Independents Working for You agree focusing on economic development for Delta is a good idea and hiring staff for that specific purpose is a good step towards making business growth a priority.
Having a staff lead supports making city hall accountable in its supports for economic initiatives.
“For an economic development office to have an impact; however, we need more, we need to understand the economic issues our business sectors face and have a strategic plan to drive our investment to support our local economy,” said council candidate Garry Shearer in a news release. “Our world is changing fast; the way we do business has to keep pace. New companies and business models are forming rapidly. The multi-million-dollar enterprises of tomorrow didn’t exist 10 years ago. Traditional companies are outsourcing, integrating their supply management into their manufacturing and taking advantage of new distribution models. To survive in our new global marketplace Delta businesses, need to adapt and be supported in leveraging these developments. Like it or not we have to change the way we do business, and that includes city hall.”
Shearer has helped build companies and negotiate sales of companies in Delta.
“It’s important not just to follow the trends in business but to recognize the talent, space and opportunity that Delta brings to economic development, business attraction and retention,” he said. With our unique advantages, Delta can compete with any jurisdiction to attract and build new businesses.”
An economic development platform needs a plan that includes a collaborative business approach. Economic development initiatives need to be driven by a strategic plan.
“For example, as part of our economic strategy, we want to attract more high-tech companies to Delta,” he adds.
Why more high-tech companies?
- Adds high-value jobs in Delta
- Green businesses that can co-exist with our farming culture
- Rapid growth versus traditional business
- Tend to multiply and spin-off more high-tech business
- Four local jobs created for every high-tech job.
As a campaign commitment, Independents Working For You will:
- Provide the same strategic initiative with each of the business sectors in Delta
- Drive our local economy through discussion and collaboration with each of these sectors
- Understand the “why” then the “how” and “what” to become clear and relevant in the implementation of Delta’s economic development plan
Plans need the human resources to implement, the city will hire a dedicated person for this and partner with business leaders in the community to make a competitive advantage for Delta.
