"More has happened in Ottawa, IL (pop 18,000) in the last four years than in the last 40," claims Boyd Palmer, chair of the Economic Development Task Force. While he credits the 10 new industries and 1,000 new jobs, that evolved in a matter of just 18 months, to the successful partnership that now exists between the city and chamber of commerce, Palmer tells us that a lot had to happen first.

"When companies send out search teams to check out potential communities, it’s a process of elimination–and we don’t want to be eliminated," he says. To be in the running and get a company to return to their community, the task force developed a team, or a "flying squad" of experts that could be available on short notice to provide vital information to prospects.

The task force teams consists of 25 team players–the mayor, the city engineer, utility engineers, officials from a state job service, and representatives from the local union, local banks, a community college, the chamber, the Small Business Development Center, real estate brokers and the state economic development department.
Palmer explains that the first step to a successful job creation and retention program is to develop a good working relationship between the city and the chamber of commerce. "We realized something had to happen if we wanted to attract industrial growth, so we (city officials and chamber staff) went to the state and requested to become part of the state’s Competitive Communities Initiative (CCI) program," says Palmer.

To begin the application process into this program, the chamber sponsored a town meeting to gather information and to give the community ownership. The meeting had a great turnout, with 200 people from the community in attendance. The meeting, which was facilitated by the Illinois Department of Commerce & Community Affairs, divided the group into teams with leaders.

Palmer tells us, "Everyone came together at the end of the meeting where we decided on 10 issues we wanted to address." As a result of this meeting, stimulus in public service found new candidates running for public office using these 10 issues as their public platform. "After that meeting, results indicated that the people in the community felt that city government needed to get involved. Consequently, when we held spring elections, we ended up with a new mayor and city council," says Palmer.
At this point, the chamber told the city it needed a product to sell so when industries came to town, it would simplify the process and narrow the company’s search. "Now when a company looks at our community, we’re a team that offers information a ‘one-stop shop’...and it shows our prospects that we have our act together," says Palmer.

Here’s how it works: First, the mayor was selected as the main contact person–the person who can say "yes or no" to new prospects. Second, four members of the task force (task force chair, the mayor, the city engineer and the economic development director) meet with a company’s representative or search team. Third, they let the prospect know that task force team exists and then let the prospect determine the meeting time with the team. Fourth, the team provides a tour (of existing sites and/or buildings) and a comprehensive information packet on their community.

This "one-stop" approach has not only brought new industry and jobs to this community, but Ottawa now has an industrial park with rail access–positive offshoots from the initial business recruitment and retention plan.

Editor’s Note: Ottawa received no state funding from the CCI program. However, technical assistance was a key factor in getting the platform’s agenda off the ground!