Jack Allston

Jack Allston Produces on New Mexico Sales Missions

Keys to Working With Site Selectors and How to Prepare

Jack

Northern Ontario news article

North appeals to site selectors

Harold Carmichael / The

Sudbury Star
Local News - Saturday, March 17, 2007 @ 12:00Jack Allston is a man of little patience.

If he can’t find the information he needs about a community as he goes about his work as a site selector, he moves on and the community is out of the running for a potential new business or employer. It’s that simple.

“The data, the real picture, has to be on a website,” Allston said Friday in an interview in Greater Sudbury. “If it’s not on websites or we can’t find the next link, we move on.

“When you are going from 64 to 32, then to 16, to eight to the final four, it’s just like picking the brackets (in a college basketball pool).”

Allston, a senior economic development consultant of JBA & Associates in

Tionesta, Penn., was one of four guest speakers at a GO North Investor Program workshop held Friday at the Howard Johnson Hotel.Five workshops were held across the North in recent weeks. The workshops were made possible by a $24,500 grant from the province.

The other four cities that hosted workshops were Kenora, Sault Ste. Marie, North Bay and

Timmins.A sixth workshop may be held in Atikokan due to strong interest expressed there.

The workshops told 200 economic development people, municipal officials and others in the five cities about how a city is selected by businesses looking to expand or relocate. A total of 20 people from Greater Sudbury, Elliot Lake,

Manitoulin Island, Parry Sound and Espanola attended Friday’s workshop.A site selector is an individual or company hired to research, visit and recommend possible communities to expand into or relocate to based on specific criteria. Allston said when a site selector comes calling, a community should have its proverbial ducks in a row.

“We need to see the community clearly, the human resources you have,” he said.

Allston said he likes

Northern Ontario and sees great potential for it.”

Northern Ontario is a particularly good area that site selectors are beginning to find out more about,” he said. “I think there’s some great communities here.”"The strengths include a bilingual workforce, the transferability of skills, a large university component, especially in Thunder Bay and

Sudbury.”But northern communities need to do a little work to their information out, Allston also pointed out.

“It just needs to get beefed up,” he said. “There needs to be more connection between the communities. I like to see that linkage with the province. The province provides that.”

Go North

The GO North investor program is intended to market Northern Ontario’s economic strengths across

North America and the world.The program aims to attract new “anchor” investments by focusing on marketing, selling and servicing investment opportunities.

It targets large-scale investments that promote innovation and growth in existing sectors such as mining and forestry.

The program is raising the North’s international profile through new Northern-focused marketing materials including an Ontario North DVD, sector brochures highlighting Northern strengths and targeted sector publications, and a direct mail-out campaign to potential investors. An important component of the GO North Program is the Northern Communities Investment Readiness Initiative. It helps eligible communities develop the tools and capability to attract, receive and successfully explore investment opportunities.

The initiative provides municipalities, economic development corporations and First Nations up to $5,000 per application for the development of essential and strategic community tools to help increase investment readiness and attract investors.

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Krause’s Corner…

I just wanted to take a moment and look back on the last 12 months of Sales Missions. Since November of last year, we have been on the road traveling to a multitude of cities meeting with 200 companies and consultants. Jack Allston has done a tremendous job of setting up qualified companies to present the “Why New Mexico” story.

Our commitment to our board and your community is that we will aggressively go out and recruit new opportunities. I can proudly say that we have tenaciously stayed the course and we have visited one or more major metropolitan areas every single month.

We meet with individuals at the highest levels, almost all of the titles on business cards handed to us during these meetings contain a “Chief” or “President” in the title. We always follow-up and send out a beautiful “New Mexico Gift Basket” that contains delicious foods native to the state.

Due to these missions we have been able to add projects and site visits to the state. We are committed in the next 12 months to continuing this measurable performance effort.

Clark Krause

President & CEO

North appeals to site selectors

Harold Carmichael  /  The Sudbury Star
Local News - Saturday, March 17, 2007 @ 12:00

Jack Allston is a man of little patience.

If he can’t find the information he needs about a community as he goes about his work as a site selector, he moves on and the community is out of the running for a potential new business or employer. It’s that simple.

“The data, the real picture, has to be on a website,” Allston said Friday in an interview in Greater Sudbury. “If it’s not on websites or we can’t find the next link, we move on.

“When you are going from 64 to 32, then to 16, to eight to the final four, it’s just like picking the brackets (in a college basketball pool).”

Allston, a senior economic development consultant of JBA & Associates in Tionesta, Penn., was one of four guest speakers at a GO North Investor Program workshop held Friday at the Howard Johnson Hotel.

Five workshops were held across the North in recent weeks. The workshops were made possible by a $24,500 grant from the province.

The other four cities that hosted workshops were Kenora, Sault Ste. Marie, North Bay and Timmins.

A sixth workshop may be held in Atikokan due to strong interest expressed there.

The workshops told 200 economic development people, municipal officials and others in the five cities about how a city is selected by businesses looking to expand or relocate. A total of 20 people from Greater Sudbury, Elliot Lake, Manitoulin Island, Parry Sound and Espanola attended Friday’s workshop.

A site selector is an individual or company hired to research, visit and recommend possible communities to expand into or relocate to based on specific criteria. Allston said when a site selector comes calling, a community should have its proverbial ducks in a row.

“We need to see the community clearly, the human resources you have,” he said.

Allston said he likes Northern Ontario and sees great potential for it.

“Northern Ontario is a particularly good area that site selectors are beginning to find out more about,” he said. “I think there’s some great communities here.”

“The strengths include a bilingual workforce, the transferability of skills, a large university component, especially in Thunder Bay and Sudbury.”

But northern communities need to do a little work to their information out, Allston also pointed out.

“It just needs to get beefed up,” he said. “There needs to be more connection between the communities. I like to see that linkage with the province. The province provides that.”

Go North

The GO North investor program is intended to market Northern Ontario’s economic strengths across North America and the world.

The program aims to attract new “anchor” investments by focusing on marketing, selling and servicing investment opportunities.

It targets large-scale investments that promote innovation and growth in existing sectors such as mining and forestry.

The program is raising the North’s international profile through new Northern-focused marketing materials including an Ontario North DVD, sector brochures highlighting Northern strengths and targeted sector publications, and a direct mail-out campaign to potential investors. An important component of the GO North Program is the Northern Communities Investment Readiness Initiative. It helps eligible communities develop the tools and capability to attract, receive and successfully explore investment opportunities.

The initiative provides municipalities, economic development corporations and First Nations up to $5,000 per application for the development of essential and strategic community tools to help increase investment readiness and attract investors.

Northern Ontario Development Network 

Suite 701 – 1184 Roland St.

Thunder Bay, ON P7B 5M4

Phone: 807 768-6726

Fax: 807 768-6730

Toll Free: 1 888 523-8174

2007 AGM

Date: September 26, 2007 Time: 12:45 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Location: Victoria Inn 555 W. Arthur St. Thunder Bay, ON

Contact: Kim MacMillan

Phone: 807 768-6726

Keynote Speaker: JACK ALLSTON, CEcD, FM.

Senior Economic Development Consultant

Attendee: Guest:

Title: Organization:

Address

Street: City: Postal Code:

E-mail: Fax: Telephone:

Cost of Attendance:

Member: $80.00 Non Member: $100.00

The registration fee includes all official program functions including the Speakers, and Dinner

Please send payment with registration prior to September 19, 2007. Please make cheque

payable to Northwestern Ontario Development Network.

Sorry no credit cards accepted

The Victoria Inn is offering a room rate of $92.99 for this event, call: 1 877 842 4667. Quote NODN

AGM ID#134667. A Delegate Registration form can be found at the end of this document for your

convenience. Their website: www.vicinn.com

16th Annual General Meeting September 26th, 2007

Victoria Inn, thunder bay

12:45 p.m. Symposium

Carlton Room

1:00 p.m. Jack Allston Presentation

Business Recruitment –what do U.S. Companies and Site Selectors want

How to work with Site Selectors

Carlton Room

3:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Dave Farrell

What’s in Your Global Resource Toolkit

Carlton Room

3:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. Anthony Friedrich

Successful Municipal Project

Carlton Room

4:00 p.m. Northwestern Ontario Development Network Annual General Meeting

Brian Miles, NODN President - Welcoming Remarks

Dan Brenzavich, NODN Manager - Remarks

􀂓 Resolutions

• Approval of Minutes of last year’s AGM September 23, 2006

• Financial Statements for 2006-07

• Approval of actions of the Board during 2007

􀂓 Report of the Nominating Committee

􀂓 Board Elections (Nominations will be accepted from the floor)

Ontario Room

4:45 p.m. Announcement of New Board

Adjournment of Formal Meeting

5:00 – 5:45 a.m. Networking – Cash Bar & hospitality

5:45 Dinner Buffet

Carved Hip of Beef, Oven Roast Potatoes, Salads, Perogies, Penne with Sausage & Peppers, Lasagna, Stir Fry Vegetables,

Carlton Room

6:45 p.m. Dr. Bob Rosehart

Northwestern Ontario Economic Facilitator

Carlton Room

JACK ALLSTON, CEcD, FM.

Senior Economic Development Consultant

Jack has spent over 30 years in the field of economic development.

He has worked throughout North America , including Canada , New York , Massachusetts, West

Virginia , Nebraska , Pennsylvania , Illinois and Kansas .

He has worked on dozens and dozens of site locations and expansions of companies such as: CB

Sports, New Balance Athletic Shoe, Yuasa- Exide, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, CR Bard,

Mallinkrodt, Nationwide Insurance, Hewlett-Packard, United Merchants and Manufacturers,

James River .

For eight years he was managing consultant to Paragon Decision Resources, a major site

selection and relocation company headquartered out of Chicago and California . While there, he

wrote numerous plans, studies and reports and advised communities on how to develop and

companies on where to locate. His clients included regions and communities throughout the

Midwest , Canada , and Caifornia.

He has lectured and been a guest speaker throughout the continent and is particularly noted for

his talks in Canada on marketing and strategic planning, the American way.

He is a graduate of Lowell University , Lowell , Massachusetts ; B.S., Business Administration,

Northeastern University , Boston , Massachusetts ; M.A., Economics (with a concentration in

labor).

Graduate, Institute for Organization Management sponsored by Chamber of Commerce of U.S.

Graduate, Economic Development Institute, University of Oklahoma and American Economic

Development Council.

Certified Economic Developer (C.E.D.) and former member of the Certification Board of the

American Economic Development Council Fellow Member, American Economic Development

Council, winner of the Distinguished Service Award from that council in 1993.

He completed site selection work for Reliastar/ING, Becton Dickinson, EMD Chemicals,

Northwest Airlines and a new corporate headquarters location for La Quinta Hotels in Dallas .

He has conducted workshops on economic development over the last several years in Halifax for

the Regional Economic Development Authorities of the Province of Nova Scotia, CUED, the

South Dakota Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Association, Stockton,

California for educators and training agencies on workforce development (3X), Washington,

Iowa for area volunteers and business people on principles of economic development, the City of

Toronto, Alliant Energy, Mid America Economic Development Council (MAEDC) and many

others, Watertown, South Dakota on strategic planning and marketing, Mid America Economic

Development Council on workforce development.

 

Communities across North America need strategic plans, especially with global forces ever changing the world we live in. The strategic plans for economic development have to be dynamic and they should embody the necessary questions which are troubling all of North America. This is particularly difficult for a small community in

Northern Ontario, Canada who may have lost a paper mill, or a saw mill or a fiberboard mill. With the slowdown in the home building industry, a shift from newsprint to Internet, and South American forest products interests becoming aggressive,

Northern Ontario communities must find a new way.

The GO North Investor program through the Ministry of Northern Mines and Development has found a better way in which several states south of the border should take note. Their program is named the Northern Communities Investment Readiness. The initiative promotes and supports a strong investment attraction climate in

Northern Ontario. The NCIR initiative assists northern communities to develop the tools and capacity to attract, receive and successfully explore investment opportunities.

The program is managed by Michael Dunlop of the Ministry office in

Thunder Bay. Mike is a former instructor and trainer at

Confederation

College in

Thunder Bay and has traveled throughout the world and understands the need for economic development strategic planning. He speaks eloquently about the subject and has a passion for small communities and their people. This author traveled with Mike for several months to seven cities in

Northern Ontario and watched his performance during several seminars. Mike’s evaluations were very high, however, “he felt that it was because he was giving out money.” Obviously, it wasn’t simply because he was just handing out money. It was because he is an effective communicator about the strength of his program The program is part of the bigger picture Go North which was  announced as part of the 2004

Ontario budget and includes:

–        GO North (attracting new investment)

–        Grow Bonds (investing in business growth)

–        NOHFC (targeted job creation support)

–        Northern Development Councils (public policy input)

The overall goal is: attract new “anchor” investments to northern communities

Ø      Promote the strategic advantages of Northern

Ontario internationally

Ø      Focus on large-scale investments (100+ jobs) that promote innovation and growth

•        Value-added resource-related industries, innovative technologies, large-scale tourism facilities, research-intensive investments

Mike says that there are areas of the economic development process communities can control and some that they cannot. One of the easiest and most effective aspects we can control is our readiness to deal with investors needs. The expectations of site selectors / investors regarding response time has changed dramatically in the past 10 years. Therefore, communities should respond quicker and more efficiently and the Ministry can assist.  If you ask the question of what is investment readiness, then the response at the Ministry is the following:  •        Knowledgeable professional points of contact for potential investors        

•  Up to date comprehensive information on your community and region that is able to be quickly accessed and distributed.
•         A  comprehensive strategic plan that takes into account:–        All community regional assets–        Identification of target sectors / markets that would benefit from those assets–        Gaps in investment structure and strategies to address these shortfalls–        A plan to leverage regional strengths for the benefit of multiple communities–        Government and private assistance in achieving attraction goals. 

The Ministry asks if you think you (the Northern Ontario community) measure up you should ask yourself the following questions: Do you have the information that is required at your fingertips?  1.)    Is it up to date? (2.)    Can it be distributed widely / quickly /and in segments? (3.)    Do you have an up to date OITS electronic profile?4.)    Is your EDO’s municipal staff properly trained to deal with investment potential inquiries?5.)    How investment friendly / ready is your community / region? Financial support for the program is up to 75% of a project’s costs. The amount for an individual applicant can be up to $5,000 (but that is not per community or area). The amount is based on the nature and scope of the project. Applicants must contribute min. 10% equity. Applicants may reapply for funding to support additional incremental steps towards investment readiness. Multi partner applications can combine funding. There can easily be made available additional funding available for projects of regional significance. This is of important note because communities within a hundreds miles of each other can apply for programming of a regional nature that can now afford a strong consultant to advise and assist the community to be investment ready. The eligible applicants can include municipalities, economic development corporations, First Nations and partnerships. In the Investment Readiness program the eligible project activities may include  : workshops and training; strategy development; Asset inventories / SWOT analysis / Gap Analysis / Infrastructure requirement studies site selection information development; investment priorities identification; community profile development for the Ontario Investment Service website; target and market identification, in-bound familiarization tours or site visits of potential investors. The important point is that communities which may have three eligible recipients (municipality, First Nation and the economic development organization) can apply jointly with other communities in their region (they may also have three entities) for $5,000/recipient. If neighboring communities apply for up to $30,000, and the federal organization matches with $5,000 or $10,000, and the communities combine to contribute $4,000, there are enough funds to conduct a comprehensive strategic plan for this author and probably several more consulting firms. Ineligible project costs include: capital or rolling stock purchases, annual operating expenses, long term leases, advertising or promotional materials, outbound travel and accommodations, permanent staffing, refundable GST payments, costs incurred prior to the application date. In other words, the Ministry wants this money specifically used for strategic initiatives where the community or area develops long term strategies not short term projects or pays for salaries. Another key is the Investment Readiness test which is simple and easy to complete but it does test the community’s ability to be serious about economic development.

Applicants must complete an application form and the Investment Readiness Test.

Application forms, applicant guide and Investment Readiness Test may be downloaded from:  www.mndm.gov.on.ca/GONorth. Then the completed applications and supporting documentation are forwarded to the MNDM GO North Program Office in Thunder Bay be postmarked no later than Dec 31, 2007.

According to Dunlop, “preparation is the key and he believes in a linear approach to strategic planning. Successful investment attraction requires careful planning, preparation, & coordination. Every community is at a different stage of preparation and has differing strengths and challenges. There are key steps to facilitate successful investment attraction.[1] •        The first step is training: Ensuring that anyone engaged in investment attraction activities has the proper skills and training should be the first step for any community. Examples for investment attraction:–        Seeking new investment & choosing targets–        Dealing with site selectors–        Accessing funding / resources–        Working  with consulates and trade associations–        Preparing informational packages and business case (what do they want)–        Identifying / Working with stakeholders: unions /realtors / councils/ government / business / –        Knowing how to work the floor / booth at trade shows Training is often done on a regional basis to reduce cost, strengthen regional initiatives and facilitate networking and cooperation regionally. It can include regional municipalities, First Nations, Economic Development Organization’s, private sector reps, real estate, municipal councillors. The training can be arranged to be flexible in delivery. http://bestpracticesgroup.com/training_programs.htm. The next step is asset inventory. A community needs to conduct an inventory of the assets that are available for use by investors: This includes an analysis of commercial real estate, natural resources, workforce, access to utilities, transportation infrastructure, idled structures, communications structure, healthcare / education facilities, distance to markets, existing businesses, etc. An effective strategy is often to prepare a regional asset inventory which is often more competitive. 

Dunlop maintains that you must think graphically when you design your inventory (good map, photograph, drawings) http://www.2ontario.com/. The communities should consider various formats for your land inventory (computerized database , web sites) and include public properties in your land inventory. They should also make sure your land use planning supports your assets as a competitive advantage. A flexible official plan and zoning by-laws, can help accommodate a range of new industrial and commercial uses.

The third step is the market study. With the assets available what industry / business sector is most likely to consider investments.  (Individual / regional). This is especially critical for communities that are experiencing declines in long term key industries.With creativity this can lead to change in economic makeup of community when the change is dramatic. One community in Northern Ontario that has reinvented itself is Elliott

Lake. Northerners can point to this community has one which has had substantive change. The Ministry states that it is important that these studies generate contact / prospect lists that can be pursued.

 The next step is a needs analysis. With one or more sectors identified as potential investors, perhaps a study of those sectors specific needs is required. The market study based on the community’s asset inventory provides direction. Now the community should ask the companies themselves for input on your suitability and any gaps that may act as a final barrier to investment. Some identified gaps are real and need solutions others may be perceived and can be dealt with quickly.  With the information gathered from your market studies and needs analysis you can now put together a plan to attract your defined target investors. 

1.  
   1. What are the identified “gaps” how will the community will fill them?
   2. What is the community’s “value proposition”?
   3. How will you get your message out to the investors?
   4. What strategic alliances are needed government, regional / business?
   5. What funding can be accessed?

Now the community or region is ready to compete and if all Northern Ontario communities follow this formula they will. Why are not American states and planning organizations following the same formula?

1. Develop a marketing plan.
2. Prepare informational packages and business cases
3. Consolidate marketing efforts locally and regionally
4. Participate in trade shows and investment marketing activities.
5. Consider trade and investment marketing partnerships.
6. Market your community on the Web.
7. Reach out to potential leads
8. Respond to inquires from site locators promptly
9. Use the Ontario Investment Services site

It appears that Mike Dunlop and his manager Dale Ashbee are far ahead of their American counterparts. In this author’s travels to small towns in early 2007 he spoke to several who wanted strategic plans but said their boards could not afford them. Too bad they don’t have Mike and Dale.

---

[1]  Michael Dunlop: Investment Readiness Seminar, Feb. 19, 2007,

Thunder Bay, ON

How Canadian communities respond to the problems of the next few decades will determine their future. There will be winners and losers. The winners will be the cities, mid-sized communities and the small rural towns that have strong cohesive economic development programs. They will be joined by the provincial economic development offices that support the local efforts and not attempt to supplant them. In the last article we discussed some major negative forces that are now working against Canadian communities. However, we looked at it from a site selector’s view and not a macroeconomic one: 

• The loonie is now .95 to the US dollar. Therefore, there are not the decisive trade advantages of a few years ago. Business will no longer have their edge of rival US companies seeking to trade in the US without any duties or tariffs
• With the loonie at .95, American based site selectors no longer see big cash advantages by locating call centers in Canada as they have in the last twelve years.
• American companies with plants in the US and Canada that must cut costs and close or consolidate plants may elect to close the Canadian plant.
• Canadian economic development officers now have new and critical challenges: How can they recruit US and European industry without that competitive advantage?
• How can Canadian economic development officers compete against cities and states that offer industries large, medium and small lucrative incentives, training grants and low interest loans?

There are some obvious long term dilemmas for Canadian communities, but by assuming some of the attitudes and thinking that leadership in American communities in the Deep South took in the 1960’s and 1970’s there could be substantive change. Canadian communities tend to look closer to government in times of need rather than rallying together in a community. 

Here are some basics the site selector will look to see if the business community is driving:  1.)    set goals and objectives and have a strong strategic plan2.)    have a marketing plan with target industry3.)    know your strengths and weaknesses (community audit)4.)    prepare a community profile and have it on a web site5.)    have the web site meet IEDC standards6.)    know your labor market and have a supply study done7.)    make sure you have current factual data8.)    make sure you have your own money for the program9.)    be able to do a red carper tour of your town10.) have confidence, patience, and a positive attitude and stress it in your community There is no doubt the province wants you to do these things. They have programs that will assist (at least in

Ontario). The key is to follow the direction of the province and develop leadership that gives guidance to the province and drive the program. In other words, private sector should not ignore the province economic development office in their community but work hard to develop their own municipal program and private sector funding should be an option.

 Private sector funding for economic development is not unusual. Both Halifax and

Saskatoon have been at it for than 10 years. Of course, they can’t raise the major dollars the

United States communities can because the private sector is essentially smaller. Some of the essential services such as utilities, hospitals, universities and insurance are private in the USA and in

Canada they are provincial or crown corporations. For instance, in

Watertown, SD, the major investors are regional banks and the hospital. Their investment together is in the neighborhood of $25,000/year. In

Saskatoon, the hospital is provincial and the five financial institutions are not the major investors. The investors are mostly philanthropic businesses that firmly believe in a long term commitment to the region.

 

Watertown’s yearly budget along with a $100,000 commitment from the city is about $300,000-$400,000 per year. Some years ago,

Saskatoon’s was $800,000 CD with a $400,000 commitment from the city.

Saskatoon has over 200 private sector investors.

Halifax has 160 investors but their base is probably much larger.

 The economic development problem in

Canada will become much larger. Lack of workforce has become a major economic development issue and will soon surpass all other programs such as attraction retention as the most critical issue in every community across the federation. This is the beginning of that discussion

 

Canadian Economic Development: The New Dilemma

This is the second in a series of articles designed to assist American economic developers in prospecting in Canada. Based upon 20 years of experience in working in development and consulting in both countries I feel that economic developers are basically ignorant about Canada and almost have no respect for Canadian culture, identity, politics, and history. The series should help with some basic understanding, not in becoming a high-end cultural lesson that will ensure success in your prospecting.

Read the rest of this entry »