June Economic Outlook

Economic Outlook
Written by Ashley Hull

Economic Outlook
Mini-Cassia Economic Development Commission
Sherri Miles, Chair

Here we are almost six months or half way into 2010 and it seems that companies are starting to look at relocating their businesses again. For those of us in economic development January 2010 was sluggish with only two Requests for Information (RFI).

In February 2010 we received one RFI from the State of Idaho, Department of Commerce that we were unable to meet their criteria.

In March 2010 I received one lead from another community in our region, but we were unable to meet the criteria required.

April 2010 has been much busier with three RFI's from the State of Idaho, Department of Commerce and we have been able to submit proposals on all three.

So far in May 2010 we have received two RFI's, one from the state and one from Southern Idaho Economic Development Organization (SIEDO). We were unable to send a proposal for the RFI from the state because we could not meet the criteria, but sent in proposals on five properties in the Mini-Cassia area on the SIEDO lead.

The call I received in March 2010 from Shoshone was to see if we had anything in our area to meet the criteria for a company they had been working with. Instead of telling the company that they were unable to meet their criteria and watch them walk out the door they continued to work with them. Shoshone understood the benefit of having that company continue to look in Southern Idaho and if there was nothing in Southern Idaho then do everything in their/our power to at least find them a location somewhere in Idaho. It turned out that, after researching possible properties and buildings, we were unable to meet the company's criteria as well, but I contacted some other communities in Southern Idaho and we were able to find property and a building in another community in Southern Idaho that last time I checked was moving forward.

We would love all the new company's to be in our city, but if not in our city then in our county, and if not in our county then in our region, and if not in our region at least somewhere in the State of Idaho. The lesson here would be that the Southern Idaho economic developers work together as a team to grow Southern Idaho and the Great State of Idaho.