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Pillar 4: Strategies

Pillar 4: Improve the Local Quality of Life expresses the need for basic necessities to be met and basic resources readily available for Pontiac’s citizens. Again, my perspective is that schools, hospitals, grocery stores, parks, banks, and other accommodations have to be present within a 10-15 minute walking radius in order for a community to truly thrive and progress.

One of the strategies that Pillar 4 fits into is strengthening neighborhood and advocacy groups. Upon further thought, the entire infrastructure of Pillar 4 is rooted in there being community groups that are willing to act as advocates on the larger community’s behalf. That level of organization leads to leverage when there is a need to be met within that neighborhood. The marketing plan development lends an opportunity to attract the resources that foster basic necessities. The more appealing the brand (when there is a need), I believe it will be more likely resources are distributed within our neighborhoods.

Indirectly, expanding entrepreneurial and incubator services speaks to the ability for our community to start relying on small businesses to do big things. As we begin build on the talents that exist in our area, businesses are catered to filling our needs. “Cleveland Hustles”, a show executively produced by LeBron James, focuses on current successful business owners investing in community entrepreneurs with startups. A model that many progressive communities have implemented and is pivotal to their growth. As I mentioned earlier, readily accessible resources is what will ultimately improve the standard quality living for Pontiac’s residents. One strategy focuses on increasing access to job skills training programs. While we have to focus on allowing individuals to improve their skill sets, part of creating a better standard of living involves local job opportunities being readily available as well.

The next steps are crucial as we explore raising the standard of living for our community. If basic needs aren’t met, there is no way we can evolve. As people nor as a community.

Next Publish: Promote Development in Priority Areas

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Pillar 3: Enhance The Local Brand + Image

To continue with our Pontiac Moving Forward Plan review, Pillar 3: Enhance The Local Brand + Image has an important role to play with outsiders’ perception of our city moving forward. Creating an identity has to be cultivated almost simultaneously with building the necessary infrastructure to progress Pontiac. I will offer my opinion in a later post with regards to a suggested order of priority for implementing the Pillars and their strategies. For the sake of this publish, let’s not lose sight of one of the more important focuses our leaders and community will face...What’s our version of “I (Insert Heart) N.Y.”???

 Unfortunately, perspective within and outside of our community has not been very positive. Per the Advisory Group, it was noted that Pontiac’s image is making it difficult for our city to attract and retain businesses and residents (pg. 32). Fortunately, we have an opportunity to paint a blank canvas in many ways. In the process of hopefully becoming a destination city (through focused strategy and organized implementation), we are understanding how we will market ourselves. However there needs to be an emphasis on the community having emotional ties to whatever our brand becomes. The youthful average age for our population provides an economical channel that we have not been able to access for many years. That will require quite a bit of work with bridging gaps that clearly exist but I’d venture to say that our city’s future is a great place to start. Some of Pontiac’s youth has shown great promise in wanting to engage. We should look to build on that momentum.  

 We can certainly be creative in presenting options to the community at large to gain a better understanding of what resonates most. I recently had the pleasure of meeting with a group of individuals that represented many walks of life. Despite our roles, we all had a singular focus to push Pontiac forward through Economic methods. Part of our conversation was centered around the notion that our city does not currently have an identity and what it will take to create one. In order to be effective in this task, I am proposing that we consider our key industries, historical treasures, and possible future outlets.

 I believe that symbolism runs deep in the City of Pontiac. Whether it’s the Pontiac (automobile) Arrow, where the world comes to play, Native origins, or any other historical context, we have a platform to unite the people within our community with a common thread. To identify ourselves under a common banner that begins to shift the negative perceptions that exists. The plan does suggest that Downtown Pontiac is the most identifiable place of the community. I will respectfully disagree with that synopsis. That may have been the case many moons ago. In recent years I would place my stake in specific neighborhoods (with positive and negative perceptions attached) and the Silverdome (with positive and negative perceptions). I do believe that we are moving back to a place where the downtown is the icon as we put more emphasis on that area.

 This section of the Moving Forward Plan also mentions that the City of Pontiac is the County Seat. With that comes influence and leverage. In my opinion, there has been far too many disparities between Pontiac and surrounding communities in Oakland County. Not only will leaders have to take on some fresh perspective, but the citizens within Pontiac have to begin to take responsibility for pursuing what our community needs and wants are. That pursuit becomes difficult when there is no defined direction or identity to associate themselves with. The next steps will be pivotal ones.

 Next Publish: Pillar 3 - Strategies

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Pillar 2: Advance Strategic Growth Areas - Pt. 1

In the previous two posts, Pillar 1: Educate & Develop The Workforce - Pt. 1 and Pillar 1: Strategies - Pt. 2, we diagnosed exactly how Pillar 1 fits into our community landscape directly and indirectly. We also framed the community context in hopes of bridging the gap between the plan and what we want to accomplish moving forward. The approach to Pillar 2: Advance Strategic Growth Areas will be similar.

Pillar 2 assesses areas in which there is significant opportunities to pursue specific sectors and industries based on present and future community resources. The Advisory Group had good input but there are a few I’d like to highlight and delve further into:

Small business owners would like to have access to a program or advisor to enhance the ability of small businesses and entrepreneurs to grow within the community

Existing businesses are hiring labor outside the community due to lack of skilled workers, but would like to hire from within Pontiac

Identify industries and areas where we have opportunities to cultivate and promote them 

The economic analysis suggests that an there needs to be a focus placed on developing our current labor in industrial and knowledge-based areas. It also mentions that there are industry opportunities to produce innovative products and processes. There is certainly a need to develop a robust process for start-up Entrepreneurs, which goes back to developing a proper ecosystem. Though Entrepreneurship is a process where individuals will continue to evolve and pivot based on personal/company needs, we should look to ensure anything that is considered a “typical” entrepreneurial activity is simple to follow and implement. That may include available resources, entrepreneurial zones specific to their industry, important deadlines and licenses, and any other procedural activities that can be leveraged as a guideline.

There are a significant number of citizens that work outside of Pontiac and a major reason for that has to do with what skill-set(s) companies are currently looking to hire. It’s being reported that companies would rather higher from within the Pontiac community opposed to searching elsewhere. Assuming those reports are true, the push for training and workforce development is of even more importance. As I’ve stated in the past, the most valuable asset any community has can be found in the people that live within and contribute to that community. Training and Development, at its basic level, has to begin with the interest of people within the community that choose to progress in their careers. We will have to fill both pipelines with development opportunities and residents that have genuine interest.

I continue to push the need for Pontiac to become focused on a few specific industries where significant resources can be budgeted ( time or money) toward those initiatives. The Moving Forward Plan calls out Medical and Creative Arts (arts, culture, and entertainment sectors) in particular as industries with the most opportunity for citizen advancement going forward. It’s hard to disagree with that proclamation. We have 3 hospitals within our community that, if networked properly, could provide an ample amount of opportunity to those interested in the medical field. Each network could take on a number of projects but there is certainly not a need to repeat training practices if the networks are on one accord. Our city is enriched with individuals that are gifted in the creative arts. We should cultivate this. Efforts such as Canvas Pontiac and the opening of the PLAT (Pontiac’s Little Art Theater) are steps in the right direction. My suggestion is that we look to consolidate programs and initiatives in one area, forming a “hub” of sorts specifically for the arts.

The one industry I’d like to add into the mix is the “Tech” industry. Advanced technologies in particular. I’ve made the case in other publishing, but we have the infrastructures and access to programming to become an industry leader. No community can be great at everything. We should definitely strive to provide opportunities for our citizens to pursue any industry they have interest in. The beauty of having focus is that there are surrounding communities and institutions that are experts in industries so that we don’t have to be. If we focus a majority of our resources on 2 or 3 industries, we are in a unique position to become a trend setting community in the eyes of our county, state, and potentially region. The collaboration ultimately lies with the industry “experts”, institutions, school district, and city government acting in unison.

Community surveys report that 72% of the respondents support selling vacant public schools to further strategic initiatives. Those vacant buildings provide an opportunity for both workforce development and moving resources toward establishing trends in specific industries. Let me reiterate that it will take a community-wide, collaborative effort in order to see the success of any initiative. The foundation is solid but there are a lot of moving parts that will require high levels of partnerships and organization. I’ll stress that anything outside of what is best for Pontiac, whatever form it ends up assuming, should not enter into consideration. We truly have a special opportunity to become a model city for other urban areas depending on the decisions we make going forward.

Upcoming Publish: Pillar 2 - Strategies (Part 2 of 2)

#TheFutureStartsNow

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Pillar 1: Strategies - Pt. 2

To recap my previous publish, Educate & Develop The Workforce - Pt. 1, There is a real need for resources specifically geared toward advancing our current workforce and putting Pontiac’s citizens in a position to have the opportunity to be successful in whatever profession they prefer. Part of it entails providing jobs for the skills that are present in our community currently. The other part to the equation is providing progressive opportunities for the youth within our community. Feel free to visit and review the Pontiac Moving Forward Plan.

The plan’s strategies, as it’s stated on the plan, is “linking the where and what we want to grow through a set of achievable projects” (pg. 46) in an attempt to make the largest impact possible along with gaining momentum towards economic recovery. The strategies listed on the Pontiac Moving Forward Plan include:

Strengthen Neighborhood and Advocacy Groups

Develop a Marketing Plan

Grow Business Support Services

Expand Business Entrepreneurial + Incubator Services

Establish an Arts Collaborative

Increase Access to Job Skills Training Programs

In some cases you will see Pillars apply to multiple set strategies. In this case, Pillar 1 only applies to one of the strategies on the surface, #6. Increase Access to Job Skills Training Programs. In summary, there are regional resources that are available and untapped by the Pontiac community. There are a number of different partnerships that are already in place and others that are in the process of being cultivated (School District(s), Michigan Works, Local Higher Education Institutions, etc.) The staggering stat is that approximately 60% of the residents feel they do not have adequate access to advanced educational and job training. Even higher for individuals age 35-44 which is the majority of our current workforce. While there is a shift in younger individuals becoming the majority of our workforce, I have a feeling that many of the same noted issues will exist until the plan is executed/gaining momentum.

Indirectly, Pillar 1 fits into strengthening neighborhood and advocacy groups (strategy 1) and expanding entrepreneurial and incubator services (strategy 4). By educating and developing the workforce, people have opportunities to improve their baseline income. Improving baseline incomes allow for residents to have ownership in their community. The strengthening of inner-neighborhood groups produces a sense of pride that is necessary to building a greater sense of community. That may mean becoming homeowners, renovating existing properties, and sowing resources into improving the neighborhood's assets (Beautifying and Youth). With regards to Strategy 4, when citizens have an opportunity to evolve and develop their professional skills, some will eventually become entrepreneurs by default. Any time there are individuals/companies that are willing to invest their resources (time and money) in the greatest assets they have (their people), it inspires ingenuity. Google, for instance, has a culture that fosters creativity. All of their employees are required to focus 80% of their time on their job requirements and the other 20% toward working on an idea in an area that they have passion in. Many of Google’s advancements have come from focusing on innovative culture. In turn, a similar model with the notion of “sowing seeds” helps begin the trend of  “small” businesses doing “big” things within our community and improving Pontiac’s economic sustainability.

If we collectively focus on the development of our current and future workforce within our community, we put Pontiac in a position to far succeed expectations. Positioning ourselves correctly is an important step in the quest to becoming a progressive city and re-establishing our greatness.

Upcoming Publish: Pillar 2: Advance Strategic Growth Areas (Part 1 of 2)

#TheFutureStartsNow

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Pillar 1: Educate & Develop The Workforce - Pt. 1

As I mentioned in my last publish, Moving Forward, I will be exploring the 6 Plan Pillars found in the Pontiac Moving Forward document (http://www.pontiacdba.com/master-plan) which was published (via website) in 2015 by the Downtown Business Association (D.B.A.). I encourage you to go back and review the overview to understand the context of what will be written going forward. This is Part 1 (of 2). Part 2 will explore how Pillar 1 fits into the strategies laid out in the plan and what that means from my perspective.

Pillar 1 is Educate & Develop The Workforce. The Advisory Group offered input that ranged from there needing to be a “broad spectrum” education and training at all age and skill levels to there being a desire to have enhanced business/workforce incubator programs. I will focus on a few inputs in particular:

Pontiac needs a single point of access for information about programming and training, such as a common database that links job seekers to training and employment opportunities

There is a need to enhance the image and operation of the public schools. There is a perception that the school system in under-performing and not properly educating students (e.g. that graduating seniors may not have basic skills to enter the workforce or higher education)

Employers are having trouble finding reliable workers for entry level and advanced work

There are statistics that support the notion that most of Pontiac’s citizens leave the city limit for employment and yet we still have significantly low average income levels. What that tells me is that we aren’t supplying the jobs that are necessary for our current workforce and that we have an opportunity to develop our current/future workforce. I believe that the City should certainly look to provide more jobs that our current workforce’s skills and talents can meet. There also needs to be a balance that allows our citizens to transition their role and have the ability to raise their income levels. Pontiac currently has a significantly low level of circulation with regards to money staying within our community before it exits. There are a number of possible solutions but the positioning of jobs that meet the current demand and jobs that provide future context has to continue to be a point of focus.

The economic analysis conducted reflects that while Pontiac’s workforce remains generally lower skilled than the US average, regional employment growth projections and business patterns do suggest that there are upcoming knowledge-based job opportunities that are developing. It’s my opinion that the next level of Progression for Pontiac will come in the form of creating an identity. I will eventually be speaking on creating an identity from a branding & marketing perspective (Pillar 3), but this section is centered around what industries Pontiac is great at establishing opportunities in. I assume some discussions have already been had around this topic but I don’t know that any comprehensive plans have been provided in order to take the necessary steps forward. I am aware that opportunities have been noted to focus in the Medical and Technology sectors. I would like to offer another industry that has a large front print in our community, Arts & Culture. It terms of workforce development, our youth should start “growing up” within these industries so that they can take on the knowledge based jobs that are forming.

I believe that we are in a position as a city to focus on becoming trendsetters opposed to trying to be good at everything. It seems that we have the infrastructure and resources to pursue those paths. In a way, it’s refreshing that we can begin looking beyond the identity of just focusing on sports and entertainment as an outlet for youth in inner cities. In no way is that to demean our elite athletic and entertainment community. While I hope we all understand the likelihood of success associated with becoming a professional within those industries, they still act as catalyst to earn scholarships and opportunities to further education and interests. The truth is, many inner city are underrepresented in the Medical and Technology sectors, among others.

A majority (57.8%) of our community feel they do not have access to the necessary resources to be competitive in the workforce. Furthermore, residents feel that the negative reputation of the school system is one of the primary reasons that the City has “gotten on the wrong track”. It is my opinion that the narrative of the research points to providing a productive work space to develop talent of those currently in the workforce and most importantly, those that will eventually be our workforce. They key now is to implement the necessary resources and strategies that provide a true progressive trajectory.

Coming Next: Pillar 1: Strategies (Part 2 of 2)

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Proposed Program

As a member, the following is the program that I recently proposed to the Program Committee for the Pontiac Youth Millage. I wrote this program in a way that should be inviting to others within the community to participate if they fall in a particular category suggested throughout the document. 

I should mention that while my proposed program has elements and resources that will certainly progress the tech sphere in our community’s youth, in no way am I isolating its content to my thoughts exclusively. If carried through, my goal would be to include local partners that are great at what they do. The following happens because of an inclusive partnership: 

- We promote programs within Pontiac that are already stewards in different industries

-We preserve resources (capital and implementation time) to be used to further the program’s needs or in other programming areas  embedded under the Millage umbrella. 

The following proposed program may go through a number of iterations but my goal is to ensure the spirit of the program is presented and implemented in a way that sets a long term tone. I initially designed it to have a lasting effect on youth that are interested now and into the future. 

Youth Millage 2017

Proposed Program: Technology Programming

A world of possibilities at your fingertips

  Program Overview:

The applicant(s) are youth that are interested in all things technology. This interest can be geared toward leisure or specific advancement activities. We have to meet our youth where they are and learn to speak their language. Technology is already a significant part of their lives. Like other progressive communities, we should look to incorporate tech in education as well. 30-45 kids (various ages) are anticipated to participate the first year. Objectives include:

Providing computers/internet for leisure web surfing

Provide educational tools that teach basic computing skills (typing, search engine usage, etc.)

A tool used  to further advanced learning and career exploration opportunities

The following methods will be used:

Activating computer restrictions to ensure proper computer use

Using existing resources to upload educational software

Partnerships with existing programs that focus on advanced tech skills (may be off campus)

Initial cost forecast: $20,000

  Program Description:

 Don’t have access to computers and internet at home? Your Youth Center(s) have you covered. Come spend time among your friends using computers to browse the latest in the sports world or learn something new about topics you may be interested in. Thinking about potentially pursuing a position in the technology sector? Specific programs are readily available to give you access to the information and mentorships you need! Technology is your world...come explore it.

  Needs Assessment:

 The ‘Why’: Oakland County is quickly becoming a “Tech hub” and has the necessary infrastructure to provide the resources specific to the Tech agenda. Our city is in a unique position to add value to a progressive and trending approach to basic living functionality. Technology is no longer seen in anticipation of the future but instead, is sculpting our current existence. If we are truly looking to progress as a city, it’s pivotal that we position ourselves to implement and streamline activities centered on advancing our technological presence

The ‘How’: The program(s) we implement should be geared toward education and entrepreneurship. Our Youth exist in a favorable environment that is technologically driven from early periods in their lives. Furthermore, Pontiac has a growing infrastructure of companies, partners, and resources readily available to pursue a pole position for Advanced Technologies. There is an opportunity for generalized education (exploring all options/career paths) or specific education (advanced tech specifically directed or reflected by company community involvement).   

  Programming Objectives:

Computer and internet use provided for youth that may lack related resources.

Basic computer educational skills are key in the environment we live in today. There should be a path toward directing natural computing abilities the youth currently has.

Career exploration, at an early age, is key developing our youth effectively. They are more productive and tend to enjoy the path  they pursue.

Introducing advanced technologies to our youth at an early age helps position Pontiac to strategically become an industry leader in the next 5-10 years.

The plan is to see continuous improvement with continuous effort. “Accomplishment” ranges from 6 months, on, depending on the goal and age.   

Methodology:

Staffing - Will vary depending on the activity and location of the program. On campus staff member will be utilized to monitor computer activity. Partnerships formed will be vetted and signed off by guardian prior to child involvement via permission slip. Partners will provide proper supervision when necessary.

 Ages: 5 - 7

Computers for educational use. Basic functions in order to begin understanding functions

 Ages: 8-12

Typing and utilizing the internet for education 

Searching the web 

Typing skills 

Software Coding (Beginners)

 Ages: 13 - 17

Advanced Technology Introductions

Programming geared toward potential career interests

 Career & Interest Assessment

Interactive Experiences

Partnerships

Higher Education Institute(s)

Available Mentors   

Channels

Local Businesses

Hope4America

Industry Experts

  Ages: 18 - 20

Continued programming(Advanced) – Potential Options

Augmented Reality 

Artificial Intelligence

Cyber Security

Self-Driving Cars 

Mentoring

Internship opportunities

Partners   

Higher Education Institutions

Local Businesses

Channels

Hope4America – Local Community Partner

Industry Experts

Certification Program(s)

Programs designed by companies to provide specific job related information over a designated period of time

Example: Digital Countermeasures -- Cyber Security 

Badge Programs (Mini Certificate Programs)

Programming designed by companies to provide teaching courses offered in various weekly increments 

Badges lead to employment readiness

  Budget: $20,000 (Initial Forecast)

Computers

Donated

Operating Systems

E-Learning Tools

Pontiac Community Partner(s) Available

Programming

Available Software

Badges/Certification 

Partnership deals can be negotiated with Millage mission in mind 

Specific to serious candidates

Summer Programs

Scholarships (full and partial) provided by institution to attend

#TheFutureStartsNow

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