Sparks City Council Meeting 4/25/2016 2:00:00 PM

    Monday, April 25, 2016 2:00 PM
    Council Chambers, Legislative Bldg, 745 Fourth St, Sparks

General Business: 9.2

Title: Presentation, discussion, direction to staff, and potential approval of the new Smarter Region economic development brand vision statement. TIME CERTAIN AT 2:30 p.m.
Petitioner/Presenter: Steve Driscoll/Sparks Councilman Ed Lawson, Reno Councilman David Bobzien, Washoe County Commissioner Bob Lucey, WCSD Trustee Veronica Frenkel, University Regent Jason Geddes
Recommendation: Staff seeks approval of the new regional economic development brand vision statement and direction to staff to continue working cooperatively to implement its ramifications.
Financial Impact: 0
Business Impact (Per NRS 237):
     A Business Impact Statement is not required because this is not a rule.
Agenda Item Brief:

The IBM Final Report Recommendation #4 stressed the need for our region to develop a single strong identity around economic development.  Although our community has had a plethora of slogans through the years, we have not created a shared vision that identifies the important economic features that differentiate the region from our competition and positions us to attract industries and jobs.  Significant public outreach was conducted in 2013-2014 to assist in determining our region’s understanding of its economic attributes and opportunities, and, based on those, identify common findings that could be used to formulate a regional vision for economic development. The culmination of the process was the impaneling of a The Smarter Region Economic Development Brand Vision subcommittee comprised of elected officials from Reno, Sparks, Washoe County, Washoe County School District, and the Nevada System of Higher Education who used the findings to create a new regional brand vision statement. At this time, approval is sought for the proposed regional brand vision statement with direction to staff to continue working cooperatively to implement its ramifications.



Background:

IBM’s Final Report (Spring 2013) recommended that the City of Reno, the original IBM Smarter Cities grantee, consider “university town” as a meaningful economic identity. However, when the Smarter Cities project expanded into Smarter Region, it became necessary to develop a shared vision for a regional identity. The 11 entities which are participating in Smarter Region and collaborated on the process to develop a new regional economic development identity are (in alphabetical order):

  1. The Chamber
  2. City of Reno
  3. City of Sparks
  4. Desert Research Institute
  5. Economic Development Authority of Western Nevada
  6. Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority
  7. Truckee Meadows Community College
  8. Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Agency
  9. Washoe County
  10. Washoe County School District
  11. University of Nevada, Reno

Determining a regional economic development vision plays a fundamental role in the implementation of the Smarter Region project. The vision will become the goal that the public- and private-sector entities listed above strive to achieve. It will align the entities’ economic development strategies, outreach and messaging. The vision will influence the “marching orders” for our regional development authority as well as define the focus of the planned regional data utility.



Analysis:

A shared regional brand vision should accomplish specific goals. It should state a unique promise, should position against competition, and should drive transaction. A brand vision is not a slogan, a tag line, or a logo. Finally, a brand vision needs to have proofs: it needs to show that it is what it says it is.

The Smarter Region Economic Development Brand Vision Subcommittee met on March 4 and August 28, 2015. The subcommittee members used the “Summary of Community Focus Groups” to develop a proposed regional economic development brand vision statement. The proposed statement is:

“We are pioneers, innovators and risk takers. We embrace those with the determination to get business done today while setting their sights on the possibilities of a bold, new tomorrow.”

If approved, the new economic development vision will be used by each of the 11 entities in the Smarter Region project to develop or update individual action/strategic plans that support the statement: this will align the region towards a common goal which will take commitment and hard work. Each entity in the Smarter Region will identify the attributes or principles that should cascade down into the entity’s ongoing priorities, operations, and behaviors.  By working in alignment, our local governments, K-12 education, higher education, the Airport Authority, Regional Planning, and the private sector will be more effective and successful in positioning the region for continued economic growth and prosperity. 

Previous Actions:

June 2013: Acceptance of the IBM Smarter Cities Final Report and approvals from Sparks, Washoe County, the Washoe County School District and the Nevada System of Higher Education to participate in Smarter Region, a new collaborative regional initiative

April 2014: Direction to staff to undertake broad community outreach, including elected officials, to gather information regarding the development of a new regional economic development brand vision

February 2014: Acceptance of the “Summary of Community Focus Groups”  and appointment of an elected official from Reno (David Bobzien), Sparks (Ed Lawson), Washoe County (Bob Lucey), Washoe County School District (Veronica Frenkel), and Nevada System of Higher Education (Jason Geddes) to the Smarter Region Economic Development Brand Vision Subcommittee



Alternatives:

The Council could move to not approve the vision statement.

The Council could move to modify the vision statement.



Recommended Motion:

I move to approve the Smarter Region Economic Development Brand Vision subcommittee's proposed vision statement.



Attached Files:
     Smarter Region BRAND STATEMENT_APRIL 2016_FINAL REV.pdf
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