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What can an Economic Development Corporation do for you?

By David L. Baer (Office Assistant, HCBI)

As a small business owner or an employee of a local company, you may have heard the term economic development corporation. Have you ever explored what exactly economic development organizations are and what they can do for your business? What precisely should you expect when you work with an economic development group? The services you should expect to be provided by your local economical development agency can easily be compared to that of a primary care physician.

No they are not doctors, but they are experts. Offices like the Altoona Blair County Development Corporation (ABCD Corp.), Bedford County Development Association (BCDA), or Huntingdon County’s local organization, Huntingdon County Business and Industry (HCBI) are here to assist you in diagnosing your problem and directing you to the nearest specialist. These agencies are here to be your gateway to assistance such as expansion, retention, relocation, education, advocacy, and almost anything else that your business may need to continue to operate successfully.

Many folks only visit the doctor when there is a problem but take a moment to consider the positive results acquired by visiting your doctor for a well visit check. Your small business could benefit from proactive planning as well. The staff at HCBI can assist you in finding the right partners to help you plan for a healthy and successful business future. One example might be a small business that is operating successfully but is on the verge of an expansion project. This could mean that you need a larger area to operate, new machinery and equipment to increase productivity, or increasing and/or training your workforce. Area economic development organizations like HCBI are here to assist you and point you in the right direction. HCBI keeps a commercial properties database of local space options, have a variety of low interest loans to assist in purchase of equipment/machinery and works closely with the local Careerlink and educational partners in providing specific training options.

An economic development group can assist businesses that are struggling as well. Just like your personal health, the sooner you meet with your doctor, the easier the fix can be. An early diagnosis and treatment plan are key. In this case, these organizations can help connect you with finding the cure you need. Staff members at HCBI take a vested interest in keeping these businesses thriving here in Huntingdon County. They will assess your business and financial needs so they can connect you with an expert that can help with your economic needs in these tough economic times.

Economic development corporations also do many things to help the overall economic health of a community including infrastructure development, advocating for legislature for changes that make doing business simpler and less costly, and lastly they market the region to other businesses. Economic development groups are here to serve your business needs. For more information on Huntingdon County’s economic development group, visit www.HCBI.com.

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#econdev #economic development #smallbusiness

Social Media Policy

Social Media and electronic Communications Policy

POLICY STATEMENT

Huntingdon County Business and Industry, Inc. (HCBI) fully acknowledges and recognizes the emergence and influence of Social Media and Electronic Communications in the modern world, as well as the rights of individuals to actively participate in the undertaking of such activities. The goal of electronic communication from our organization is to cultivate an environment wherein the usage of electronic media contributes to the overall welfare and productivity of the organization. Additionally, HCBI desires that our social media channels portray our internal company culture through the use of posts, blogs, videos, pictures, events and more in real time.

However, it is in the company’s best interests that certain regulations be set in the usage of Social Media and other electronic communication methods, especially when the usage of such mediums directly affect company processes and production. It is for that purpose that the company has chosen to draft and willfully uphold this Social Media and Electronic Communications Policy. HCBI also acknowledges the inherent legal rights of its employees as mandated by higher institutions; any provision that violates any of these rights will be considered null and not be enforced. However, barring any legal precedents, willful violations of these policies will warrant appropriate sanctions.

SCOPE OF THE POLICY

This organization[i] policy shall apply to any user[ii] of any form of electronic media[iii] including the administrative team[iv], volunteers[v] of the organization and members of the general public who opt to communicate with the organization via any electronic method.

Assurances by the Administrative Team

Users of the organizations social media and electronic communication methods can be assured that all administrators, staff, volunteers, and/or board and committee members will adhere to the following principles:

1) Principals of integrity, professionalism, privacy and impartiality will be observed by all administrative users of HCBI’s electronic content.

2) Content shared by the administrative team should be derived from credible sources.

a. Links, studies, and source information will be available for all statements made by administrative users unless the information directly violates the confidentiality agreement with our clients. Proper resource citations and copyright laws must be upheld at all times.

3) The administrative team commits to reading all content from our users. However, it may not be possible to respond to every individual post. Our goal is to be as responsive as possible and we are committed to answering questions in a timely fashion.

4) Content will be relevant to HCBI’s mission[vi] and initiatives and when appropriate may contain information from our partner agencies and investors. Spam (should it appear) will be removed as quickly as possible.

5) Employees, Committee Members, Board Members and Officers must clearly state when they are not authorized to speak on behalf of HCBI.

6) The administrative team understands that respect goes both ways: we commit to using good judgment in our content and respectfully request that you do the same using the rules below.

Expectations of users

By engaging[vii] with HCBI’s social media and electronic communications, you have agreed to comply with these conduct standards. Engagement refers to (but is not limited to) Posts, Comments, Likes, Shares, Tweets/Retweets. All engagements must:

1) Be respectful in nature.

2) Be legal.

3) Be free of spam/solicitations[viii].

4) Be devoid of confidential information.

5) Be free from profanity.

6) Contain consent when utilizing HCBI’s name, likeness, logo, trademarks or any other property.

Violations and repercussions

1) HCBI reserves the right to correct, edit or amend any misleading or inaccurate content on any of its electronic mediums.

2) HCBI reserves the right to remove content posted by users at any time for any reason.

3) Repeated[ix] violations will result in the user revoking their right to participate in use of electronic communications with HCBI and its user community.

Just to sum it all up –

We at HCBI welcome the opportunity to interact with everyone and desire for all of those who interact with us to be open to expressing views – concurring, opposing, constructive criticism. We desire to have a culture of dialogue and openness in a professional manner. In order to accomplish our goals, we have opted to implement and enforce a strict policy. Thank you for your understanding.

Thank you for participating! Enjoy the dialogue. We look forward to engaging with you.

David Donnelly Amy Wise, CEcD

President, HCBI Board of Directors Executive Director, HCBI Staff

[i] Organization – defined as Huntingdon County Business and Industry, Inc. (HCBI) a 501c3 non-profit entity incorporated for the purpose of advancing economic development opportunities in Huntingdon County.

[ii] User – defined as administrative team, volunteers of the organization and general members of the public who opt to utilize electronic mediums to communicate

[iii] Electronic Media – defined as any means of social media (such as [but not limited to] Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, wikis, Google+, virtual works, online forums, blogs) and/or the company website and email accounts.

[iv] Administrative Team – any member of the HCBI team (paid staff, interns, volunteers) who possess administrative rights to any electronic communication medium.

[v] Volunteers – board and committee members of the organization (HCBI)

[vi] HCBI Mission and Initiatives - A copy of the organizations mission statement can be found on the website at www.HCBI.com.

[vii] Engaging – Defined as [but not limited to] liking the page and/or its contents, commenting, tweeting/retweeting, replying, posting, sharing, emailing, and/or blogging.

[viii] HCBI reserves the right to submit promotional content on behalf of the organization, its partners and/or its members from time to time.

[ix] Defined as three or more violations.

Why Transportation Matters

A quick search on any search engine will give you a multitude of reports on the direct effect of transportation in relation to economic activity. Transportation infrastructure impacts all of our wallets through the cost of goods or services, job creation and retention, commuting costs, vehicle fees and maintenance. One study showed that the average cost of driving on rough roads can cost the average American motorist approximately $335 a year in extra vehicle operating costs (The Road Information Program, Rough Roads Ahead: Fix Them Now or Pay For It Later).

Transportation’s impact on businesses

The lack of reliable transportation options impact a business’s bottom line the same way that a household is impacted. Higher transportation costs and higher inventory carrying costs – partially attributable to an unreliable, unpredictable transportation system directly impact the price we as consumer pay for goods and services. Location plays a significant impact on the costs associated with supply chain and distribution. One recent study in Site Selection Magazine showed that “up to 80% of supply chain related costs are locked in by choice of location”. Costs are not only fuel related. Time lost to a company while drivers sit in congestion, accidents, behind farm tractors, also impact the cost of product distribution.

When it comes to attraction of new large businesses to Huntingdon County, our lack of solid transportation options put us at a significant disadvantage. Increasingly communities like ours are discounted as good options from the beginning of a site selection search even though the county has many positives like a solid workforce and available sites. Area Development’s 26th Annual Corporate Executive study (2012) once again showed that highway accessibility and labor costs are the top two factors when selecting a location for their facilities. 94% said highway accessibility is very important/somewhat important and 88% labor costs. In fact, proximity to major markets showed the greatest jump in importance — 16.6 percentage points — moving from 17th place in the 2010 Corporate Survey rankings, with a 66.4 importance rating, to ninth place for 2011, considered “very important” or “important” by 83 percent of the 2011 Corporate Survey respondents.

Sliding Backwards

For the at least past five years, PennDot has been in “maintenance mode”, attempting to keep pace with the aging infrastructure of Pennsylvania. Nearly all capacity-add projects have been set aside as there is not enough money to maintain let alone add new. Additionally it is estimated that the funding gap between what is available for road/bridge maintenance and repair is about $3.5 billion short. Additionally, the main funding source for transportation is expected to fall by $57 billion (federally) over the next eleven years due to the scheduled increase in federal fuel economy standard (The Wall Street Journal, 09.17.2012). In Pennsylvania the fuel tax revenue is expected to be $470M less per year than it is today (Decade of Investment Report, 2011).

Spending continues to outweigh revenue and many previously incurred debts are coming due. In 2010, federal lawmakers transferred $14.7 billion dollars from the general fund to cover the deficit of the Highway Trust Fund (funded by the gas tax). On the state level, debt payments rose by 18.8% over the last four years.

Inefficient and ineffective Uses of Funding

In 2007, only 60% of the federal highway trust dollars were spent on roads and bridges. On a state level, PennDot only spends 75% of its funding on roads and bridges. Also on the state level, a total of 13% of PennDot’s annual budget goes to debt reduction and other programs including the Pennsylvania State Police whose costs have increased by 66% over the last ten years.

The cost of maintaining, repairing and building the transportation system continues to climb each year as well. Factors like inflation and increased costs (wages, materials) make the buying power of limited funding even less effective. It is critically important to make improvements in the time that is takes to build roads. Congressman Shuster during a press conference in September cited an Oklahoma interstate project that took fifteen years from announcement to completion. Now take in to consideration that buying power decreases by 3% annually based on the average inflation rate. Therefore 20 years from now, 33% more funding will be required to complete the same amount of road work.

The Fix?

Congress has made minor progress in improving the financial crisis by adopting a new two years federal transportation bill call Moving Ahead for Progress or MAP 21. While the bill is a good temporary fix, much more work is required to put the highway trust fund back on a sustainable path. In 2011, Governor Corbett assembled a task force of transportation related specialists around the Commonwealth to brainstorm ways to increase transportation funding without significant tax increases. The plan called for changes to vehicle registrations, inspections and licensing, the use of modern technology to decrease long term reinvestment needs, and increase efficiency in delivery of services by PennDot. The impact to the average Pennsylvania driver for year one of the proposed changes would be approximately $0.70 per week, $36.40 annually; by the fifth year it would cost the average driver $2.54 per week, $132 annually. The income generation would be $2.5 billion to the state transportation system.

Economic Impact of Transportation Construction in Huntingdon County

Transportation alone cannot provide a community with economic prosperity. Numerous other factors must exist for a community to be deemed suitable to a business – workforce, taxes, land availability, proximity to markets and much more play a role. In communities where these other factors exist (like those of Huntingdon County), transportation enhancements and expansions can act as the catalyst for economic activity. Analysis of the latest U.S. Census Bureau data shows the design, construction and maintenance of transportation infrastructure supports the equivalent of 122 full‐time jobs in Huntingdon County. This employment includes the equivalent of 61 jobs directly involved in transportation infrastructure construction and 61 jobs that are sustained by those employees and companies spending throughout the region’s economy. Additionally, the existence of more than 5,234 full‐time jobs in Huntingdon County in key industries like tourism, retail sales, agriculture and manufacturing are dependent on the county’s transportation infrastructure network. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are at least 139 firms in Huntingdon County that are in some way directly involved in transportation construction related work.

#transportation #EconDev

HCBI and HCCC Join to Fight the "Fiscal Cliff"

The Chamber & HCBI Board of Directors voted to sign the US Chamber of Commerce letter urging Congress and the President to immediately enact legislation that averts America's impending fiscal cliff.

The year- end tax increases would yield the largest tax increases in American history at the same time that spending cuts are being imposed. Economists warn that these spending cuts and tax increases will have a devastating effect on the economy, possibly returning it to a recession. The letter requests that action be taken now. The looming year-end fiscal cliff has increased uncertainty, which has already begun to deter consumer spending and hamper business investment.

Businesses cannot plan for the future and are delaying hiring, ordering and are canceling new investments. As frightened manufacturers delay investment, the rate of economic growth is slowing from a rate of 4.1% at the end of last year to 1.5%.

The letter urges congress and the president to

Extend all of the 2001 and 2003 tax rates (including current marginal rates, dividend and capital gains rates, and estate tax relief) for all taxpayers;

Extend vital expired and expiring business tax provisions;

Provide alternative minimum tax (AMT) relief; and

Find spending cuts to replace a sequestration never intended to go into effect.

Short term action is not a substitute for long term fundamental fiscal reform. In addition to immediate action on the fiscal cliff, the letter also urges that legislators

Firmly commit to tackling comprehensive tax reform in the next Congress; and

Agree to develop a long term plan to address America's excessive spending, particularly entitlement spending.

The Chamber & HCBI believe legislation needs to be enacted to avoid automatic tax increases at a time of economic uncertainty. We support thoughtful and responsible actions addressing longer term essential tax reform that will impact positively on economic growth and job creation

#EconDeve #Fiscal Cliff

The Economic Development Corporation and The Chamber of Commerce

Huntingdon County is fortunate to have several agencies that work together for the betterment of the local economy. The Huntingdon County Commissioners, Huntingdon County Planning Department, Huntingdon County Chamber of Commerce, Huntingdon County Business and Industry, Huntingdon County Visitor’s Bureau, and the Huntingdon County Careerlink all play a role in helping the private sector grow. The focus of this article is to highlight the differences between a chamber of commerce and an economic development corporation.

A chamber of commerce’s primary focus is to grow business profits through providing services. One of the functions offered by a chamber is to provide cost containment options like ChamberChoice Insurance, OnDemand Energy, member-to-member discount programs, and cost sharing opportunities like bulk mail assistance. For new businesses in the community, they provide welcome bags and coordinate events like ribbon cuttings. Additionally a chamber provides businesses with opportunities to grow revenues through networking events like the Chamber After-Hours and the Business Connection as well as hosts informative events like coffee connections which help businesses stay on top of local issues. Advocacy is a major function of a chamber as they work to be the collective voice for the business community on legislative issues that directly impact the business community.

Economic development corporations can be categorized as project driven. The intended end result of projects undertaken by economic development groups is to make the county a business friendly place. Examples of the types of projects undertaken by these agencies include transportation enhancements (rail, road, air, and water), improvement of and lobbying for telecom and utility services, development of land for business parks, ande facilitation of public/private partnerships. Business services provided include entrepreneurial start up assistance, referrals to specialty agencies, financial assistance (tax credits and abatements, low interest loans), expansion projects and lastly attraction of new business. Economic development groups serve as the connector between the business community and the network of service providers for workforce development, export assistance, business planning, new product development, and more.

Partnership between chambers and economic development groups are essential for communities to maintain their assets and for growth. In Huntingdon County, both the Chamber and HCBI work jointly on legislative and lobbying actions. Both organizations handle workforce development through hosting seminars and workshops and gathering data to address workforce needs. Both agencies work to promote the county as a good place to live, work and play. A unified voice provides many opportunities for development and progress.

As mentioned earlier in the article, there are numerous agencies in Huntingdon County that play a role in the economic climate of the county. Each agency has varying responsibilities and areas of expertise. The most important part for the business community to know is that no matter what your business need is, all of the partners listed above should be able to assist you in determining which agency is best suited to assist. There is no wrong door of entry when your business is looking for assistance.

#econdev

Economic Development Corporations and Chambers of Commerce - What's the difference?

Huntingdon County is fortunate to have several agencies that work together for the betterment of the local economy. The Huntingdon County Commissioners, Huntingdon County Planning Department, Huntingdon County Chamber of Commerce, Huntingdon County Business and Industry, Huntingdon County Visitor’s Bureau, and the Huntingdon County Careerlink all play a role in helping the private sector grow. The focus of this article is to highlight the differences between a chamber of commerce and an economic development corporation.

A chamber of commerce’s primary focus is to grow business profits through providing services. One of the functions offered by a chamber is to provide cost containment options like ChamberChoice Insurance, OnDemand Energy, member-to-member discount programs, and cost sharing opportunities like bulk mail assistance. For new businesses in the community, they provide welcome bags and coordinate events like ribbon cuttings. Additionally a chamber provides businesses with opportunities to grow revenues through networking events like the Chamber After-Hours and the Business Connection as well as hosts informative events like coffee connections which help businesses stay on top of local issues. Advocacy is a major function of a chamber as they work to be the collective voice for the business community on legislative issues that directly impact the business community.

Economic development corporations can be categorized as project driven. The intended end result of projects undertaken by economic development groups is to make the county a business friendly place. Examples of the types of projects undertaken by these agencies include transportation enhancements (rail, road, air, and water), improvement of and lobbying for telecom and utility services, development of land for business parks, ande facilitation of public/private partnerships. Business services provided include entrepreneurial start up assistance, referrals to specialty agencies, financial assistance (tax credits and abatements, low interest loans), expansion projects and lastly attraction of new business. Economic development groups serve as the connector between the business community and the network of service providers for workforce development, export assistance, business planning, new product development, and more.

Partnership between chambers and economic development groups are essential for communities to maintain their assets and for growth. In Huntingdon County, both the Chamber and HCBI work jointly on legislative and lobbying actions. Both organizations handle workforce development through hosting seminars and workshops and gathering data to address workforce needs. Both agencies work to promote the county as a good place to live, work and play. A unified voice provides many opportunities for development and progress.

As mentioned earlier in the article, there are numerous agencies in Huntingdon County that play a role in the economic climate of the county. Each agency has varying responsibilities and areas of expertise. The most important part for the business community to know is that no matter what your business need is, all of the partners listed above should be able to assist you in determining which agency is best suited to assist. There is no wrong door of entry when your business is looking for assistance.

fastcompany

What would happen if every city created an edible forest that was open to the public?

Coming To Seattle: The Country’s Biggest Public Food Forest

What’s a food forest, you ask? Just what it sounds like: a nature preserve full of edible plants, to help feed the city.

Eat it->

hcbihighlights

Ideas worth spreading.

#Food Forest

We're thrilled to see the Whitsel's dream come to fruition and so happy to have played a small part in their success. Now, who's next?

Jobs First PA

Today, during his Budget Address to the General Assembly, Governor Corbett introduced a program that he believes will create a robust employment market and a vital economy. He calls it Jobs First PA.

The Governor did not go into great detail about this new program, but he did release the following information.

In his words:

Pennsylvania competes with every other state in the union for factories, offices and corporate headquarters. The shorter we make the journey from the drawing board to the ribbon-cutting, the better our chances of growing jobs.

So, I am bringing before you a new and innovative program to create a robust employment market and a vital economy. We call it Jobs First PA. It comprises four programs:

Pennsylvania Inc., The Comprehensive Job Matching System, Keystone Works, and The Targeted Industry Certificate Program.

We will roll out full details soon.

Briefly, Pennsylvania Inc. provides a single point of access between job creators and state government to speed the time between an idea and a business. Keystone Works would allow unemployed workers to continue their benefits while being trained by companies with available jobs.

The idea is to get the recently unemployed back to work as quickly as possible. The Targeted Industry Certificate program provides increased grants for college and trade school students who are training for high-demand occupations.

In short, we are targeting our workforce toward the jobs. The goal is simple: if there’s a job to fill in a new or existing industry, we are determined to put that career opportunity into the hands of a Pennsylvanian.

And, yes, this budget continues the phase out of the capital stock and franchise tax.

At the Department of Community and Economic Development, we are at work finalizing a program I proposed last year, the Liberty Financing Authority. It will merge several programs under a single umbrella. The Liberty Financing Authority will provide the flexibility to direct loans to expanding businesses.

I want to be clear about this. The Liberty Financing Authority is not a series of grants. These are loans, money that will be repaid and rolled back into the nest egg from which we can help the next job-creator.

This line of underwriting might be the small difference in helping a job creator setup shop or to expand an existing one. This is the time to invest in the future. These programs can get us there.

We'll continue to keep you informed as we learn more about Jobs First PA and the impact it could have on the Huntingdon County business community.

[photo via]

#Jobs First PA #Huntingdon County #Raystown #Pennsylvania #Economic Development #economy #Governor Corb #Corbett

howtheydiditbook-blog-blog

Newsweek called Grand Rapids, Michigan, a dying town. Rob Bliss, local entrepreneur and event planner, was not pleased. Nor was the town of Grand Rapids. What he did in response went viral and was far more powerful than Newsweek’s criticism. Rob led production of this 10 minute video, done in...

businessclimate-blog

Secret to a Manufacturing Resurgence: Innovation

What is the future of manufacturing the U.S.?

That’s the question on the minds of everyone right now, from business leaders and investors to politicians and economic development professionals. Despite the millions of jobs shed in the sector during the Recession, the small but significant number of manufacturers reshoring, or bringing production back to the U.S. from lower-cost markets overseas, is giving many hope that a manufacturing resurgence is imminent. But is it? READ THE FULL ARTICLE…

#manufacturing #reshoring

Please join us in congratulating HCBI members, Mutual Benefit Group and Keller Engineers, Inc. on being voted in the top 100 Best Places to Work in PA!! The 2011 Best Places to Work in Pennsylvania results have just been released and we are thrilled to announce that Mutual Benefit Group was ranked as the 62nd Best Place to Work in PA and Keller Engineers, Inc. was ranked 64th!!

yahoonews

#made in america #job creation #economic development

An interesting article on word choices.

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