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 The funding agreement stipulates many things the Alliance must do in
order to satisfy the economic development: work with the retail
consultant company the City hired; counsel small businesses and
start-ups; promote the City of Lincoln as a location for business
operations; plan and implement promotional activities, workforce
development, and the retention and recruitment of businesses.
When people talk about economic development, very often they speak
about “creating jobs”. We often hear many politicians throwing this
term about during campaigns. I assure you that politicians and
economic developers alone do not create jobs. Businesses create
jobs. What our elected officials and economic developers can do, is
create pro-business environments that help businesses create jobs.
Yes, creating jobs is one part of economic development, but it is
the result of the work economic developers do in partnership with
cities and businesses. One way to create jobs, and probably the most
commonly thought of way, is to recruit new businesses to a
community.
Another way to create jobs is to work on retention and expansion of
existing businesses in our community. “Retaining and expanding
businesses yields a better return on investment than recruiting new
companies,” according to “EdNow” an economic development publication
produced by the International Economic Development Council.
“Successful communities understand that they need to invest
significant resources in helping existing businesses grow and
survive.”
The Logan County Alliance and City of Lincoln acknowledge the
importance of having a tool to establish and enhance ongoing
business relationships with existing employers in the community. It
is important to recognize that these employers have changing
business conditions and threats that may jeopardize their continued
presence in Lincoln. There are also expansion opportunities that may
exist, and both the City and Alliance believe that it is best to
position the City and Alliance to offer their services to influence
their investment decision in the community’s favor. “Thwarting the
threat of existing employers closing their doors and working with
them to encourage expansions in Lincoln will only happen if we make
a sincere and aggressive effort to assist our employers,” said Andi
Hake, President and CEO of the Logan County Alliance.
The Development Council of the Alliance spearheads the
organization’s economic development efforts and will lead the local
business retention and expansion activities. The Council is made up
of: Seth Goodman, of ME Realty; Julie Tarter, owner of Mary Todd’s
Hallmark and Merle Normal; Keith Snyder, former Mayor of Lincoln;
David Lanterman, downtown business and property owner; Clay Johnson,
City Administrator; and Greg Basford of Heritage Packaging. The
Council has created a retention plan that the Alliance will begin
executing this month. The plan is continuous and designed to obtain
information that will help the Development Council better assist
businesses, identify areas of concern, and pinpoint potential
threats as well as potential opportunities.
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The group will be collecting data in the following key areas: updated contact
information (often leadership in businesses change and this data will help the
Alliance and the City to stay on top of any such changes); products produced,
services offered, and markets served. Questions around these areas will help the
group have a better understanding of what the business is and who they serve.
Knowing this information can create potential opportunities of alignment and/or
growth.
Another important area to understand are barriers and threats faced by the
businesses. It is crucial for the Alliance and City to understand any obstacles
that may be hindering growth or creating frustrations for businesses. Questions
will be asked about infrastructure needs and realities and legislation or
regulations at the local, state, or federal levels.
Another important topic that will be discussed during these site visits is
workforce. The Alliance has been hearing for a long time that workforce is an
issue for our employers. This issue is not isolated to Lincoln, IL. It is a
nation-wide trend that many communities, and especially rural communities, are
facing. To address the problem, an understanding of specific workforce issues is
required.
Lastly, technology will be discussed with each business. Understanding each
business’ reliance on technology, any recent change in that reliance, and their
expected growth in technology usage is important information to learn.
Since much of the information discussed will involve proprietary matters for
each business, the specific data collected from the individual businesses cannot
be released for public consumption. The data collected, however, will be
aggregated to create a strong, composite picture of the business climate in
Lincoln.
The Alliance Development Council has identified thirty-four businesses to visit
by the end of February. The businesses are in the categories of: Retail,
Hospitality, Healthcare, Transportation, Manufacturing, Property/landowners, and
Specialty Areas. The Development Council has created teams to meet with these
businesses to ensure they work efficiently.
If a business in Lincoln would like a retention visit and has not been
contacted, or if someone wants more information about the retention plan, they
may contact Andi Hake at the Logan County Alliance at 217-735-2385 or
andi.hake@ lincolnillinois.com.
[Andi Hake, CEO & President, Logan
County Alliance] |
