This session is a follow-up to an Economic Development Strategic Visioning Retreat held in September with participants from townships, municipalities, nonprofit organizations, foundations and businesses of all sizes. That session was led by Steve Campbell of NorthPoint Development.
“What we discovered, to no one’s surprise, was workforce is an issue that pervades all aspects of business right now,” said Michael Clarey, Miami County development services manager. “We saw workforce come up in areas we didn’t expect.”
Out of that session came several priorities and action items:
** Retention, expansion and attraction: Prioritizing business assistance funding, creating a revolving loan fund, developing childcare and transportation incentives.
** Workforce: Assessing and addressing childcare, transit and transportation, housing and senior care needs; considering employee retention benefits and community attractions.
** Incubation and entrepreneurship: Exploring business incubator needs and options, small business assistance tools, and processes to engage locals on needs and services.
** Marketing: Developing a brand and targets to attract businesses and promote quality of life to retain and attract residents and workforce.
Friday’s discussion will seek people’s input on those priorities, including which is the most pressing. Other discussion topics will be challenges and opportunities on these fronts, local programming that can help, and innovations from other communities that Miami County should explore.
Community members can help add more perspective to this discussion, Clarey said.
“Sometimes that person might not be directly involved with a business here in the county, but understands this is what people would like to see as far as services available,” he said.
Anyone with questions and/or interested in attending the Friday public discussion is asked to contact Clarey at mclarey@miamicountyohio.gov.
About the Author