One of the goals of the One Columbus regional economic development strategy is to double net new job growth over any historical decade-long period. The Region happens to be tracking towards that goal, but it will undoubtedly be very difficult to achieve with the expected ups and downs of the economy. The leaders who conceived this goal should be applauded. Without it, we would not be nearly as aggressive as we are, and we would not have reached out to nearly as many potential partners – public, private and academic.
Occasionally, I will ask our team what it would take to double any one of our internal metrics. Our pipeline, the number of existing businesses we are interviewing, etc. There is a usually a look of “Are you kidding me?” followed by a discussion about what it would really take. Inevitably it is productive and it often leads our team to discuss how we would leverage our existing allies better, and how we would develop new allies to extend our network. Economic development is competitive and there is no real finish line, so it can be exhausting. The practice of pausing to ask how we can do our work differently has served our team well.
Are you fully leveraging your network? How could you double your sales pipeline or the number of customers your organization serves? How would you have to operate? Who would you have to partner with that you are not currently?
-Kenny McDonald
One Columbus Update
- Thank you to our investors and to Bob Hess for joining our One Columbus Quarterly Investor Update at the Hollywood Casino.
- Thank you to our Board of Directors for a lively discussion at last week’s board meeting. Congratulations to Ellen Power from Boeing, who was approved as our newest board member.
- Our team returned from a visit to Dallas last week, where they held productive meetings with location consultants and companies.
- This week, we are headed to North Carolina and South Carolina to meet with companies and consultants, Cincinnati to meet with startup accelerators, and Pittsburgh to meet with venture capital firms.
- Next week, we leave for Europe to meet with companies considering U.S. investment.
- The Columbus Region Logistics Council and the Columbus Chamber, in cooperation with Columbus State Community College, are holding a logistics job fair on May 14. The event is free to job seekers.
- Congratulations to an incredible leader in our community, Big Lots CEO Steve Fishman, who will officially retire this week. Steve has made an important mark on Columbus through his leadership, his business and his philanthropy. While this may be farewell, it is not goodbye. We all look forward to our paths crossing again in the future.