December 9, 2009
CALL TO ORDER
Staff member Adam Hanks called the meeting to order at 3:02 p.m.
ROLL CALL
Committee members present: Bill Molnar, Sandra Slattery, Ron Fox, John Rinaldi, Jeff Griffen, Mallory Pierce, Larry Holzgang
Staff members present: Adam Hanks, Martha Bennett, Diana Shiplet
WORK PLAN LAYOUT/Q&A
Hanks reviewed all the background documents he e-mailed the committee. Committee members gave suggestions as to additional documents they would like, Hanks agreed to have those e-mailed prior to the next meeting.
Bennett gave a review of the overall process and how the two groups are connected as well as how each will work separately. She reminded the committee that they are tasked with laying out the facts, data, and realities - even if that is difficult or unpleasant.
Bennett gave an overview of how she sees the process working and the rough timeline for each section of the process. Roughly speaking, the S.W.A.T, and visioning and beginning of coming up with actions should take from now until April or May. In April or May we will begin a process of outreach to both the community at large and to those with specialized knowledge about specific economic sectors. After the outreach (60 days, roughly) we will move into the implementation phase where the Council adopts actions they can/should handle and they reach out to those in the community who should start working on pieces City of Ashland should not handle. The implementation should take about 6 - 8 months.
The committee discussed the timeline, as well as how it fits in with the current EOA adoption timeline.
BRAINSTORMING TRENDS
The Committee began outlining some of the trends they are seeing on the national, regional, and local levels. Please see SWOT analysis below for more details. Committee discussed how to deal with current data, which may not be accurate due to issues like:
· inclusion of college students (their age and income can skew data)
· missing home-based employment information (those who don't have a business license)
· those who work here but live elsewhere
· what is the maximum size for most businesses to effectively work in
Committee also discussed some of the shifts in the overall economy with internet usage and the current national economy.
Committee member, Jim Fong arrived at 4:10 p.m.
S.W.O.T ANALYSIS
Committee discussed Ashland strengths as a community and an economy. Please see S.W.O.T. Analysis, Part 1, below.
Committee began discussing Ashland's weaknesses as a community and economy. Please see S.W.O.T. Analysis, Part 1, below.
ADJOURNMENT
Meeting adjourned at 5:00 p.m.
Diana Shiplet, Executive Secretary
S.W.O.T. Analysis, Part 1
Trends affecting Ashland
· Lack of capital at national level limits business relocating or growing here
· Inability to sell residential real estate elsewhere limits in-migration including entrepreneurs who often use house sale equity as start-up business capital.
· Drop in housing prices has allowed some folks to buy who previously couldn't. Real estate at high end of market is stagnant, no capital moving
· How many businesses who will grow can grow in Ashland
· Population data may no accurately capture Ashland's entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs are attracted by uniqueness/creativity of
· 15% of
·
· Are we losing our recently educated citizens? Don't know data on how many SOU grads stay in
· Different demographic of people who are moving to Ashland, most are active, 2nd career folks
· OSF attendees are an increasingly aging demographic – faster than regional and state average aging
· High percentage of Jefferson Grapevine applicants (venture/angel funding) are from
SWOT Draft Outline
Strengths
· People can live anywhere... and
· Close to airport with growing connections
· Recreational and cultural opportunities within minutes/miles
· Visitor experience is so excellent, people want to be here permanently
· OSF has a loyal customer base and a growing local customer base
· Ashland is a safe place. There is a sense of safety and that
· Entrepreneurial mindset and often not first timers in starting businesses
· Community supports creativity beyond OSF; retail, restaurants, visual arts, entrepreneurs. They support nimble thinking businesses not "corporate" thinking.
· Appreciation for buying local (without sacrificing quality)
· Quality local retail sector without homogenization
· Specialty manufacturing, not corporate, tends to be creative
· Strong sense of preservation of the things Ashlanders love
· High quality public schools
Weaknesses
· Displacement - locals displaced by immigrants
· Seasonality of tourism leaves retail sector vulnerable
· Cost and lack of variety of housing
· Constrained land supply and land available is expensive for growing companies. Land that is available is likely to be expensive to develop.
· Expensive to develop
· Takes a long time to go through development process and outcome is uncertain
· Non-retail sector operates almost invisibly and citizens aren't conscious of their importance.
· Non-retail sector is not valued or appreciated in community culture.
· No good metrics for relationship between local economy and community health
· Disconnect/ lack of awareness of business reality/economic realities (bigger than just
· Lack of state support for higher education ($)
· Airport travel connections not good enough for most businesses (particularly international travel)
· Distance to market