Team Jefferson's objectives, strategic priorities, and programming.
Mission:
To retain current jobs and develop new jobs by growing our local economy
Strategic Priorities:
- Set a new tone – focus on assets/ encourage collaboration / be business friendly.
- Build credibility – manage EDC professionally, convene, facilitate, and support.
- Energize Entrepreneurs: Innovation is the key to the new economy. 90% of rural jobs in the last two decades developed by existing businesses. Focus on assets of current core businesses and clusters. Entrepreneurship can be taught and mentored; self-employment is higher paying and locally owned business are more stable.
- Attract and keep young emerging workforce and entrepreneurs: An aging demographic needs to focus on efforts to recruit and grow a new high-skills/high-wages workforce and young entrepreneurial families. We recognize that the skill base of the new economy is a technology-friendly generation. We need to plan now to replace an aging workforce, and ensure continued success of businesses with owners nearing retirement.
- Develop community reinvestment strategies: Access to capital is critical. Businesses need start-up and expansion funds. We are working to capture community wealth for local reinvestment.
- Encourage collaboration: Convene, facilitate and coach. Team Jefferson brings together diverse economic development groups, fosters community leadership programs, recognizes the need for broad-based collaboration, and encourages team work.
- Provide help with business plan development; offer training, mentoring, workshops.
- Implemented several nationally recognized initiative such as Green Entrepreneur Conference, PEAK Leadership, Big Quil Enterprises, Rhody Revolution.
- MBA intern placements with local companies and projects, e.g. feasibility studies.
- Monthly forums on marketing, broadband, telework, on-line sales, response to bridge and ferry closures, collaborative marketing, youth jobs.
- Specific policy projects: PUD power, strategic plan for Port, Centrum business plan, business plan for passenger ferry, food and farm successes, convene agencies in collaborative model, green eco-industrial park, tribal summit on food systems.
NOTE: Team Jefferson's contract as the Economic Development Council for Jefferson County is guided by the following Revised Code of Washington (RCW):
RCW 43.330.080 - Coordination of community and economic development services - contracts with associate development organizations - targeted sectors.
IN SUMMARY OF THE RCW: The scope of services delivered under these contracts shall include two broad areas of work:
(1) Direct assistance, including business planning, to companies who need support to stay in business, expand, or relocate to Washington from out of state or other countries.
(2) Support for regional economic research and regional planning efforts to implement target industry sector strategies and other economic development strategies, including cluster-based strategies, that support increased living standards and increase foreign direct investment throughout Washington.