| The Kitsap Economic Development Alliance (KEDA) launched a nationwide search for an executive director in September, with the goal to have someone on board by early next year. Kathy Cocus, who has filled in as interim director since the abrupt departure of David Porter last year, said the search has not started earlier because the board “worked with various partners to figure out what we want economic development to look like.”
The newly restructured and newly renamed board (formerly the Kitsap Economic Development Council) has been working on developing a plan, which is expected to be complete by the end of the year. The role of the new director will include moving the plan forward.
The board was restructured to include 18 members from the public sector and 18 from the private as well as three nonvoting members; previous membership was 25.
“It’s brought public and private sectors together. Now it’s clear we have strong representation from both sectors, which is really important,” said Elliot Gregg, president and CEO of Kitsap Credit Union who is currently the treasurer of the KEDA board of directors. “It creates a much better understanding and I think it will have a trickle-down effect on county and municipal governments and trickle down to the business sector.”
KEDA has been working in the last few months on the economic initiatives that were created as part of the Kitsap 20/20 evaluation process. Working groups focused on specific clusters have been developing action points, which will be rolled into an economic development plan. “It will be used as a road map for work in economic development,” Cocus said.
Cocus said some things identified as priorities have already been accomplished — such as the coordination of a study to increase four-year higher education presence in Kitsap County. A consultant was hired for the study, and funding is being sought. Another example, a result of the defense working group, was bringing military procurement workshops to Kitsap as well as open house events at the bases so businesses can talk to purchasing officers.
“None of the activities are at a standstill,” Gregg said. “The teams are paying detailed attention to what’s happening.” As another example, he notes a recent referral from the state economic board of an inquiry from a company that could bring 500 jobs. KEDA utilized all the resources available to respond to the inquiry quickly and express Kitsap’s interest. He said the ability to follow up on such inquiries is one of the measures of success.
“We measure success in terms of two things: end result and quality of effort. The end result is jobs and the number of businesses attracted or retained,” he said. “The quality of effort is measured in terms of activity. For every company you attract and retain, there is a lot of effort behind the scenes.”
In addition to its revamping, KEDA will have increased funding. The state Legislature changed the way it funds economic development organizations. KEDA will receive $270,000 in state funds in the fiscal year that started July 1, vs. $70,000 previously. The funds must be matched dollar for dollar.
“It is good news, but with that come deliverables and a more detailed contract,” Cocus said, adding that until all the action plans are completed, KEDA hasn’t identified how the funds will be used. “We want to have a strong program of work…focused on clusters or areas that were determined during the 20/20 discussions to be important in Kitsap,” she said.
Gregg said the close cooperation of the private and public sectors has already helped revitalize the economic development alliance, and will also help eliminate duplicated efforts. “I fundamentally believe that with this board of constituents from all sectors… the community is going to get greater benefit,” he said. “I have great expectations.”
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