It was to be the future of economic development in Christian County. But the future never arrived.
Between 2011 and 2013, officials in Nixa, Ozark and Christian County came together to discuss how they could help create jobs in northern Christian County, specifically. Through a combination of public and private dollars, they pitched in to pay Austin, Texas-based consultant TIP Strategies nearly $70,000 to review the area’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats related to job growth.
With a green light from the consultant, the stakeholders – including city staff members and the chambers of commerce in Nixa and Ozark – began taking steps to form the Christian County coalition. But almost immediately, they became squeamish about forking over more dough, said Nixa Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Marc Truby.
“It came down to, ‘Who’s going to put up the money to hire an economic development director?’ and ‘Where’s this building going to be and how is it going to be built?’” he said. “That’s when everything went downhill fast.”
Truby said the long-standing rivalry between Nixa and Ozark also came into play.
“There’s a little tit-for-tat with Ozark and a rivalry there,” he said. “It really isn’t deep, but there is a divide.”
Ozark Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Dori Grinder said the tens of thousands of dollars needed to create a coalition were prohibitive.
“I think we were just seeing the dollar signs and thinking, ‘Oh, that sounds like a struggle,’” Grinder said. “I don’t know that anybody wanted to throw money at an organization that isn’t working for any one community.
“How would Nixa feel if both communities put in – let’s just throw out a number – $100,000 and the very first project that gets landed is in Ozark?”
Funding realitiesStill, she said, the information wasn’t wasted because TIP Strategies’ data provided each community insights.
“It was a kick in the pants to let us know what assets and what opportunities there are to address issues in maybe a different manner,” she said.
One key finding in 2013 was a local economic development group or individual director could advocate for state funding for infrastructure improvements.
TIP Strategies said expansions of state highways 14 and CC were sorely needed to attract daytime jobs in the bedroom communities home to many health care professionals working in Springfield – a need local leaders identified years ahead of the report.
Grinder said a partial expansion of Highway CC was in the works without an economic development group in place, as was a diverging diamond intersection on U.S. Highway 65.
Though those are not the big expansions of CC and Highway 14 that leaders in Christian County would like to see in the future, Grinder said those plans have been a reminder that a formal group might not be necessary.
“That’s been part of it, too – ‘Let’s see some of this through before throwing money at a problem that isn’t a problem yet,’” Grinder said. “It’s also not free money. You typically have to match those funds.”
Truby agrees there has been no pressing reason to establish the development group. He said with current state funding shortfalls projected for Missouri highways, it could be five to seven years or more before full expansions of CC and 14 have funding in place.
“That highway system is not going to get changed overnight,” he said.
“We’re going to be on the backburner for a little while with getting four lanes out to 65.”
Ozark City Administrator Steve Childers said the Christian County stakeholders meet informally under the loosely organized Christian County Economic Coalition, which existed before TIP Strategies’ recommendations. He said ideas for the Ozark business incubator and for long-term strategic planning efforts for the cities were born out of conversations the Texas consultants helped spur. Ozark officials plan to begin the city’s first foray into long-term planning in June.
“Everything ties back to economic development,” Childers said.
County perspectivesChristian County Presiding Commissioner Ray Weter said establishing an economic development group is not a priority for the county.
“Our two largest municipalities, Ozark and Nixa, their chambers leave very few rocks unturned. They do a great job,” Weter said.
He said the county’s three commissioners are active in the Ozarks Transportation Organization, a regional infrastructure-planning group, making one of the key functions of an economic development director unnecessary. Also, Weter said other top priorities at the county level include a switch to first-class status.
“Anytime you take on another salary, you have to add 30 percent to the cost for benefits; you have to provide office space, telephone, (information technology), and right now, the big issue in contention is where we’d have space for a new circuit judge,” Weter said.
Jonas Arjes, business development director of the 3-year-old Taney County Partnership, said having buy-in from both public and private partners has been key to establishing a development group in Taney County.
TCP has 10 public partners and 25 private partners that serve as a resource for business owners and developers in the county. However, the group has yet to attract any companies employing workers year-round – a driving force behind the partnership.
Arjes said TCP recently assisted National Enzyme Co.’s expansion plans in Forsyth and Wisconsin-based Menard Inc.’s efforts to build a home-improvement store in Hollister.
“Our focus from a proactive standpoint is [increasing] the year-round employment base. From a reactive standpoint, we assist businesses small and large, any business that is looking to invest capital and create jobs within Taney County,” Arjes said, noting the partners view TCP as a long-term initiative.
Private partners in TCP include Akers & Arney, BKD LLP, Branson Airport and DeWitt & Associates Inc., and Arjes said business commitments begin at $2,500 per year. Towns such as Rockaway Beach and Merriam Woods have committed $500 a year, while the cities of Hollister and Branson have chipped in $5,000 a year.
Arjes is one of two paid staff members, and the Branson Area Chamber of Commerce covers compensation and office space.
Arjes said an economic development coalition could be important for Christian County because developers don’t care about regional rivalries.
“Businesses don’t look at political boundaries. They’re trying to find a place where it makes sense for them to do business,” he said.
Officials in Christian County are leaving that door open.
“Nothing is off the table when it comes to economic development,” Weter said.
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