CONTINUING COVERAGE
The Journal-News is committed to covering regional economic development.
Past stories on the former Cincinnati USA Partnership, now-named REDI Cincinnati, include:
October 2013: Local governments: Source of Cincinnati Partnership's troubles related to JobsOhio rollout
October 2013: Cincinnati Partnership driving results, former director says
February 2014: The "new" Ohio development department looks for its focus
March 2014: Region's top development agency makes changes
April 2014: Region's top develpment agency names CEO
It’s not quite been a month since major changes were announced to the group in charge of business retention and recruitment across the Cincinnati region. But in that time, key business and government stakeholders say they like the progress they’re seeing at the agency, recently renamed REDI Cincinnati.
The changes to create an independent advisory board and get more CEO involvement at REDI are moves in the right direction, say economic development directors for local governments in Butler County.
“We’re anxious to see them be successful,” said Jody Gunderson, Hamilton economic development director. “The reality is if they’re successful at what they do, Hamilton will benefit.”
Regional Economic Development Initiative (REDI) Cincinnati is a private nonprofit responsible for leading the region’s activities to foster job creation. In Ohio, it coordinates economic development in Brown, Butler, Clermont, Hamilton and Warren counties.
It is an arm of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber of Commerce.
The agency’s responsibilities and leadership have changed in recent years.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s administration established the nonprofit JobsOhio in 2011 to lead the state’s job creation efforts. Cincinnati USA Partnership, as REDI was previously called, was named later that year one of six regional JobsOhio Network partners statewide. As such, it is the go-between for local jurisdictions and JobsOhio officials in Columbus for crafting business deals.
The private JobsOhio replaced economic development activities of the public Ohio Department of Development, since renamed Ohio Development Services Agency.
In May 2013, Ellen van der Horst, former president and chief executive officer of the Cincinnati chamber, announced plans to leave when her contract expired in early 2014. It was learned in August 2013 that Denyse Ferguson, former executive director of the Cincinnati Partnership, planned to resign. Her last day was in October.
A Journal-News investigation revealed in October 2013 widespread frustration among regional jurisdictions during the transition to JobsOhio. Community development directors cited poor communication and lack of regional collaboration during the rollout.
The same government officials also say things have since improved.
Plans were unveiled in March this year to revamp the Partnership including the name-change to REDI. Other changes include creating an executive committee comprised of representatives of the Cincinnati Business Committee, Cincinnati Regional Business Committee, local community development organizations, the regional chamber, Northern Kentucky Economic Development Corp., JobsOhio and other business leaders.
Previously, REDI’s leaders reported to the chamber of commerce’s board of directors.
Now REDI Cincinnati is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the chamber, with separate governance. The new structure means more involvement from the region’s top CEOs, Matt Davis, interim executive director of REDI, has said.
The latest turn of events came last week, when Johnna Reeder of Duke Energy was named to be the new president and chief executive officer of REDI, effective in May.
“I think the mission of the former Partnership was a large mission and very independent of the other responsibilities at the chamber of commerce,” said Tom Williams, president of North American Properties and co-owner of the Cincinnati Reds. Williams is chair of REDI’s new executive committee.
“As such, it requires a lot of CEO involvement for retention and recruitment and it also requires a fully accountable board and it needs that kind of independent autonomy with accountability,” Williams said.
“I think it was very wise for the chamber to structure it this way,” Williams said.
Cultivating CEO involvement is key to having more success at job creation, he said.
“If you really want to move people, you’ve got to get peer-to-peer solicitation,” he said.
Next steps to move REDI forward include confirming the rest of the members of the new independent board of directors, and re-branding the organization, Davis said.
“We hope to see that it continues to improve and (it) seems like they’re in some ways growing into their own skin from the perspective it was a new way of running economic development with JobsOhio and they being the regional representative of JobsOhio,” said Gunderson, of Hamilton.
“What I really hope to see is a lot more business recruitment activity, and very much so for the targeted industries we’ve identified,” Gunderson said.
“In some sectors I think they’re stronger than others in our recruitment efforts. If I would help them understand anything as it relates to Hamilton, (it’s that) we’re extremely creative in ways of making projects work. It’s not a one size fits all for us. We try to truly understand what a business needs and how we might be able to work with them.”
On March 20, it was announced that five Cincinnati-area organizations focused on business and economic growth — the Cincinnati USA chamber, REDI, Port of Greater Cincinnati Development Authority, Cincinnati Business Committee and the Cincinnati Regional Business Committee — have agreed to co-locate in a downtown Cincinnati office building at 3 E. Fourth St.
REDI is funded by the public and private sector, and the new structure and focus is even more conducive to working together, said Caroline McKinney, economic development director of Liberty Twp. and former Cincinnati Partnership staffer.
“We need all the businesses involved, but we need all the communities involved at the table too to pull in the same direction,” McKinney said.
Middletown Economic Development Director Denise Hamet thinks collaboration is important, saying “it’s a good trend of getting different economic development agencies working together.”
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