RROC looks to promote smart growth
Plan part of new strategy
“RROC NEEDS TO REPOSITION ITSELF AS A LEADER IN THE COMMUNITY TO ADVANCE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.”
JOHN LEE
The Regina Regional Opportunities Commission (RROC) is going back to the drawing board to devise a new economic development strategy for the Regina area, according to president and CEO John Lee, who took over the top job at RROC a year ago.
While the new strategy will share many of the targets and goals of the plan developed by RROC under previous CEO Larry Hiles, there will be some major changes in direction, Lee said in a recent interview with The Leader-Post.
The broad outlines of that new strategy are contained in the RROC 2015 business plan. “Our business plan has been approved and we’re now just looking forward in the coming months to meet with various stakeholders to let them know what our long-term plan is,’’ said Lee, who came to RROC after serving as president and CEO of Communities of Tomorrow, a governmentindustry partnership to foster innovation in municipal infrastructure.
Last year RROC’s board of directors, which had three new members, and the City of Regina, including Mayor Michael Fougere, wanted to refocus RROC, which started out in the 1990s as the Regina Regional Economic Development Authority and has since taken over responsibility for tourism.
“In late 2013, the board and the city established a new direction for RROC. They wanted to take a step back and address three or four things,’’ including supporting the Official Community Plan, which anticipates the city’s population reaching 300,000 by 2040, Lee said.
Lee said the business plan outlines the “key strategic areas” that RROC will focus on in the next year or so as it develops a new economic strategy for the region. In doing, RROC will work closely with other stakeholders, like the Regina & District Chamber of Commerce, Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters, U of R and Regina Hotel Association.
“RROC needs to reposition itself as a leader in the community to advance economic development,’’ Lee said. “In order for us to be successful, it’s absolutely required that we work with other partners.’’
Lee said RROC spent some time studying other successful economic development agencies, which he said was an “eye-opener’’ for RROC staff and directors.
“The biggest thing we came away with from that was basically a new approach that targets ... ‘smart growth.’ That’s where, within the region, the community really (has) some strategic and competitive strengths.’’
The idea is to focus on sectors or industries where the region has a cluster of companies or “hub.” An example of a hub in the Regina region might be implement manufacturing and steel fabrication, food processing and fertilizer production, information technology and data processing. Tourism, especially events and attractions, like Agribition and the Farm Progress Show, is another strategic hub that can be developed further.
RROC’s ‘smart growth’ approach is fully endorsed by Mayor Fougere. “We have to build on our strengths. We have to build on companies that are already here and sustain that growth,’’ said Fougere, who worked in the area of economic development for years. “It’s a good plan.’’
Lee noted that 99 per cent of net employment growth comes from startup businesses or expansions of existing businesses, while only one per cent comes from attracting news businesses to the region. But RROC still needs to find out why Regina has strengths in certain areas and not others.
“We want to establish some market intelligence around what we currently have in the region and (use that) to help form opportunities for businesses in the region. Where are there gaps in the marketplace in some of the bigger growth sectors that local companies might be able to fill?’’