2008 PRIORITY FOCUS AREAS

• Highways 40 & 7 Redevelopment
• Redevelopment of 7 Highway Corridor
• Adams Dairy Parkway Development
• Woods Chapel and I-70 Development
• Downtown Redevelopment
• Working to support a unified community vision for growth
• South 7 Highway Development
• Advocates For Growth

2008 GOALS

Fulfillment of the mission will help achieve the following goals:

• Provide business assistance, support, community information, and referral services to existing and new employers regarding doing business in Blue Springs.
• Attract and retain jobs paying family supporting wages, and increase capital investment.
• Attract retail developers for new development and redevelopment in priority focus areas, and assist in supporting market interest in leasing vacant business space throughout the city.
• Expand City's tax base through business development, attraction and reinvestment that will generate a broader tax revenue base for the City.
• Engage BSEDC Membership and provide organizational support services.

BSEDC will accomplish our goals by setting measurable objectives focusing on four priority operational areas:

• Serving Blue Springs Businesses
• Marketing our Community to Others
• Nurturing Community Cooperation
• Improving our Operation and Tools

2008 KEY OBJECTIVES

Serving Blue Springs Businesses - EXISTING BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND SUPPORT

1. CONTINUE AND EXPAND "TEAM BLUE SPRINGS" BUSINESS VISITATION PROGRAM UTILIZING SYNCHRONIST

   • Conduct corporate business visits throughout the City, focusing on industrial, distribution; professional and other priority targets.

     EDC staff (along with select "team" members) will visit a targeted cross section of approximately 30 employers from Blue Springs. The objective is to build relationships, identify, address and overcome development concerns, and encourage local expansion and retention. Information from these visits will be compiled in the Synchronist database for tracking and reporting purposes.

     • Include City Council representatives and others, when determined appropriate, to participate in employer and retailer visits.
     • Submit an executive report monthly to the EDC.
     • Submit a semi-annual report to City Council regarding results of the BRE program.
     • Meet and present an update on economic development, and the EDC to City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission members at least quarterly, and when needed, to address local business trends, opportunities and concerns.
     
     
2. EDC STAFF WILL MEET PROACTIVELY WITH KEY LOCAL EMPLOYERS WHOSE PRESENCE IN BLUE SPRINGS MAY BE SUBJECT TO THE RISK OF JOB AND BUSINESS LOSS TO THE COMMUNITY
• The EDC will coordinate these meetings with the Mayor, State, and other representatives of the City in an effort to assess the business's risk of leaving, closing, etc., and any intervention that may be needed.
3. STAFF WILL TARGET REGIONAL AND OR NATIONAL DEVELOPERS TO ENGAGE THEIR INTEREST IN BUYING AND DEVELOPING LAND IN BLUE SPRINGS FOR A LIGHT INDUSTRIAL PARK FOR EXISTING AND NEW BUSINESS GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

• These types of developers will provide a critical and missing source of access to regional and national business clients accompanied by a network of business development allies skilled in deal negotiation and closing transactions….making the sale.

  Virtually all-successful ongoing industrial development efforts in every city in Greater Kansas City and elsewhere nationally involves a developer, city or other entity owning and developing an industrial park, zoned and shovel-ready for development with prospective employers. Good examples of these types of parks include: Heartland Business Park, Liberty; Northland Industrial Park, KCMO; Congleton Industrial Park, Overland Park; and numerous parks throughout Johnson County.

Marketing the Community to Others - EXTERNAL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

4. NATIONAL MARKETING EVENTS

• Participate in at least 2 to 4 targeted external marketing trips and tradeshows through programs with the Missouri Department of Economic Development and Kansas City Area Development Council. These events will target key metro markets and national real estate and site consultants that complement Eastern Jackson County's business base.

• Participate with KCADC/MoDED in positioning Blue Springs as a competitive location among Jackson, Platte and Clay County communities.
5. REGIONAL MARKETING
• The EDC will participate in 4 to 5 local/regional marketing events and tradeshow events that promote the image of Blue Springs and Eastern Jackson County for new business investment. Events may include: attending the GKC SIOR tradeshow, Eastern Jackson County Development Alliance Fall Golf Invitational, and other venues that include hosting consultant's and business prospects visiting the region.
6. CORPORATE INVESTMENT SITE VISITS
• The EDC will generate and attract 15 site visits annually by new prospective employers or their agents whose projects are considered "location competitive" for new, expanded or retained corporate facilities. The site visits will be for such project uses as major retail, industrial, distribution and office projects whose investment as measured through project payroll, capital investment, leasehold investment, and related indicators is a significant contributor to the community.

Nurturing Community Cooperation Inside and Out - MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL COLLABORATIONS

7. BUSINESS PARTNERSHIPS
• Work with regional economic development partners and allies to enhance the growth of Blue Springs. Develop new business relationships and project referral network with such groups as the Eastern Jackson County Development Alliance, Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and Kansas City Area Development Council.
  
  
• Other key partnerships include working with the Eastern Jackson County Betterment Council, Kansas City Area Development Council and Missouri Department of Economic Development in support of local and Eastern Jackson County marketing Initiatives, business recruitment, expansion and retention projects, and general information requests.
8. COMMUNITY/INFLUENCERS PARTNERSHIP
• Examples of groups that the EDC will seek to involve will include private sector employers; City of Blue Springs through Planning Commission, City Council and staff; Blue Springs School District; Chamber of Commerce; Main Center Redevelopment Corporation; TIF Commission; and such other groups as are identified and express an interest to support the EDC's mission.

Improving our organization and tools - ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNICATION

9. ELECTRONIC MARKETING PROGRAMS
• Web site maintenance and resource/asset development.
• Maintain and update where appropriate the web-site information on LocationOne (www.locationone.com) for Blue Springs, including community information and representative real estate properties for lease and sale. LocationOne is the first national real estate database developed to meet national standards of the site location industry and utilized as a community and real estate database.
• To educate and inform membership, allies, targeted business audiences and the general public.
10. REGIONAL MEDIA PROMOTION
• The EDC will work with the Chamber and City to place 5 promotional stories, including project successes with regional media outlets that advance the positive image of Blue Springs for new business investment.
• Coordinate with the City, Chamber of Commerce and other entities to develop a promotion campaign for Blue Springs in conjunction with major new residential and commercial developments through print and online media which promote the community's robust business and residential environment. The desired campaign will be designed to engage regional attention for Blue Springs by featuring its nationally ranked schools, diversity of housing choices and affordability, new developments and noteworthy indicators for such features as school performance, education and income levels, and growth.
11. BUSINESS NEWSLETTER
• Send quarterly electronic newsletters directed to key internal and external audiences, and with companies or firms that have development projects involved with or considering Blue Springs.
12. DEVELOP BUSINESS RETENTION AND EXPANSION BROCHURE FOR BLUE SPRINGS
13. DEVELOP ORGANIZATIONAL BROCHURE FOR MISSION, MEMBERSHIP PRODUCTS AND SERVICES
14. FINALIZE EXTERNAL AND REGIONAL MARKETING BROCHURES
15. ASSORTED ORGANIZATIONAL OBJECTIVES
• Actively serve on the Eastern Jackson County Development Alliance board.
• Participate in Eastern Jackson County Betterment Council meeting events and activities.