Congratulations to the two winners of October/November Photo Contest.  Katie Lewandowski received 1st place and $100 in Ravenna Area ChamberBucks for their photo, "Bountiful Harvest".  Robin Keilig received 2nd place and $50 in ChamberBucks for their photo,  "Harvest's Golden Glow". All photos from the Photo Contest will soon be posted on Flickr.  

The theme for December is Winter Wonderland, so submit your photo for a chance to win ChamberBucks!  The deadline for submitting photos is December 21st at 5:00 p.m. NOTE: Photos need not be taken recently. You may submit photos from years past so long as they fit the Winter Wonderland theme. You can email your photo to development@myravenna.com

Thank you to all who submitted photos and to those who voted!  Photos will be used in various online and print publications used to promote our community. 

The survey for the Fall Harvest community photo contest is available.  To vote for your favorite photo, CLICK HERE. This will redirect you to a simple multiple choice question along with all of the photo's submitted for the current theme.

The first place winner will receive $100 in Ravenna ChamberBucks and the second place winner will receive $50 in ChamberBucks.  Voting will end Friday September 30th at 5:00 pm.  And don't  forget to submit your favorite Winter photo for the upcoming photo contest! 

On November 28th at 6 pm, REDC will host the first of a series of “How To” sessions for Ravenna residents. Our first subject: QuickBooks. QuickBooks is an industry-standard bookkeeping software used by many of our local business-owners. It also happens to be software that presents unavoidable challenges if one simply tries to use it without any training or assistance. There is a registration fee of $25, which will be refunded to participants after the course is complete. To register for this great learning opportunity, ask questions, or offer suggestions for additional “How To” sessions, please stop by my office or call me at 
452-3133.

In late October, I attended the first annual “Grow Your Own” conference in Kearney. As a group, we explored entrepreneurship-based economic development models that are revitalizing many communities across the nation, the rural Midwest in particular. Traditional economic development methods are not as effective as they once were and are especially costly for rural communities. By fostering entrepreneurship, we will reap tremendous benefits as a community. In many ways, the presence of 25 small businesses with 1-3 employees is more desirable that one employer with 50-75 employees, many of whom will spend the majority of their earnings in the community from which they commute. The presence of vibrant small businesses contributes to the overall quality of life for residents. They also are generally engaged and invested in their community. A local economy with a vibrant and growing crop of small businesses paired with a growing industrial sector makes for a more resilient and sustainable economy. This can come in handy assuming one day our country will face another financial crisis similar to that which we saw in the last decade.

Okay, simple enough.  But what does fostering entrepreneurship look like? For starters, let’s look our rural counterparts to see what policies and programs have worked elsewhere. Phillips County Kansas has paved the way for strong entrepreneurship-based business growth in their area. For example, they have developed a local grant program that provides cost sharing for helping existing businesses grow and to help create new businesses. It helps cost share on projects on building structure improvement, enhancement or expansion, needed equipment, and signage. The program requires matching funds and a business plan from the applicant. If REDC were to craft a similar program in Ravenna with LB840 and private funds, it would be very similar to the Business Exterior Enhancement Program (BEEP) that we implemented earlier this year. BEEP is a matching grant offered by REDC to building owners who wish to dress up their façade. Both K&B Auto and Grand View Inn utilized BEEP to enhance their storefronts and the results look great. Learning about Phillips County’s economic development program has reassured me that REDC is heading in the right direction in developing programs to help boost the local economy, spur local investment, and create jobs.

In last month’s Director’s Corner article, we outlined some of REDC’s short-term goals for the remainder of 2012 and 2013. Below we provide a brief refresher on those short-term goals and introduce our long-term goals.

Short-term Goals

1. Formation of Committees
We are forming four committees, each with a different area of focus (Agriculture, Healthcare, Education, and Business Retention/Expansion). Each committee will be composed of citizens who are knowledgeable in the relative focus areas. The intent is to allow REDC to gain insight, ideas and input from beyond the walls of our office or the walls of City Hall. It seems that too much information or personal opinions are filtered through the powers that be and this process will “remove the middle man”.

2. Workshops/Training
REDC will offer training opportunities that are open to the public. Our first session will focus on the use of QuickBooks, the industry standard for financial management for business-owners. This and other training will be advertised in the Ravenna news as well as the community website.

3. Business District Vacancies
The ratio of vacancies to occupancies in our business district is lopsided. REDC will work to fill at least one vacancy per year until the vacancy/occupancy ratio reaches a desirable level.

4. Grant Writing
We will continue to research the availability of funding and, when an opportunity is identified, pursue it with a vengeance.

Long-term Goals

1.      Enhance the Aesthetics of Grand Avenue and Community Gateways
Grand Avenue is the heart of our community and its primary thoroughfare. Its aesthetic appearance is important as it reflects our community as a whole. An attractive business district also increases foot traffic resulting in a more resilient and vibrant economic environment. REDC will continue and expand the Business Exterior Enhancement Program (BEEP). This program has already generated nearly $20,000 of private investment along Grand Avenue and it shows no signs of stopping. This program coupled with further business district development will help to improve the aesthetic quality of Grand Avenue.

2.      New and Infill Housing Development
Like most rural communities, there is a need for a diverse mix of housing types. Think of yourself or someone you know that may have struggled to find a rental in the past; this is a weekly occurrence in Ravenna. However, there is no clear indication of what type of housing is needed or where it should go. It is not wise to follow the Field of Dreams philosophy of “If we build it, they will come”. More information is needed to determine what can be done to ensure a vibrant and sustainable housing market. Following recommendations from the 2023 Comprehensive Plan, REDC will determine a course of action to address housing in Ravenna. I can say, with some certainty, that there is ample opportunity for infill development in Ravenna. This includes buildable vacant lots and dilapidated properties.

3.      Play Key Role in Improvement of Community Facilities and Assets
We recognize Ravenna is fortunate to have the amenities it does. Our goal is to be involved in the process of improving/developing community facilities because there is always room for improvement. If our key amenities and infrastructure are continuously enhanced or expanded, quality of life in Ravenna will be improved and our community will be that much more attractive for new residents and industries.

So there you have it. This is the direction REDC has set its compass by. The ultimate goal is to work towards continuously enhancing the quality of life in Ravenna. While it is important for me to inform you about the direction we are heading, it is equally important that REDC’s actions reflect these goals. Actions are louder than words. A perfect example is our BEEP project. As noted above, this incentive has spurred nearly $20,000 of private investment along Grand Avenue since its introduction earlier this year. This program has great potential to continuously enhance the aesthetics of our commercial buildings. This in turn can increase the market for local businesses, improve customer patronage, and help us to recruit new residents and industries that see we are progressively working to create a more favorable business environment.

As always, I invite you to stop by my office to discuss any ideas, concerns or questions you may have. You can also visit www.myravenna.com to find the latest news about our activities. 

Congratulations to the two winners of September/October Photo Contest.  Mark & Heidi Standage received 1st place and $100 in Ravenna Area ChamberBucks for their photo, "Team Unity by Our Boys of Fall".  The High School Yearbook Staff received 2nd place and $50 in ChamberBucks for their photo,  "Bluejay Volleyball". All photos from the Photo Contest will soon be posted on Flickr.  

The theme for November is Fall Harvest, so submit your favorite Harvest photo for a chance to win ChamberBucks!  The deadline for submitting photos is November 23rd at 5:00 p.m. You can email your photo to development@myravenna.com

Thank you to all who submitted photos and to those who voted!  Photos will be used in various online and print publications used to promote our community. 

The survey for the High School Sports community photo contest is available.  To vote for your favorite photo, CLICK HERE. This will redirect you to a simple multiple choice question along with all of the photo's submitted for the current theme.

The first place winner will receive $100 in Ravenna ChamberBucks and the second place winner will receive $50 in ChamberBucks.  Voting will end Monday October 8th at 5:00 pm.  And don't  forget to submit your favorite Harvest Photo!

After eight and a half months on the job at REDC, it seems the dust has settled. Routines have taken shape, friendships have been forged, and Ravenna truly feels like home to my family. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows though. REDC’s mission is to work towards community development in the interest of ensuring Ravenna is a great place to live, work and play. That’s a broad undertaking and it’s easy to lose track by pursuing too many objectives at once. That’s why REDC recently undertook a strategic planning process. As an organization, we needed to identify all of our goals then prioritize them. Which goals should be our focus for the remainder of 2012 and 2013? Which goals should we consider long-term in nature? How do we achieve them? These are the questions that the REDC Board of Directors and I wrestled with throughout the strategic planning process. The result is a draft strategic plan that provides clarity for our organization in terms of what we must tirelessly pursue over the next year and beyond.

The resulting strategic plan includes four short term goals, those being the focus for the remainder of 2012 and 2013. Here’s a brief rundown of each goal:

1. Formation of Committees
This seems like a no brainer; most development boards have sub-committees where Board members focus on particular aspects of development. We decided to flip this model on its head. We are forming committees that are composed of non-REDC members. We’re forming four committees, each with a different area of focus. The focus areas are Agriculture, Healthcare, Education, and Business Retention/Expansion. Each committee will be composed of people who are experts in the relative focus areas. For example, the education committee may include teachers, students, extension specialists, etc. I will setup a routine of corresponding with these individuals in an effort to gain insight that comes from beyond the walls of my office or City Hall.

2. Workshops/Training
Rural business-owners and entrepreneurs often do not have access to training and support that is needed to elevate their business, expand their market, or help them advance their entrepreneurial pursuits. REDC will offer training opportunities that are open to the public. Topic areas may include business plan development, marketing strategies, the use of technology, and technical aspects of business management such as employee regulations, taxation and bookkeeping.

3. Business District Vacancies
The ratio of vacancies to occupancies in our business district is lopsided. There needs to be some vacancies to provide an opportunity for business start-ups and expansions. There are approximately 10 vacant commercial properties in our business district. This number is too high. REDC will work to fill at least one vacancy per year until the vacancy/occupancy ratio reaches a desirable level. This may include business start-up assistance, expansion assistance, and recruitment of new businesses. This goal will require the use of LB840 funds, which REDC will begin receiving from the City of Ravenna in the next couple of months. However, the LB840 fund will take some time to build before it reaches a balance that can be used effectively to leverage capital.

4. Grant Writing
There are many financial resources available to rural communities and service organizations such as REDC. It is critical that we tap into these resources in order to be at a competitive advantage. While REDC has researched grants over the past several months, we have not been aggressive enough in doing so, nor have I been consistent in sharing my findings with my Board and City Council. We will continue to research the availability of funding and, when an opportunity is identified, pursue it with a vengeance.

In addition to these short-term goals are several long-term goals that I will discuss in next month’s Director’s Corner article. A copy of our strategic plan will soon be available on www.myravenna.com or can be picked up at my office at 318 Grand Avenue.

Last is a reminder that the current photo contest theme is “High School Sports”. The deadline for submission is this Friday at 5pm! Enter by emailing me your photos at development@myravenna.com. You could win $100 in Chamber Bucks and between you and I, your chances of winning are VERY good!