Small Town Strategies for Regional Work
Bo Beaulieu
Southern Rural Development Center – Mississippi State University
Webinar Overview
 Defining what we mean by region
 Types of regions
 Why a regional approach
 Features of successful regions
 Components of the SET (Stronger
Economies Together) Program
 Examples of SET regional efforts
 SET metrics
 What’s ahead with SET: Phase IV
Q&A
DEFINING A REGION:
DIFFERENT APPROACHES
What is a Region?
 Geographical area of similar
characteristics:


Similar within
Different from other places
 Place with a unique identity and
meaning
Types of Regions
 Functional
 Economic
 Political
 Administrative
 Data
 “Issue”
Each of these regions is valid.
Which one you use simply depends on
what you are attempting to do.
Why a Regional
Approach?
Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack
“I have reached the conclusion
that we must overhaul our
approach to economic
development in rural America.
The framework of the new effort
recognizes that the rural economy
of tomorrow will be a regional
economy. No one community will
prosper in isolation.”
Do you agree with Secretary
Vilsack? Why or why not?
Why a Regional Approach?
Promotes the Three Cs:
 Conversation
 Connection
 Capacity
Source: Council on Competitiveness (2010)
KEY FEATURES OF
SUCCESSFUL
REGIONS
Features of Successful Regions
•
Leaders that recognize new realities of
economic development
•
Commitment to collaboration
•
Global view
•
Understanding of current strengths and
weaknesses
•
Flexibility and adaptability
Features of Successful Regions
•
Capacity to respond; the structure to
support activities
•
Comprehensive view of development
•
Mechanism for continuously searching for
opportunities
•
Way to document impact
Rating Your Region: Taking Stock
Needs Lots
of Work
Mixed
Reviews
In Pretty
Good Shape
An Introduction to SET
Purpose of SET
Help rural communities/counties
work together as a regional team in
developing and implementing an
economic development blueprint
that builds on the current and
emerging economic strengths of
their region.
When Launched? Summer 2010
States Currently Part of SET
SET Regions:
A Bottom-Up Approach
SET
states
selected
State
Partner &
Training
Teams
mobilized
Counties &
communities
invited to
apply as a
SET region
Regions
defined by
applicants
State Partner
Teams review
applications and
submit
recommendations
to USDA RD
USDA RD
finalizes
list of
successful
applicants
SET regions
announced;
work with
regions
begins
Reaching Rural Places:
Current SET Counties
n = 233
Counties Involved in SET:
Facing Key Challenges
Percent
60
n = 233
50
50.2
40
30
31.8
30.9
20
26.2
27
Population Loss
Mfg.
Dependent
10
0
Low Education Low Employment
Persistent
Poverty
Note: Based on the ERS 2004 County Typology Codes
What SET Provides Regional Teams
Technical
Assistance
Training
Data &
Analysis
Peer-to-Peer
Networking
SET Core Training Modules
The Basics
The SET Initiative:
An Introduction
Gearing Up
Building a Strong
Regional Team
Resources &
Strategies
Focusing on
Regional
Comparative
Advantage
Moving Into
Action
Planning for
Success
Exploring Strategies
for Enhancing the
Regional Economy
Profiling Your
Region
Developing Your
Vision and
Goals
Discovering Assets
& Barriers
Measuring for
Success
Bringing Information to the Table
 Current county and/or
community economic
development plans
 Demographic profile
 Analysis of economic
clusters
The North Carolina Eastern Triangle
Review the NCET Data
 Study the handout
 Identify information that you
found most interesting
 What impact might such data
have on the economic
development planning by a
regional team?
Clusters in Your Region
 What is the nature of the clusters that you are most
familiar with in your region (that is, the region you
most closely identify with)?
 Stars
 Emerging
 Maturing
 Transitioning
 What clusters do you think are most dominant in
rural areas of the U.S. right now?
Selecting Clusters:
A Locally-Driven Process
Provide
regional
team
with list
of 22
possible
clusters
Regional
team
determines
possible
clusters
(both
current &
emerging)
Detailed
data &
analysis
generated
on the
possible
clusters
Regional
team
studies data
Weighs
clusters
based on
local
resources,
values,
priorities
Cluster(s)
to pursue
determined
Valueadded
activities
explored
• Creation
• Attraction
• Retention
• Expansion
Interpreting Data on Clusters
Change in
Percentage of
Jobs in Industry
over Time
Moving Up or Down
Understanding Changes
Relative Concentration of Industry
in the Region Compared to the Nation
Moving Left or Right
Percent Change in Jobs over Time
Emerging
Stars
Growth in % Jobs over Time
Growth in % Jobs over Time
Lower Concentration of Industry in
Region
Higher Concentration of Industry in
Region
Transitional
Mature
Decline in % of Jobs over Time
Decline in % of Jobs over Time
Lower Concentration of Industry in
Region
Higher Concentration of Industry in
Region
Location Quotient: Measure of Concentration of Industry
The Leaky Bucket
Goods or Services
Purchased outside of
the Region
The Regional
Economy
Plugging the Leaks
Regional
Supplier
Regional
Demand
Outside
Supplier
Looking at Regional Expenditures
Strengthening Clusters through
Import Substitution
Seek to Identify:
 Industries that support the cluster
 Goods and services being purchased from
outside the region
 Capacity for supplying these inputs
regionally
 Resources needed to help promote the
capacity of local firms to supply inputs
needed by the cluster(s)
C.A.R.E for the Cluster
Attraction
Retention
Creation
Expansion
Cluster
Strengthening
Source: Barta, et al (2010) CARE Model
Examples of SET Regional Efforts
Western Nevada Development District
 9 counties
 Combination of metro and nonmetro counties
 Received $45,000 grant from the Nevada Governor’s
Office to help pursue the SET effort
 SET forced leaders to think beyond the “usual
suspects” by adding new interest groups
 Helped ease the tension between urban and rural
 Business and Financial Services, Energy/Mining,
Arts/Recreation/Entertainment, and Agriculture
selected as key clusters
Lower Rio Grande Valley
Regional Small Cities Coalition (Texas)
 4 counties in a highly impoverished region of TX
 Regional group that was only one year old or less
 Brought city managers and others from smaller towns
and rural areas together
 Felt they had more in common with one another than
with the larger metro areas
 Focus is on basic regional needs – such as housing,
transportation, education, workforce development.
Raton Basin Regional Economic
Development District
 Borders New Mexico and Colorado
 3 counties (10,137 square miles)
 New regional team; new connections made among
members
 SET was a catalyst to shift away from declining coal
industry towards a focus on agriculture and tourism
 SET increased their grant activities (i.e., Job Accelerator
Grant application)
 “We used to be locally focused, but because of SET, we
now understand how we all benefit from a regional
approach”
SET is Helping to . . .
• Promote broad-based engagement
• Build trust/social capital
• Produce regional plans
• Strengthen working relationships with
RD, Extension, EDA, and others
• Leverage resources
Expanding Engagement
Membership: Increased from 464 to 1,679 members in the 39 regions (+ 362%)
Produce a Regional Plan
. . . the most remarkable thing about the
regional partnership is that a group of
individuals have, out of their own initiative
and drive, created a vision -- and from that
vision have developed a plan that will
support economic development in this
region for years and generations to come.
SET Regional Team Member
GOAL of the SET Program:
Develop and Implement a High Quality Plan
Evidence-Based
Aligned with
Vision & Goals
Practical
Team’s
Regional
Plan
Focused on
Regional
Economic
Development
Broadly
Supported
Strengthen Working Relationships:
RD and Extension Service
Never
Pre-SET
Networked
Coordinated
17
Cooperated
57
Collaborated
4
9
Low
Post-SET
High
35
0%
9
20%
30
40%
35
60%
80%
100%
Leveraging Resources
 Phase I and II: $5,642,387
 Phase III: $355,518
 Total Amount of Funds
Captured to Date:
$ 5,997,905
What’s Ahead for SET?
New Regions to be Selected in2013
 Expand SET to about 12 new regions in 2013
 Proposals are due March 1
 Want more information regarding Phase IV? Go to:
http://srdc.msstate.edu/set/phase4.html
 Build stronger ties with federal agencies that share
a commitment to regional innovation
 EDA
 Partnership for Sustainable Communities
Time for More Questions !