Partnerships key to community prosperity, urban innovation strategies expert says

The pandemic provided an opportunity for chambers of commerce nationwide to rethink how to meet the needs of their communities to ensure economic growth, a national expert in urban-innovation strategies said at a Greater Spokane Incorporated event Monday.

Casey Steinbacher, a keynote speaker at the event held at the Spokane Convention Center, told business leaders that partnerships are key to growing prosperous communities.

“The ‘we’ is back. The power of the collective of ‘we’ needs to be prioritized,” Steinbacher said. “Focus on community partnerships. Community work is really important when you start talking about what’s next.”

Steinbacher is the founder of urban-strategies firm Casey’s Co., based in Durham, North Carolina, which identifies economic development opportunities for communities and organizations with emphasis on place-based talent recruitment.

Steinbacher, a former president and CEO of the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce, is credited with authoring a strategy to attract entrepreneurs and millennials to Durham, which has become a tech hub that generated more than $5 billion in new investment and created 20,000 new jobs.

She encouraged Spokane-area organizations and businesses to consider how to expand their initiatives to reach a broader range of people.

“Make sure programs are connected to a bigger system,” she said.

Last year, GSI launched THRIVE Spokane, an economic development strategy for the region that will identify a long-term vision for the area and create opportunities for economic growth through programs for small businesses, entrepreneurship resources, workforce and talent recruitment and boosting innovation and technology that allows area startups to flourish.

The strategy will also address local workforce needs so companies have access to the best talent to meet business goals, according to the organization.

GSI, which is Spokane’s business development organization, was formed in 2007 when the Spokane Regional Chamber of Commerce merged with the Spokane Area Economic Development Council. It represents more than 800 businesses that employ 120,000 workers, according to GSI’s website.

Steinbacher said chambers should be creative when thinking about how to attract and retain workers. That could involve working with local social media influencers and small businesses to highlight the city through storytelling and videos.

“People and place matter,” she said. “The issue is talent and workforce, the solution is attracting workers.”