Focus 21 Gets Off To A Fast Start New Economic Development Group Has Raised Half Of $5 Million Goal

The latest and most ambitious economic development initiative for the Inland Northwest was launched Thursday with the formal introduction of Focus 21.

Described as “a regional economic growth strategy for the 21st Century,” Focus 21 replaces the Momentum organization as the catalyst for the Inland Northwest’s economic vitality over the next five years.

“If we want our region to continue to grow, Focus 21 is very important,” Gordon Budke, outgoing chairman of the now-defunct Momentum, told a gathering of about 500 community and business leaders Thursday morning.

“It’s not the third phase of Momentum. It’s something different.”

Thursday morning’s meeting - held at the Red Lion Hotel in the Spokane Valley where Momentum was launched 10 years ago - kicked off an effort to raise $5 million over the next three months to fund Focus 21’s agenda for the next five years.

The campaign already has reached half of that $5 million goal, said Stacey Cowles, publisher of The Spokesman-Review, who chairs the fundraising campaign.

“The idea we are here to energize today,” Cowles told the group, “is the idea that working together we can create 10,000 new family wage jobs in our economy over the next five years.

“That translates into $359 million more spent on goods and services in our market, and $480 million more spent on capital improvements,” Cowles said.

“Those numbers mean more business opportunities, more tax base, and more capacity to care for all of us in the Inland Northwest.”

Cowles and Focus 21 co-chairs Chris Schnug of McFarland & Alton P.S. and Steve Matsko of U.S. Bank of Washington explained that Focus 21 represents a refinement on Momentum philosophies, and some new directions as well.

Focus 21 will take a more specific approach in job recruitment than did Momentum. Industries will be targeted more specifically, and the new jobs must meet a higher quality threshold as measured by wages and benefits.

Whereas Momentum-funded recruitment efforts were focused on California and the West Coast, Focus 21 will be directed at desirable jobs and companies no matter where they currently exist.

One of the biggest differences between the two concepts, though, is in helping existing local business. While Momentum focused heavily on recruitment, at least half of the 10,000 jobs Focus 21 wants to create would come from expanding local businesses and industries.

“We all recognize that existing businesses do indeed account for a tremendous amount of our growth,” Matsko said. He said extensive polling of the business community indicated that any effort needed to have a strong retention and expansion component.

“You get sort of a double benefit,” Cowles added. “By staying in touch with the folks who can grow jobs here, we stay closer to what the issues are in terms of the local business climate.

“And that, in turn, makes us more able to attract newcomers.”

A third difference between Momentum and Focus 21, they said, is that Focus 21 will offer a better return for investors because of reduced overhead. While Momentum had its own office and administrative staff, those duties will be handled for Focus 21 by the existing staff of the Spokane Area Chamber of Commerce.

“Focus 21 will have no staff,” emphasized Schnug.

The new organization also will seek to enhance the focus of education on work force development, and “implement an aggressive agenda in political action and public affairs.”

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: FOCUS 21 GOALS The Focus 21 effort will be directed by the Focus 21 RoundTable, described as a broad-based group comprised of top investors and other key community leaders. Its five-year goals are to: Create 7,000 primary jobs paying at least $28,000. Create 1,500 new jobs in the research and development and high-tech sectors paying $45,000. Create 1,500 new jobs in back-office and support industries paying $22,000. Have 70 percent of these jobs in industries that derive more than half their revenue from outside the region. If these goals are met, an additional 10,200 indirect jobs paying $16,000 will be created.