On May 8, 2015, the Center for Community and Economic Development (CCED) held the first ever Faulkner County Economic Development Boot Camp. The Boot Camp, modeled after our premiere community and economic development training program the Community Development Institute (CDI), was created to support recovery efforts in Faulkner County and to give back to our community. Faulkner County elected officials, community leaders (from Vilonia, Mayflower, and Greenbrier), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) staff members, and other representatives from state government agencies involved in Faulkner County projects were invited to the event. The unique training opportunity was held at UCA’s Brewer Hegeman Conference Center and was free of charge to participants.
The Faulkner County Economic Development Boot Camp covered topics such as Economic Development 101, Marketing and Branding, Community Development Musts, The Role of the Local Official in Economic Development, Business Retention and Expansion, Site Selection, and all community leaders participated in a scenario planning simulation. Upon completion of the Boot Camp, participants were awarded a Certificate of Completion signed by UCA President Tom Courtway and Continuing Education Units awarded by UCA.
A boot camp is defined as “a short but very difficult training program : a program or situation that helps people become much better at doing something in a short period of time” by the Merriam-Webster dictionary. True to it’s name, the Faulkner County Economic Development Boot Camp can only be described as rigorous. Participants were in for a roller coaster ride of information and interaction.
First up was Jon Chadwell, who spoke to participants about Economic Development 101 and Marketing and Branding. Jon spoke about the “Confluence of Economic Development,” or what pieces in a community need to flow together to create a successful economic development environment. He identified six sectors of a community that need to be unitedly strong:
- Economic – What is going on in your economic environment? Be aware.
- Community – Why would a business/company pick your community to locate in? What things are there to do?
- Workforce – Can you supply a skilled and educated workforce? What training programs are available at local high schools, colleges, and other facilities?
- Leadership – Do you have a broad leadership base? Intentionally think about diversity in your leadership roles; think about your future leaders.
- Capital – Have people in your community invested in your community? Encourage investment.
- Infrastructure – Do you have access to all the essentials for a new business to build in your town: electricity, water, sewer, roads, Internet, etc.?
Jon went on to discuss the essentials of marketing and branding communities. He pushed participants to remember that their community is their product and they are marketing it to three distinct audiences: partners (state agencies, other communities), internal (local government, residents, community organizations), and external (new businesses, industry, tourism, and potential new residents). To effectively reach these audiences and connect with them, communities must have something to sell, identify it, and be able to point out what is unique and different about their community.
The Boot Camp’s second speaker was Steve Jones. Steve discussed Community Development Musts with participants and implored them to remember, “PERCEPTION IS EVERYTHING!” When someone new arrives in a community (whether they be a passerby, visitor, new resident, or potential new business) their opinion and perception will be shaped by what they see. So you don’t want them to see this, this, this, or this. Instead, community leaders should create a community environment that instills positive thoughts and associates those thoughts with a major attraction(s). Such as Eureka Springs and The Great Passion Play or the city’s abundant night life. Steve’s “Musts” ended with insights into residential, industrial, office, commercial, downtown, and tourism development.
Being the Building & Sites Coordinator for the Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC), Steve ended his presentation with site selection prospect readiness. The major themes during this section of the Boot Camp were the need for competitive advantage and being in-tune with community data sets and statistics. Participants interested in learning in-depth details about site selection were encouraged to participate in AEDC’s Prospect Readiness Education Program (PREP).
During a much needed lunch break (A.K.A. energy revival), participants heard from Amy Whitehead who quickly covered “Top 10 Things Elected Officials Should Know About Economic Development” and Jamie Gates who led an open forum about the future of Faulkner County economic development efforts.
The day ended on a high note as participants split into teams to engage in “The Futures Game: Midwest USA.” The Futures Game allowed participants to explore decision making, and to better understand their own leadership and decision making styles. The game created an enjoyable and challenging environment for engagement and participation in discussions about the future.
Though participants may have experienced information overload during the full day of training, we’re positive that the event was a success and that participants learned a lot and enjoyed themselves (we even discussed creating an annual Boot Camp – stay tuned!). Before we allowed participants to kick off their weekends, we snapped a group photo – what a good looking bunch!
If you’re interested in working with us to create a training event similar to the Faulkner County Economic Development Boot Camp for your community, we would love to hear from you. Click the links to learn more about other types of Training and Technical Assistance we offer.