By Adam Stroud

Economic development is a difficult task, and the frustrations are shared by staff at cities, counties, and regions of all sizes. Probably the most common question a developer gets is, "What do you do?" That's an easy one, but it could take a while to answer, depending on how much the other person knows about real estate, financial feasibility, workforce development, politics, job creation, etc.

The next question probably relates to why certain types of businesses or developments are absent from the community. "Why aren't there more sit-down restaurants?" "Why can't we attract another major employer?" "Why hasn't someone built a Trader Joe's or a Whole Foods in our town? "Why are so many of the downtown storefronts vacant?" These questions are much harder to answer than the first one.

Most residents and elected officials don't want to hear about why the market won't support another full-service restaurant or how e-commerce is making empty storefronts part of the fabric of your downtown. They also don't want to hear about how state or federal policies can make your job harder or why the income levels of your residents won't support a high-end, chain grocery store. That person won't be satisfied with the answer and it feels dishonest to tell a resident why they can't have something, but then call a developer or business and tell them why your town is the best place for their next project.

As a local economic developer, the pressure is on to perform to the public's standards and display the fruits of your efforts at every turn. Occasionally, there are project updates, ribbon cuttings, and prospects to share as if to say, "See, I'm doing something right!" However, in the event there are no large announcements to share, one needs to continue to demonstrate progress by keeping score in other ways. Local economic developers need a set of objectives and ways to measure progress. "I will _____ as measured by _____." Fill in the first blank with an objective. Fill the second blank with one or more key results.

A good objective for economic developers is to facilitate relationships between key stakeholders. That could mean other department heads, developers, major employers, local school administrators, state officials, etc. One has to facilitate and maintain relationships to be in a position to assist when a new expansion is planned or a concern arises. The related key results should be measurable; in other words, they should contain numbers. For example, to facilitate relationships one could attend ten Chamber of Commerce events, arrange checkup meetings with the top ten employers, and identify five businesses that seek to expand their employment over the next twelve months. You can even throw in a few easy ones to prove to yourself, and others, that you are making progress and working toward a better community.

If you don't set goals and find a way to evaluate your progress, the residents and businesses in your town will do it anyways. You can be proactive by creating your own set of objectives and key results. At the very least, it will give you something to report when there are no ribbon cuttings or new prospects to announce. It will keep you focused during slow times so you can maintain a clear sense of purpose and direction. Finally, the seemingly insignificant tasks you perform to keep yourself busy will reveal new paths that you can pursue to bring new and exciting opportunities to your community.