties.
Mike's background is strong on 501(c)(3) experience but not
necessarily economic development. His most recent employment was as
program manager for the Autism Program of Illinois. In that
position, he led statewide operational planning of support
activities and initiatives. He also managed the development and
maintenance of a statewide network of 27 agencies and university
partners supplying training and autism services to 29,000 autistic
youth. As program manager, he managed a $4 million budget.
A few of the things that showed Mike had a tenacious spirit and
intelligent mind for his new job happened when a group of local
leaders went down to Springfield to supposedly speak with the
governor. Quinn was a no-show, but Mike told the governor's office
staff to please have the governor call him to set up another
appointment (something that never happened).
When chamber director Andi Hake left the huge stack of petitions
carrying almost 9,000 names, Mike told her to take them out of the
box and leave them loose on the desk. "They are too easy to just
throw away when they are in a box," he told her.
Mike, like everyone in the community, is delighted that the
prison will remain open and said he is now busy working on what
would be normal tasks for a director of the development partnership.
Although there are numerous tasks that the partnership works on,
Mike talked specifically about a few that he hopes to have in place
soon.
One important program is the development of a new five-year
master plan for the partnership to follow. In a quarterly report
presented to officials, the intentions of the partnership are to
"hone its operations with the plan to create an efficient
organization. This will be done by moving finances in-house, the
revamping of marketing and a review and amendment to partnership
bylaws."
[to top of second column] |
Maniscalco said the revamp of marketing is very important. "You
are only as good as you look," he said. To this end, a new website
with detailed information, statistics and community background, as
well as hard-copy materials, are being developed that can be used by
prospective businesses thinking of coming to Logan County.
Mike said the partnership also is working on a "synchronis"
system that will show what existing businesses we have in the
county, allowing potential businesses to see if there is a market
gap that makes Logan County a good choice for them.
Mike said he has been making the rounds of area businesses, and
although he hasn't been to all of them yet, he will continue to meet
and hone relationships. Feeling a community working together for the
common good is essential to economic growth.
Maniscalco also has been a steady presence at city of Lincoln and
county meetings, as well as meetings in other towns in Logan County.
It has been noted by several of these elected officials that Mike
stays for their entire meeting, rather than reporting and then
leaving. When asked about his staying for entire meetings, he
replied, "It's a good way for me to know what's going on."
Mike said he looks for growth in Logan County from small business
and not major factories. News of multimillion-dollar tax breaks to
lure or keep big businesses shows that Logan County is too small a
player for those major corporations. Mike believes the way to grow
and maintain a strong economy is through smaller, sustainable
businesses, interwoven into the community, that will have a good
chance of survival.
Mike said he still has his home up for sale in Springfield and
can't wait to relocate in Logan County. He and his wife, Sabohat,
who is working on her doctoral dissertation, look forward to
becoming everyday faces in the community.
When Mike was asked what his initial feelings about the community
were, he said he felt good about his decision to accept the
position. "I felt this was a community of caring people. The support
I saw for Logan Correctional was just incredible. It vindicated to
me that my decision to take the job was a wise choice. By the way,
does anyone need a house in Springfield?"
[By
MIKE FAK]
Past related articles
 |
