Edc Trims Payroll, Drops 3 Programs
The Spokane Area Economic Development Council, an agency that recruits companies and jobs, has laid off five employees and shed three business-retention programs.
EDC President Bob Cooper said Tuesday that the agency is trimming its budget to focus on programs more effective for its 275 members.
The EDC could lose more than $200,000 next year when Momentum ‘95 ends its current five-year funding phase. Leaders of Momentum, a private economic development organization, have yet to decide if it will continue past 1996.
The EDC eliminated the Contracting Assistance Program, which helped companies land government contracts; the Manufacturers Sales Network, which helped companies find buyers in Portland and Seattle; and the Let’s Do Business Together Program, which matched local vendors and buyers. The annual Let’s Do Business trade show will continue under private management.
Five employees - including Meri Berberet, the EDC’s longtime research and marketing director - lost their jobs because of the cutbacks. Most of the employees have been hired elsewhere, Cooper said.
, DataTimes