Jim Damicis presented at the IEDC CEcD Strategic Planning Course in Phoenix AZ, March 2019

1. Economic Development Strategic
Planning
Jim Damicis
Senior Vice President
Camoin Associates
March 7-8, 2019
Phoenix AZ
1

2. 2
Agenda & Key Points
Importance of Engagement
Who to Include
Roles and Responsibilities
Leadership
Organizing for Strategic Planning
Agenda:

3. 3
Benefits of involving others
Gathers important insights & perceptions
• Strengths, weaknesses & opportunities
Engages broad array of expertise & talents
Builds capacity, skills & knowledge
Generates vested interest, understanding
& support
Brings increased resources to implement
plan

4. 4
 Form reliable, replicable, processes for
working well together
 Trust developed across boundaries of
disciplines, interests and perspectives
 Stakeholders “join in” rather than “buy in”
 Implementation begins during planning
 Maverick & Boutique
Engagement builds capacity for implementation

5. 5
 Supply
 Delivers project or program
 Pays for project or program
 Demand
 Targeted to benefit from or consume
project or program
Assessing stakeholder interests

6. Economic Development: A Holistic System
Workforce Business
Attraction,
Retention &
Expansion
Local & Regional
Economic
Development
Quality of
Place
Innovation
Entrepreneurship
Incubation
Acceleration
Real
Estate
Sites
Infrastructur
e & Planning
Land and Site
Development
Redevelopment
Downtown
Corridor &
District
Developmen
t
Land Use
Regs
Zoning Plannin
g
Marketin
g
Place-
making
Elements a Municipality can Affect

7. 7
Examples of who to include
 Banks & financial
institutions
 Business leaders
 Chambers of
commerce
 Citizens (youth to
retiree)
 City/county planners
 Convention bureau
directors
 EDO reps
 Elected officials
 Department heads
 Human service orgs
 Local media
 Neighborhood groups
 ED partners
 Workforce leaders
 Utility providers

8. 8
Roles and responsibilities
Leadership team
Advisory team
Task forces
Public relations team
Consulting team
Executive team

9. 9
Choosing leaders
Well-respected by cross section of the
community
Known for getting things done & done well
Successful in launching new ventures
Easily able to recruit others to join in
Reputation for being fair, just & ethical
Thought of as genuinely respectful of others

10. 10
Leadership team’s core responsibilities
Determine
implementation
structure
Take
responsibility for
process
deliverables
Final approval of
goals, strategies,
projects &
programs
Raise funds to
support costs of
strategic
planning process

11. 11
 Increases knowledge base of core group of
leaders
 Makes recommendations to core committee
 Subject matter experts
 Provides advice on strategic & technical matters
 Larger & broader in terms of representation
Advisory team

12. 12
An advisory team should consider:
Pre-planning issues
• Geographical planning area, planning model, whether to use consultants
Examination of key issues to be addressed in the
plan
Expert review of draft reports
Validation of goals & strategies
Identification of planning resources for implementation

13. 13
 Everyday doers
 Work groups, study groups, work committees,
or subcommittees
 Support strategic planning goals &
directives
 May also be set up after plan has been developed
 Created to conduct, oversee, or support
specific work activities or issues
 Economic analysis, strategy development,
action plan development, project feasibility
Task force(s) responsibility

14. 14
 Advisory team member with relevant
expertise can chair respective task
force
 Ideal to include people who represent
organizations that can contribute
helpful resources
 Excellent leadership development
vehicle for the community
Task force(s) makeup

15. 15
Consulting team benefits
Assists in designing planning process
Facilitates process
Conducts data research & analysis
Brings outside perspectives & expertise
Provides objectivity
BUT...hiring a consultant is not a substitute for
community involvement or leadership

16. 16
Public relations team goals
Build & strengthen relationships
with stakeholders
Disseminate information regularly
Positioning reality-based messages
• Perception vs. reality
Should work in tandem with core
leadership team

17. 17
1. At periodic intervals aligned with key
milestones…
a. hold briefings for community stakeholders
b. prepare progress reports
c. write personal letters
d. make personal telephone calls
e. talk with people individually
2. Coordinate activities as part of
broader, well-planned PR strategy
Public outreach checklist

18. 18
Be prepared to answer questions
Who are the champions of the plan & who
is involved?
What is the vision behind the plan?
Where did the impetus for the plan or
project come from?
Who decided the strategy and/or project?
• How & why is that important?
What is the desired impact of the
strategies or projects?

19. 19
 Help ensure successful execution
 Oversee, advise on & carry out implementation process
 provide advisement & direction
 Largely charged with orchestrating implementation
 prioritize program implementation
 identify & secure resources
 monitoring & evaluating overall plan
 Core leadership team, recalibration of initial core team,
newly created entity, or hybrid
 Ideally includes some individuals who participated in
planning process
Executive team roles

20. 20
Be prepared to answer questions
What is the nature of the costs of the project & who
bears them?
What is the duration of the process?
What are the immediate next steps?
How can others get involved & help?
What is the context in which it will be
implemented?
How consequential are the changes proposed & for
whom?
What are the benefits of the plan & to whom do
they accrue?

21. Factors affecting costs
Scope of
plan
Community
size
Available
budget
Time to
complete
plan
Professional
consultants
$
21

22. Jim Damicis
Senior Vice President
• Immediate Past President, Northeastern Economic Developers
Association (NEDA)
• IEDC, Economic Development Research Program, International
Economic Development Council & Course Instructor
• Collaborator – Communities of the Future
• 25+ Years Experience in Economic and Community
Development
Email: jim@camoinassociates.com
Website: www.camoinassociates.com
Twitter: @jdamicis
Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/jdamicis
Blog: www.camoinassociates.com/navigator