Alliance scores first success
A fledgling alliance of economic development groups says it’s hooked its first California business ready to relocate to the Inland Northwest. And though the catch is on the line, it’s not yet in the net.
The California manufacturing company is looking for a suitable plant in which to set up shop and will likely land in Idaho, said Bob Potter, chief recruiter for the 10-member Inland Northwest Economic Alliance.
“We hope to be able to make a formal announcement by the end of the year or the first of next year,” Potter said Wednesday. Created in 2004, the alliance represents 14 counties in Eastern Washington and north Idaho. Its primary mission is to complement, not duplicate, the work of its 10-member economic development organizations, all of whom are striving to create high-quality jobs around the region.
“Our major goals are business recruitment, building the brand of the Inland Northwest and creating marketing tools that are regional in scope but can be customized by each community,” said Sharon Matthews, executive director of the alliance and managing director of its parent group, Inland Northwest Partners.
Perhaps most visible is the alliance’s initiative to lure California companies fed up with the high cost of doing business in the Golden State.
Potter heads up the hunts on behalf of the entire consortium, matching potential clients with communities best suited to their needs.
“This gives us an opportunity to be part of a regional recruitment effort that would otherwise be out of reach,” said Jeni Forman, chair of the alliance board and director of the Tri-County Economic Development District composed of rural Ferry, Stevens and Pend Oreille counties.
Potter said he’s pitched 140 owners of small to medium Southern California companies involved in manufacturing, aerospace, healthcare and high-tech industries. Someone from a member organization usually tags along to learn the ropes.
“It’s a long sales cycle,” Potter said. “It usually takes three to four years for a company to make a decision” to relocate. He should know; he’s credited with recruiting 70 businesses and a total $98 million annual payroll to the region during his 15 years as president of Coeur d’Alene-based Jobs Plus, Inc.
Avista Corp. first introduced the alliance approach and is among eight prominent area corporations helping to fund its work. And the member EDCs pay membership dues.
In 2007, the alliance will introduce two new initiatives. Hometown Connections, supported by a Verizon grant, aims to reconnect former residents with their respective communities, in hopes of bringing them and their businesses back home.
The family-owned business initiative will involve approaching local businesses about creating succession plans that would sustain them for generations to come.
Attractively printed marketing kits and a Website – designed to give the alliance a consistent look – are available to all member EDCs.
Jeff Zahir, a Washington state labor economist, said sweeping, big picture efforts can be very powerful.
“We can’t afford not to think regionally,” he said of economic development efforts. “One of the things that passes borders easily is dollars. So what’s good for one county is good for the Inland Northwest.”