An Environment
for Growth
How can we push the community into a more positive (and sustainable) trajectory?
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"I'm pro-growth", "we need to grow", "the only way to fix our problems is to grow"… With all the "growth" talk floating around, you would think that economists and economic development officials were shoveling fertilizer at the economy (it sounds like some of them may be using a form of it…). When we talk about "growth", what we really mean is creating more neteconomic opportunities for an area. The "net" in the previous sentence is the important part. If we create one new business and loose three, or if we create 100 new jobs and loose 1,000, we aren't growing.
To achieve net growth, we have to create an environment that encourages investment, entrepreneurship and risk. This isn't another "we are a great place to invest" article. There are some real things that we can do as a community to foster growth, and there are some things that we need to avoid to dodge the "quick fixes" or low return on investment growth strategies that plague many communities. The following are some concepts gleaned from other communities, case studies and some practical experience in economic development. Feel free to share your own observations by e-mailing us at [email protected] .
The first step in a "pro-growth" strategy sounds easy, but it is often the most difficult: creating a positive environment for locals to invest. We have to understand that every business (every retailer, restaurant, factory, etc.) once
Become a cheerleader for realistic development goals. This is another "that sounds easy" step, but it is more difficult than you think. Developers and potential businesses generally stop and talk to a lot of people before choosing to invest in a community. If the people they communicate with aren't excited about opportunities, the developer/business person won't be excited either. This is especially true for people that hold official positions or people in complimentary businesses. If a potential businesses walks into the Main Street office, presents their business concept and they get a "meh" response, the business person isn't going to be excited about investing here because they know eco/devo people are SUPPOSED to get excited about potential investments. If a potential business talks to a local business and they get a horrible community outlook, they are going to think twice about investing in a community. We certainly can't lie, and we must provide individuals with the information they require to make an informed decision, but if we aren't excited about the future potential of our community, no one else will be either.
Think of the entire community as an incubator. Several communities nation wide have created incubator projects that help inspire entrepreneurs. In theory,
Hit them where they're not. Community growth comes by creating competitive advantages. That means we have to be realistic about what our surrounding "competitors" have that we don't, and what we can create that will give us an advantage. To use a football analogy, the Kansas State Football Program generally doesn't land a lot of highly lauded recruits, but they have success on the field. They have success by finding individuals that others have overlooked, out working their opponents, maximizing their existing resources and taking a creative approach to achieving wins. If they spent all their time trying to land "five star" recruits at the cost of their other tenants of success, the program would fail. Coach Snyder has communicated about not loosing several "quality players" at the expense of one "name", and that their program gets a better long term return by sticking with what they are good at. Similarly, we have to recognize opportunities for success in areas that our competitors don't recognize. Our policies and priorities must reflect this reality.
We must reward risk and cooperation. This is probably the biggest area of potential improvement that Emporia can work on. We have a generation of
We must LISTEN to our existing, emerging and potential businesses, and adjust to their needs. Too often, conflict arises because businesses have a potential need that they communicate, and the response is "we don't do that." Not all business requests are realistic (free money with no strings attached?), but if we view our small businesses as customers, then we are in the customer service business. Just like any good retailer, we have to adapt to the needs of our consumers by offering the current products and services they need in a timely fashion. So, when we receive communication from businesses in the form of a request, we must ask ourselves "how can we make this happen?" Not every request will be granted of course, but businesses generally appreciate the effort.
These suggestions are readily achievable, but they require community |
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