Greetings and Good Evening
Martinsville / Henry County Taxpayers !
****************
We are the Taxpayer Association of Martinsville and Henry County
Our Mission:
As a nonprofit, the Taxpayer Association of Martinsville and
Henry County shall provide oversight of local / state government as it relates to
our quality of life .
TaxpayerMHC@aol.com
Presenters:
•
Rick Horton is an Iriswood resident, former educator and self employed businessman
having moved here 20 years ago to join Tultex.
•
Randy Scott is a former Alleghany high school principal, current real estate broker
and primary care giver for his 93 year old Collinsville mother
Strategic Blueprint:
A Pathway Back to
Prosperity
the
Past
Martinsville – Henry County
Economic Development Corporation
Budget - Economic Development Corporation
Harvest Foundation
Martinsville City
Henry County
1,000,000
339,500
460,500
annual operating $ 1,800,000
Martinsville – Henry County 1995 - 2011
Report Card on Economic Development in MHC
Job Announcements
Lost
Year
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
total
200
620
449
440
2004
2195
70
795
549
1500
540
357
186
393
219
559
701
0
534
0
1040
2240
1050
2994
0
1158
294
0
121
822
508
599
908
741
11777
13009
deficit
source:
http://www.virginiascan.yesvirginia.org/ResourceCenter/
( select Martinsville MSA )
1232
Comparison of Neighbor ( MSA )
1995 - 2011
job announcements
lost
gain / loss
MSA
Bristol
Danville
Lynchburg
Roanoke
Martinsville
source:
6911
9373
12508
14511
11777
3648
8282
9119
12366
13009
http://www.virginiascan.yesvirginia.org/ResourceCenter/
3263
1091
3389
2145
( 1232 )
Comparison by Neighbor ( County / City )
1995 - 2011
job announcements
lost
gain / loss
( population )
Pittsylvania
Franklin
Henry
Patrick
Bedford
Danville
Martinsville
Bristol
61,501
50,784
56,208
19,212
66,507
45,586
14,945
17,496
2478
2461
8326
1748
1536
2127
1761
8774
1324
258
351
700
( 448 )
424
1278
6895
3451
2593
6155
4235
1703
740
( 784 )
890
Martinsville – Henry County EDC
Mark Heath, President
**********
$ 176,140
Critical Question ?
How is a salary of $ 176,140 justified
when we are at a deficit of 1232 jobs after
17 years ?
Are we better off ……than we
were 17 years ago ?
Average…..is not good enough
st
in the 21 Century !
Harvest Foundation
History
Harvest Foundation
• Martinsville Hospital built with donations from employees of local
companies like Dupont, Fieldcrest, Pannill, Sale, American, Bassett,
Stanley, Hooker, etc
• Approximately 3 of the 11 million cost to build the hospital came
from individuals and other organizations
• Many retirees ( founding stockholders, if you will ) can still remember
the good faith, arm-twisting by their bosses to donate a day’s or
week’s pay towards construction
• Hospital opened in 1970 and sold in 2002.
• $ 150 million proceeds from the sale created the Harvest Foundation
• Approximately $ 9,000,000 from earnings is available to spend in the
community each year
Source:
www.martinsvillebulletin.com
In other words…..
Everyone in the area is vested in the
Harvest Foundation if they:
• Donated funds to build the hospital
• As a patient, you and your insurance
company paid your bill and contributed to
the profitability of the hospital
Harvest Investments
2003 - 2011
Some Recipients
Activate MHC
Adult DayCare MHC
Bassett Public Library
Bassett Community Center
Blue Ridge Regional Library
Boys / Girls Club of Blue Ridge
Citizens Against Family Violence
Martinsville City Police
Dan River Basin Association
Focus on Youth
For the Children Partners in Prevention
Foundation for Rehab Equip
Gateway Streetscape
Grace Network
Henry County Schools
MHC Health Dept
MARC
Martinsville Area Community Foundation
Martinsville City Schools
MHC Coalition for Health & Wellness
MHC Historical Society
NCI
Partners for Livable Communities
PHCC Education Foundation
1.600
.250
.205
.135
.095
.069
.145
.034
1.445
.145
.030
.158
.300
.031
4.890
.071
.382
.080
1.585
9.695
.135
8.742
.035
1.987
( thousands )
Phoenix Corp
Piedmont Access to Health
Piedmont Arts Association
Piedmont Community Services
Piedmont Governors School
Piedmont Dental Health
Rural Health
Project Assess of Danville
SafetyNet
Smart Beginnings
Southern Environmental Law
Southern Va Recreational Facilities
SW Va Second Harvest Food Bank
Spencer Penn Preservation
Stepping Stones
Eastern Drug Rehabilitation
TheatreWorks
Triple C Dude Ranch
United Way
Virginia Legal Aid Society
Virginia Musuem of Natural History
YMCA
.250
.079
.504
1.439
.030
.450
.035
.018
.420
.713
.112
22.000
.025
.282
.007
.010
.232
.377
1.650
.015
1.342
.385
Harvest Investments
2003 - 2011
Nonprofits
( health, education, community vitality )
Economic development
( community vitality )
total
Source:
http://www.theharvestfoundation.org
55,000,000
19,000,000
$ 74,000,000
Are we better off ……than we
were 9 years ago ?
the
Future
Average … doesn’t cut it in
the 21st Century
We have….
• Water and sewer infrastructure
• Natural water sources
• Patriot Centre and Commonwealth
Crossing
• Unemployed / idled labor force
• Patrick Henry CC and New College
Institute
• Pent-up energy
• Recreational and social venues
and we have
• Harvest Foundation
150,000,000
Values
• develop self worth
• encourage self responsibility and a sense
of responsibility for others
• foster competition
The Premise:
Jobs
An employed citizen will be a productive and
responsible one who will be a contributing member of the
community.
An employed citizen:
•
controls her own destiny and maintains his own self worth
•
gains access to health
•
brings stability to the family and empowers the individual
•
gives back to his community
•
is not dependent upon government or society
/ dental insurance
Job Recruitment - Strategy
•
Job recruiters should aggressively target and incentivize
the prospect of an existing company to come to MHC
•
1 % monthly job opportunity fee for two ( 2 ) years by
each employee in a new job created by Harvest
deducted from paycheck and returned to Harvest as a Return on Investment (ROI ). Not intended
to make Harvest whole but payback a portion
•
Provide incentives to any local company to hire a native
who earns a college degree anywhere…..new employee
pays an opportunity fee of 2 % monthly for three ( 3 )
years to the company
Sample :
Salary
2,000 / mo
Opportunity Fees
3,000
4,000
1%
$ 20
30
40
3%
60
90
120
5%
100
150
200
Use of Opportunity Fees
• Nonprofits
• Cost of drug screenings
• Job training
The War Stories
• Green Mountain Coffee ( 330,000 sf, 800 jobs/5yr,180m / 4m GOF )
• Amazon (
1350 jobs / 5 yr, 135 m / 3.5m GOF, 850k Tobacco )
• Albany Industries
( 335 uphols jobs , 300k GOF, no Tobacco )
• Jammin.com ( from Tustin, California to Rocky Mount, Va )
• Vaughan Bassett ( 115 jobs, 8 m / 331k )
In reacting to the decision by John D. Bassett, III of
Vaughan Bassett Furniture to compete with the Chinese,
Rob Spilman, CEO of Bassett Furniture and chairman
of NCI, said….
“We’ve ( Bassett Furniture ) been a public company
since 1930 with shareholders that have to get profits…..At
the end of the day, we are not a social experiment”
“He’s ( J. D. Bassett ) managed to keep more of his
production than most anybody else…which took a lot of
tenacity and guts….
“But that’s what you’re going to do if you have your
employees and much of your family wealth tied up in the
business. “
The Premise:
Education
• Education is the engine of economic and social
mobility
• Jobs are the fuel
• An engine without fuel goes nowhere
1. Improving our schools and increasing the graduation rate are worthy goals.
2. ~The World Economic Forum ranks the U.S. educational system 26th in the world.
3. Increasing competition by opening a charter school, not increased spending on
the status quo, is the pathway to regaining our educational advantage. The
American Dream is about competition, not maintaining a public monopoly.
4. If graduates cannot find a job, the situation is comparable to losing a job. Not
having a job is demoralizing but walking out of school with a degree and no
prospect of a job is even worse.
5. * Continuing to produce college graduates with growing tuition debt knowing that
there are no jobs for them is creating false hope.
Sources:
* “Education / Student Debt”, Time Magazine, October 31, 2011
~ ”Yes Wall Street Helps the Poor”, Newsweek Magazine, October 31, 2011
Tough
Love
Education - Strategy
•
Each local school board adds a 160 hr. unpaid opportunity internship to all of its diploma
offerings for graduation. High school student must satisfy this requirement during
nonschool hours ( weekends, nights or summers ) during their junior and senior years.
Internship is a pass / fail experience focused on customer service skills and molding self
worth. Employer gets 160 hrs of free labor: local annual economic impact:
700 x 160 x
$ 9 = $ 900,000 per graduating class
•
Both school boards and governing bodies embrace a legislative proposal which requires a
high school diploma as a prequalification to obtain a driver’s license
•
Post the weight levels of each k-12 student on the report card twice a year
•
Develop a charter school which is free of local and state regulations funded by Harvest
•
Develop a technology school offering high tech and trade level programs funded by Harvest
•
A merged city / county public school system
•
Provide access to job search and educational enrichment through full time hours at existing
public libraries. Open a northern and southern elementary school library on Saturday and
Sunday afternoons.
Innovation
• Competition
• Innovation just does not happen in a
laboratory….it happens on a factory
floor…experimenting plus failure plus
experimenting produces innovation
• Fab labs
• Steve Jobs
Summary of the Plan
•
Provide an additional layer of incentives to recruit new industry funded by the Harvest Foundation.
three funding partners of the EDC will expect a more aggressive strategy and performance in job
recruitment
•
Opportunity fees paid back to Harvest by the employee in any job created by Harvest. Opportunity short
term loans, not grants, to new / existing company funded by Harvest.
•
Unpaid internships for high school seniors, as a diploma requirement, to mold work ethic and self worth
•
Post student weight levels on report cards to alert parents of their responsibility for diet and exercise.
•
Expect candidates for job training / placement services and safety net recipients to pass a drug screening
•
Create a technical school to train skills needed by new industry and a charter school to provide competition
with public schools both funded by Harvest
•
Resume the study to determine why a joint city / county school system will not work.
•
Add two new Board of Director positions to the Harvest Foundation to be filled by individuals who
contributed a day’s or week’s pay to build the hospital
•
City Council and Board of Supervisors will explain its economic development plan at the start of each year.
Taxpayer Association and MHC Chamber of Commerce will convene a Jobs Forum twice a year to receive
a detail accounting of the progress from our elected and appointed leaders
The
How Do We
Harvest
Those Values ?
• We need to invest in jobs.
• Gainfully employed citizens lift themselves
and their fellow men up.
• Jobs will support the nonprofits.
• Our priority should be about getting people
back to work
“I find the great thing in this world is not so much
where we stand, as in what direction we are
moving”
“To reach the port of heaven, we must sail
sometimes with the wind and sometimes against
it, but we must sail, and not drift nor lie at anchor “
Oliver Wendell Holmes
After 17 years of decline, are we
drifting
or
sailing
?
What Can You Do ?
• Lobby Harvest Foundation to turn the emphasis
to economic development
• Send a message to your city councilperson or
supervisor to expect a higher level of
performance from the 1.8 million annual
investment
• Send a message to your school board
representative that we need to hold parents
more accountable for the moral, physical and
cognitive development of their child during the k12 years