WEST PALM BEACH — Looking to emulate the Tampa Bay Partnership's "stunning success" in landing grants and building relationships, the Economic Council of Palm Beach County brought the partnership's president to town Wednesday to share his strategy.
The breakfast meeting at the West Palm Beach Marriott was the third of three led by outside experts and designed to spur interest in building a vision for Palm Beach County.
Stu Rogel explained that Tampa Bay's partnership unites eight west Florida counties. With a combined population of 4 million and a workforce of 1.9 million, it is the country's 14th largest media market. The region is home to 25 percent of the state's legislature, Rogel said.
Kind of an economic development arm on steroids, the partnership convenes leaders on such issues as water, transportation and education. It created and publishes a community score card that compares the region's economic performance against Atlanta, Charlotte, N.C., Dallas, Jacksonville and Raleigh-Durham, N.C.
In 2007, the partnership joined five planning agencies in a massive effort to create a vision for Tampa Bay.
In one team-building exercise, 300 community leaders placed Lego blocks representing jobs and resources on tables. "No one could leave the table until all the Legos were placed," Rogel said.
Rogel said more than 10,000 people participated in some way in creating a vision for Tampa Bay. The cost of the effort: $350,000.
To be sure, the Tampa Bay region has been battered by the economic downturn: The housing bubble and unemployment are real challenges there.
The key is to set a course, he said. And it took business leaders to get everyone to the table.
The toughest group to get involved was the public sector, Rogel said.
Business leaders told their contacts, "I need you to be there," he said. And now: "We're hearing the elected officials say, 'Wow, this is pretty important.' "
Which brings the question of what is next for Palm Beach County.
The Economic Council is seeking agreement on, essentially, a plan to make a plan. After the meeting, Council President Mike Jones outlined a few possibilities:
- Assembling the strategic plans of all the players, looking for overlap.
- Adapting the town meeting approach used in Tampa Bay.
- Determining key areas of development and focusing on what it takes to advance them.
"We can do this. It's one step at a time," Economic Council Chair Laurie Silvers told the 80 business and nonprofit leaders assembled. "If nothing else, this shows it can be done."
