Regional economic development non-profit, The Right Place, has been attracting and retaining businesses across the region for the past 35-years. In front of an audience of 400 at the J.W. Marriott Hotel, it released its new three-year strategic plan.
The Right Place rolled out its three-year strategic plan with an emphasis on some lofty goals. First and foremost, supporting $548 million in new capital investments. It’s also committing to preserving and adding more than 5,000 jobs generating $148 million in payroll.
“At the last three-year plan we had a goal of 4,200 new jobs. We did over 5,000 new jobs. We had a goal of over $500 million of investment and we made $800 (million).”
Birgit Klohs is President and CEO of The Right Place.
“When we looked ahead at the next three years, we were very cognizant we may hit some headwinds. That doesn’t mean we’re not going to work twice as hard to again blow past those goals, but we also wanted to be realistic in our goals. So far for 35-years we have never missed a metric. So, I don’t intend that we will miss one this time either.”
And The Right Place is adding two new metrics. Not only is there the goal to presere and add more than 5,000 jobs, but the metric is to increase the average wage of those jobs by 20-percent above the current average hourly wage or $26.35 per hour.
Its team members are also being challenged to connect talent and job seekers with area companies. A Job Seeker/Talent Assist goal of 2,900 assists. Talent growth and retention is one of the seven broad economic development strategies that also includes business retention, expansion, and attraction. Economic inclusion. Regionalism. Strategic foundations. Thought leadership and Business intelligence.
Over the next three years, The Right Place will focus on growth areas including advanced manufacturing, information technology, health sciences along with food processing & agribusiness
Patrick Center, WGVU News.
