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Strategic growth plan presented to Gov. Nixon

April 18, 2011 By

The final report of the Strategic Initiative for Economic Growth and an Executive Summary was delivered to Governor Nixon on April 11. The blueprint includes a specific strategy with five tactical goals on workforce development.

According to David Kerr, director for Missouri’s Department of Economic Development, this work concludes nearly 10 months of work of the Executive Advisory Committee, the 41 member Steering Committee, the six Regional Planning Teams, Market Street Services, MERIC, the 41 persons that submitted white papers, and numerous Missourians that participated in surveys and provided additional comments and suggestions. The Hawthorn Foundation funded the project.

To help design the strategy, planners used input from regional focus groups and white papers from eight subject matter experts in education and two in workforce development. Jasen Jones, director of the Southwest Missouri Workforce Investment Board, presented a white paper on behalf of the WIB titled, High-Octane Workforce Development as a Catalyst for Regional Economic Growth. This approach helped drive the launch of a new Workforce Committee with the Missouri Economic Development Council to help better integrate workforce and economic development stakeholders statewide.

From the workforce perspective, the strategy states that Missouri will attract, develop and retain a workforce with the education and skills to succeed in a 21st-Century economy. Overall, the workforce strategy is supported by five tactical goals:

  • Tactic 1: Develop a tuition forgiveness program for qualifying Missouri high school graduates to attend Missouri colleges and universities.
  • Tactic 2: Develop a statewide assessment to measure and certify core competency skills of Missouri’s graduating high school seniors. Assessment would be informed by college and career‐readiness criteria.
  • Tactic 3: Partner with the state’s colleges and universities to ensure students remain in Missouri after graduation.
  • Tactic 4: Develop optimized and coordinated cluster based career‐training pipelines, protocols and assessments.
  • Tactic 5: Provide a streamlined workforce training incentive for expansion and relocation prospects coordinated through Missouri’s community college network.

The final report and the executive summary can be obtained at the project website. The Targeted Cluster and Marketing Analysis, which was posted on the website about two months ago, is also an important component of the Initiative.

The purpose of the Initiative was to “identify specific strategic and tactical plans which must be accomplished over the next five years to transform Missouri’s economy for sustainable growth in the 21st Century.” The scope of the Initiative was to:

  • Develop a focused set of key strategies, which must be data-driven and have a statewide view, but recognize the uniqueness of Missouri’s regions;
  • For each strategy, develop tactical implementation plans;
  • Identify the high growth industry clusters that will drive the Missouri economy; and,
  • Concentrate on “primary” businesses (which are those that mostly sell and compete outside the local market area) due to their impact on the economy. Other sectors, including tourism, military installations, agriculture and others critical to Missouri’s economy, are unique and were not included in this study.

In his memo, Kerr outlined several actions already underway as a result of the initiative. The groundwork is being paved to enact the other recommendations

Legislative Initiatives

At the meeting on November 30, 2010, based on the surveys of the Regional Planning Teams, the Steering Committee recommended the development of three legislative initiatives to enact certain key strategies. These recommendations led to the creation of the Compete Missouri business incentives and workforce incentives, which was introduced in SB 279, SB 296, and HB 670. The Steering Committee also recommended the passage of the Missouri Science and Innovation Reinvestment Act (MOSIRA), which was introduced in SB 79, HB 467 and HB 468. Both are still under consideration in this session, and DED is hopeful of passage.

State Small Business Credit Initiative Funding

Based on the recommendations of the Plan to develop funding for small business and growth/technology companies, Governor Nixon submitted an application for $27 million to the US Department of Treasury, and on March 22, 2011, the funding was approved. The funding involves $10 million for “conventional” business loans by the Department of Economic Development, and $17 million in seed and venture capital investments by the Missouri Technology Corporation. More information and a link to the applications can be found online.

“On behalf of Governor Nixon, I want to thank you for your valuable insight and forward thinking which we believe will have a significant impact on Missouri’s economy,” Kerr concluded. “Taken in full, this report represents a solid roadmap to jobs, growth, and prosperity in the 21st Century.”

Filed Under: Initiatives, Public Policy

Workforce development and education systems face major changes

April 13, 2011 By

The modern era of “workforce development” traces its roots back to the Manpower Development and Training Act (MDTA) of the 1960s and the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act (CETA) of the 1970s. These federal workforce programs were followed by the Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) of the 1980s which established a stronger role for employers via “private industry councils,” and the 1990-era Workforce Investment Act (WIA) which emphasized service/funding coordination via “one stop centers.” It is apparent to me that we are about to enter another milestone transition, one that will greatly affect employers, the workforce, as well as professionals in the system. The changes that I foresee will be shaped by these factors.

Agility

More than ever, the workforce system must rapidly respond to changing situations. The next three years will probably be the most volatile period ever faced by the workforce development system. It will be marked by economic restructuring, continuing high unemployment, political unrest, and severe constraints on public spending. To be successful, state and regional leaders must be prepared to navigate this environment skillfully and will need new models of employer and community engagement to do so. Traditional models of strategic planning resulting in changes at the margins will not suffice in this environment. We will need to act with speed in “acting our way to a new plan” instead of “planning for new ways of acting.”

The federal Workforce Investment Act (WIA) will change, perhaps substantially

Congress will soon either reauthorize the Workforce Investment Act with significant restructuring or will replace this act outright. Originally enacted in 1998 as a five-year law, a review of this program is long overdue. While federal policy makers will reshape and fund this program, the core issues faced by employers and job seekers will remain at the state, regional and community levels. The workforce development system – employers, staff, educators and the economic development community — must be prepared for major transitions requiring new partnerships, new political alliances, and the use of new technology. Given the current federal budget discussions, doing more with less with be the rule of the day.

Skill certifications will drive the system

Skill certifications are rapidly becoming the currency for both hiring by employers and advancement in progressive levels of education. Employers are placing much higher value on whether its workers come to them ready to work with the specific skills needed for the job rather than general degrees. They’re looking at the demonstration of skills through the prism of work experience or specialized training. In addition, education systems are rapidly developing and deploying “stackable certificates” to define articulation agreements and to accelerate students’ degree attainment. This trend includes the increased practice of allowing adult students to “test out” of courses where they already have competencies achieved on the job or via industry-specific training. Finally, the high cost of college has led many students to begin their training through lower-cost industry-defined certifications or at community colleges, where credits earned are then transferred to higher-cost institutions. Successful workforce development programs will need to be adept at managing a certification-driven system with stronger partnerships among employers, community colleges and technical schools, while providing better transitional guidance for workers who are laid off and receiving unemployment compensation.

Technology will continue to change the way we find jobs and acquire training

Employers are increasingly using a variety of job boards and social media sites to search for talent, and states are working to have greater relevance to employers in a crowded field of sites. Improvements in state platforms provide the opportunity for numerous applications that are customer-friendly and cost-effective at a time when customers increasingly expect 24/7 service access with high functionality. Advances in instructional technology will also lead to an increase in on-line training and educational offerings. Greater use of skill certifications and new technology will enable workforce development staffs to offer more creative and attractive options to laid-off workers and to the employers who hire them. Community colleges and technical schools are already working to increase on-line access for workers impacted by the movement of jobs overseas and to use improved technology to attract, retain, track, and ultimately place candidates. Workforce development staffs will need to be well-versed in the new tools and technologies and be able to assist staff and system customers in applying them in ways that connect seamlessly to services offered through one-stop centers.

Regional Leadership

The key partners in the workforce development world must continue their work at strategically thinking and acting at the regional level. Regional sector-based leadership will be the hallmark among workforce investment board and their partners in economic development and education. The workforce boards must strategically plan for talent development and retention as a primary asset for regional economic growth. New leadership skills will be necessary to develop joint planning processes aimed at partnership building with economic development and education officials. From these strategic partnerships, it will be essential to engage employers on a sector-by-sector basis in new and creative ways that demonstrate a clear menu of value-added services, customer-friendly access points, and joint solutions involving multiple agencies and funding sources. Business contact programs must be refined and re-invented to provide new level of efficiency in providing information to employers and in coordinated responsiveness for solutions to their needs.

The current environment is a source of anxiety for everyone in the system. For workers and employers, the overall job market along with much discussed yet not realized growth areas such as “green jobs” provide great anxiety. It is also an uncertain time for workforce development and education staffs as anticipated funding cutbacks threaten both their jobs and their resources for serving their customers at a time of increased service demands and high stress. We cannot allow the current uncertainty to lead to paralysis. Rather, it is a time when new ideas and new partnerships need to flourish in the environment that is described above.

The issues related to skills and education deficits, along with related barriers of drug abuse and deteriorating family support structures, will not go away. A high school dropout is likely to enter a life of poverty, and a high school graduate lacking a post-secondary credential is increasingly unlikely to enter the middle class as we have known it. Leadership at the state and local levels to craft solutions and communicate key messages to employers and to the public has never been more important than it is now.

Roy Vanderford is Senior Vice President of Workforce Solutions at Thomas P. Miller and Associates, an Indianapolis-based consulting firm. He has previously led Workforce Development agencies in Indianapolis, Evansville and Louisville.

 

Filed Under: Public Policy, Research

Career Readiness Day marked by statewide summit, official proclamation

March 18, 2011 By

An official proclamation signed by Governor Nixon designating March 17, 2011 as “Career Readiness Day,” and a statewide summit of workforce and education practitioners will herald Missouri’s launch of a new National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC). NCRC is a new initiative administered by the Missouri Department of Economic Development’s Division of Workforce Development (DWD) that will help the state’s businesses and workers be more competitive.

The proclamation calls development of a well-prepared workforce “vital to the future success of our state, its people and its businesses,” and outlines how usage of the NCRC will make it easier for businesses to access talented workers.

Issued by ACT (American College Testing) and offered through the state’s 43 Missouri Career Centers and network of community colleges, the NCRC is a portable evidence-based credential that measures essential workplace skills and is a reliable predictor of workplace success. Job seekers can achieve a certificate in one of four levels — bronze, silver, gold and platinum — by successfully passing a series of skills assessments. Businesses can then consider the certificate among applicants’ résumé and other qualifications to select the employee who will have the best skills match for the job.

“States that best address their workforce training issues are states that are in the best position to move their economies forward,” said David Kerr, Director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development. “Under Governor Nixon’s leadership, Missouri has demonstrated an increased commitment to job training, as illustrated by the millions of dollars our administration has invested into training and education. The NCRC is another example of our commitment to a well-prepared workforce.”

An NCRC Summit held Thursday at the Governor’s Office Building in Jefferson City brought together leaders and practitioners from all of Missouri’s community colleges and workforce investment regions to strategize how to use the certificate to prepare a 21st century workforce for employers. The Summit featured practical implementation advice from the leader of the state of Michigan’s highly successful NCRC efforts. The Southwest and Jefferson-Franklin WIB regions presented local best practices through panel presentations.

Missouri’s NCRC initiative is being led by Molly Tallarico of DWD, the agency that administers the Missouri Career Center system in cooperation with the state’s 14 workforce investment boards. To learn more about the NCRC, visit the official website at www.ded.mo.gov/ncrc or call the nearest Missouri Career Center at (888) 728–JOBS (5627).

Filed Under: Initiatives, Research

New USDA Atlas of Rural/Small-Town America provides useful market data

March 1, 2011 By

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the debut of an online mapping tool that captures a broad range of demographic, economic, and agricultural data on rural areas across the United States. The Atlas of Rural and Small-town America, developed by USDA’s Economic Research Service, provides county-level mapping of over 60 statistical indicators depicting conditions and trends across different types of nonmetro regions.

“The new Atlas will complement USDA’s efforts in promoting rural development and well-being by helping policy makers pinpoint the needs of particular regions, recognize their diversity, and build on their assets,” said Vilsack. “The Atlas is part of a broad USDA initiative to make relevant data easily accessible to the public, including researchers, journalists, public officials, and other professionals.”

Nearly 50 million people — 17 percent of the U.S. population — live in nonmetropolitan (nonmetro) America, covering approximately 2,000 counties. Economic and social challenges facing rural areas and small towns differ greatly from those affecting larger U.S. cities, and vary substantially from one nonmetro county to the next.

The Atlas allows users to geographically compare selected states or regions using data on population, age structure, race and ethnicity, income, employment, agricultural well-being, and other measures. Regional planners in the rural Southwest, for example, could compare population trends in their area with counties or states in the Midwest. Maps can be filtered to show only counties of a certain type, such as those with high levels of manufacturing or with persistent poverty. For example, this option could be used to show high unemployment in manufacturing-dependent counties.

This web-based product assembles the latest county-level statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Bureau of Economic Analysis, USDA, and other Federal sources. Of particular note, the Atlas incorporates data from the first full set of county-level data in the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS). Data from the various agencies are combined in four broad categories that users can select:

  • People-county demographic profiles, including age, race/ethnicity, education, family composition, population change, migration, and immigration.
  • Jobs-conditions and trends affecting the labor force, such as employment change, unemployment, industry, and occupational structure.
  • Agriculture-indicators of farm structure and the well-being of farm households, including farm size, income, sales, and tenure.
  • County typologies-ERS county classifications based on the rural-urban continuum, economic structure, and other key locational features, such as, landscape amenities, occupation types, persistent poverty, or population loss status.

Users can click on a county and view a pop-up box showing data on all the indicators in each of these four categories. In addition, users can view an indicator (e.g., employment data) for the entire country, or can zoom into specific regions, states, or sub-state areas, and pan across the U.S. at different scales on the map. Maps can be downloaded for use in documents and presentations, and data are accessible via downloadable spreadsheets.

The Rural Atlas is visually and functionally similar to another product developed by the Economic Research Service – the Food Environment Atlas – which maps U.S. counties by factors that reflect a communities’ access to affordable, healthy food. That web-based tool has attracted considerable attention from the media and among professionals concerned with diet and public health.

The Atlas of Rural and Small-Town America is available online at http://www.ers.usda.gov/data/ruralatlas.

Filed Under: Research

Efficiency and specialization key for U.S. manufacturing

February 13, 2011 By

A recent article posted by Associated Press should have U.S. manufacturers very excited about the future, as noted by Jack Schultz in the latest Agurban ezine. In the AP’s January 31, 2011, article titled, “U.S. factories remain on top in manufacturing”, several key points were made, including:

  • “…America remains by far the No. 1 manufacturing country. It out-produces No. 2 China by more than 40 percent. U.S. manufacturers cranked out nearly $1.7 trillion in goods in 2009, according to the United Nations.”
  • The story of American factories essentially boils down to this: They’ve managed to make more goods with fewer workers.
  • The United States has lost nearly 8 million factory jobs since manufacturing employment peaked at 19.6 million in mid-1979. U.S. manufacturers have ranked near the top of world rankings in productivity gains over the past three decades.
  • That higher productivity has meant a leaner manufacturing force that’s capitalized on efficiency. “You can add more capability, but it doesn’t mean you necessarily have to hire hundreds of people”, commented a specialty chemical maker spokesman.
  • What’s changed is that U.S. manufacturers have abandoned products with thin profit margins, like consumer electronics, toys, and shoes. They’ve ceded that sector to China, Indonesia, and other emerging nations with low labor costs.
  • Instead, American factories have seized upon complex and expensive goods requiring specialized labor: industrial lathes, computer chips, fighter jets, health care products.

We are excited by the continued positive news relating to the manufacturing sector! Stay tuned!

Jack Schultz is the CEO of Agracel Inc., an industrial development firm majoring in rural America, and author of Boomtown USA – The 7 1/2 Keys to Big Success in Small Towns.The Agurban is a free newsletter distributed each week to community and economic development professionals throughout the United States. Permission is hereby granted to forward, print, circulate, or quote with credit to The Agurban and Jack Schultz.

Filed Under: Research

IEDC & EDA launch restoreyoureconomy.org

February 11, 2011 By

From U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary Brian P. McGowan

Through our work in the Gulf Coast’s recovery efforts, I had the opportunity to meet with community leaders along the Gulf who spent the last five years rebuilding their local economy in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, only to turn around and face another disaster with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

As part of the White House National Incident Command (NIC) Economic Solutions Team, which we were asked to form to help communities and regions mitigate the impacts of the oil spill, I visited with and listened to many of these leaders who were seeking solutions to help ensure the long-term resiliency of their community’s economy.

After the initial emergency response and when the media spotlight goes away – the hard work of economic recovery begins. In retrospect, and as a former city and county government official, I think about how a tool designed to facilitate communication and collaboration would have been so valuable to those communities as they took on this daunting task. The difficult work completed and lessons learned in restoring local economies in this region of the country should serve as a powerful tool to other communities who are dealing with disasters or making the plans to ensure they are prepared when future disasters hit.

Now, I’m pleased to announce that there is such a tool. The U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) partnered with the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) to launch RestoreYourEconomy.org, a website that provides critical information for public and private stakeholders seeking to rebuild their local economies after a disaster, as well, as assistance to prepare their business community for a future disasters. The portal is a vital one-stop shop of resources, tools, events and an opportunity to connect with other cities, states and regions. In fact, is was recently used extensively in Australia as communities there were dealing with severe flooding.

RestoreYourEconomy.org enables the sharing of best practices in making preparations to reduce the economic consequences of a disaster. It also provides practical guidance and post-recovery tools to promote investment, to retain local employment, and restore lost jobs.

I encourage communities that have been affected by a disaster or those working to be prepared for future disasters to take advantage of this invaluable resource.

McGowan led the White House National Incident Command Economic Solutions Team, charged to help communities and regions mitigate the impacts of the BP Oil Spill. This initiative is part of EDA’s goal to support collaborative regional innovation to promote sustainable job growth and strengthen communities that have suffered disproportionate economic and job losses to become more competitive in the global economy.

Filed Under: Public Policy

Missouri becoming a hotbed for data storage

January 20, 2011 By

Christopher Chung of the Missouri Partnership penned an article for Government Technology magazine on Missouri’s competitive edge for jobs and investment in the data storage industry sector. The feature includes a screenshot of Missouri’s I.T. scene. Chung boats of Missouri’s competitive operating costs, infrastructure, and workforce. Background information on the certified sites program promotes ideal locations around the state.

Filed Under: Research

Popular summer jobs program returns for 2011

January 7, 2011 By

Gov. Jay Nixon visited Finger Lakes State Park December 30th to provide details for the return in 2011 of the highly successful State Parks Youth Corps (SPYC) program, which the Governor initiated last February. In 2010, the SPYC program, a cooperative partnership between the Division of Workforce Development, local WIBs, and the Division of State Parks, provided employment for young people performing vital maintenance, restoration and research projects to enhance Missouri’s 85 state parks and historic sites.

The State Parks Youth Corps and Gov. Nixon were recognized in September with the President’s Award from the National Association of State Parks Directors for the innovative program. The Governor said the SPYC program carried several benefits, and that its return in 2011 would again be a boost for youth employment and for Missouri state parks and historic sites.

“At a time when it has been particularly difficult for young people to find employment, the SPYC program put money in the pockets of working families and helped further beautify our outstanding system of state parks and historic sites,” Gov. Nixon said. “I look forward to the next group of SPYC workers building on the success of the first year, and encourage anyone interested to apply online, beginning in February.”

At Finger Lakes State Park, the Governor saw examples of the work done by the SPYC team. Last summer they assisted parks staff in building the Kelley Branch Trail, a 2.25-mile loop trail for mountain bikers and hikers that is expected to open in spring 2011. SPYC workers returning next year will enhance and maintain the trail. While mountain biking has been allowed on the off-road vehicle trails throughout Finger Lakes, this will be the first trail open to hikers.

The Governor said that the 2011 State Parks Youth Corps will employ Missourians between ages 17 and 21, and will run between April 1 and Nov. 30. Applications will be accepted online beginning Feb. 1; a link to the application and information about the program will be provided on the state of Missouri website, mo.gov.

“The State Parks Youth Corps was a tremendous benefit for our state parks and historic sites,” said Bill Bryan, director of the Division of State Parks. “They brought a new energy to our state park system and, most importantly, they helped us enhance and improve our facilities for everyone to enjoy.”

In 2010, State Parks Youth Corps members did a variety of tasks from routine maintenance work and trail construction to interpretation and social media efforts. Examples include painting buildings and repairing roofs and windows; planting trees and maintaining landscapes; building and maintaining trails; inventorying historic artifacts and native plant species; assisting in offices and visitor centers and providing seasonal interpretation.

Throughout the year, SPYC workers put in more than 187,500 hours at the parks, including roofing 25 buildings; painting structures using 2,000 gallons of paint; signing and blazing almost 650 miles of trail in 58 parks and sites; and developing 145 videos for the state park website.

The State Parks Youth Corps has been compared to the Civilian Conservation Corps, which developed much of the Missouri state park system in the 1930s. Many of the buildings the State Parks Youth Corps repaired this year were built by the CCC.

“There are many benefits to this program but those who benefit the most are the people who come to visit Missouri state parks,” Gov. Nixon said. “Missouri state parks are truly a treasure, and we must do what we can to preserve and protect them for future generations.”

 

Filed Under: Initiatives, Training & Education

New guides to workforce data released

December 13, 2010 By

U.S. DOL released a new guide to respond to numerous local requests around the country for more options and insights on using labor market data. The Guide to State and Local Workforce Data: For Analysis and Informed Decision Making makes it easy for a wide variety of users to understand what state and local labor market information/workforce information (LMI/WI) is available on various topics and to locate specific data tables quickly.

 

Filed Under: Research

Workforce among top priorities in statewide strategy draft

December 2, 2010 By

Workforce Development is prominent in the strategies drafted statewide to advance the economic development efforts throughout Missouri. Missouri’s initiative to identify the tools and industries that will transform the state’s economy for the 21st Century reached an important milestone today, as the Strategic Initiative for Economic Growth submitted its initial recommendations to Gov. Jay Nixon.

“To compete in the 21st-century economy, Missouri must strategically review where we are investing our resources to create the jobs of tomorrow,” Gov. Nixon said. “Refining our economic-development efforts to ensure the best return on investment is what this strategic initiative is all about. I applaud Director David Kerr and the hundreds of leaders from the private sector, educational institutions and economic-development organizations who are stepping forward to share their insights and expertise through this process. The final result truly will be a roadmap to jobs, economic growth and prosperity for years to come.”

Following recent focus groups held in regional quadrants across Missouri, the project solicited white papers from various channel leaders to help guide the steering committee. The initiative now has 40 white papers across a wide array of economic development categories with two position papers specifically on workforce development and an additional eight on education.

Launched in May, Gov. Nixon established the strategic initiative to develop a five-year economic roadmap for Missouri. Under the leadership of Director of Economic Development David Kerr and an executive advisory board of private-sector leaders, the initiative today submitted its preliminary strategic objectives to Gov. Nixon.

When he announced the planning initiative, Gov. Nixon instructed the steering committee to submit a set of preliminary objectives to spark growth in targeted industries by Dec. 1. Over the next three months, the steering committee will develop detailed tactical plans, which could include legislative and policy proposals, to carry out each of the eight broad objectives identified by the group.

Eight strategic objectives

• Missouri will attract, develop and retain a workforce with the education and skills to succeed in a 21st-Century economy

• Missouri will support its local economic-development organizations in the retention and expansion of existing businesses and employers

• Missouri will optimize its tax, incentive and regulatory policies to best support the growth of high-value target business sectors

• Missouri will invest in technology and innovation to attract, launch and sustain the growth companies of the future

• Missouri will aggressively market the state to domestic and select international audiences

• Missouri will develop a best-in-class foreign trade initiative

• Missouri will develop a culture that encourages small- and minority-business development and entrepreneurship

• Missouri will provide the infrastructure necessary for companies and communities to be successful

Based on the data they have reviewed, the members of the steering committee believe these strategic objectives are important steps to create a business climate conducive for the development of the high-growth industries of the future, including:

• Advanced Manufacturing, including transportation equipment, aerospace and defense

• Energy Solutions

• Bioscience, including plant and agricultural technology; companion- and feed-animal science; and biomedical

• Health Sciences and Services, including health care innovation, services and sciences;

• Information Technology, including software, hardware, systems design and data centers

• Financial and Professional Services

• Transportation and Logistics, including freight haulers, warehousing and wholesalers

The final plan will outline specific steps Missouri should take to create jobs in these industries over the next five years.

“As Governor, my top priority is creating jobs and putting Missourians to work in the high-demand industries of the 21st Century,” Gov. Nixon said. “By focusing on these critical industries, we are laying a granite foundation for economic growth in our state.”

The strategic objectives are the product of three meetings of the statewide steering committee and six regional planning forums, which took place in every region of Missouri in September. The next step in the planning process will involve a second series of regional forums, in which local leaders will be asked to help formulate detailed tactical plans to execute the strategic objectives. Those regional meetings will take place in early January.

After the second round of regional meetings, the statewide steering committee and executive advisory board will finalize the detailed tactical plans. Those plans will be submitted to Gov. Nixon by March 31, 2011.

“From global giants to one-room start-ups, every successful business has a detailed plan for growth and development,” said David Kerr, director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development. “Missouri should not be any different. To compete against other states and foreign countries for the jobs and investments of tomorrow, we need a clear roadmap of where we’re headed and how we’re going to get there. I encourage the local leaders who took part in our first round of regional forums to participate again in January. We need input from leaders in every industry and every corner of Missouri to make sure our plan is as detailed and comprehensive as possible.”

The members of the initiative’s private-sector executive advisory team are: Ann Marie Baker, UMB, Springfield; Paul Combs, Baker Implement, Kennett; Bill Downey, Kansas City Power & Light, Kansas City; and David Steward, World Wide Technology, St. Louis.

 

Filed Under: Initiatives, Public Policy, Research, Training & Education
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