Development. If you live in eastern Idaho, you are certainly familiar with the word and everything it brings with it. From the towering new apartment complexes constantly being raised in Rexburg to the new Sand Creek Commons in Ammon to the new Portneuf Health Trust Amphitheater in Pocatello, development is abundant in eastern Idaho, and it’s only going to continue if Jan Rogers has anything to say about it.
Rogers was named the new CEO of the Regional Economic Development of Eastern Idaho, or REDI, just a few short months ago, but she has already lit a fire with REDI that has the promise of burning very brightly.
“This organization’s job is to market the region to provide new opportunity for new business and existing business and to help the communities close the deals,” Rogers said, adding that REDI is not meant to replace the economic development groups already in the region. “We’re not the ones doing the deals – we’re the ones who drive the opportunity.
REDI can’t make promises on behalf of the cities and counties to businesses that are potentially interested in the area, but it can facilitate and coordinate in their behalf. Rogers said the tipping point for businesses often comes down to how the business representatives feel about the community, something the presentation of the community can have a large impact on.
She said economic development is a team sport, meaning it benefits no one to tear down neighboring communities or cities while trying to convince businesses to settle in the area.
“One of the things I’m trying to reinforce in the region is that we’re not really competing against one another; we’re competing for the business,” she said. “At the end of the day, you’re going to win on your own merit [as a community].”
REDI’s focus is developing messages about eastern Idaho so people who might not have previously considered or even thought of the region would look further into it.
Rogers said eastern Idaho is often portrayed as a gateway to the Tetons and Yellowstone National Park, but it is much more than just a gateway to other destinations; it is a destination.
“We have things here that nobody else has,” she said, going on to list area attractions such as Grand Targhee, Island Park, Craters of the Moon and the Saint Anthony Sand Dunes. “We own research and development. We have more dollars in research and development than anywhere else in the state – part of that’s by virtue of the face we have a national lab; however, we also have ISU, University Place and BYU-Idaho.”
Rogers said the universities in the area, particularly ISU and BYU-Idaho, are a major draw for companies and talent alike as those two universities alone have 30,000 students registering between them per semester.
Because bringing in new businesses or even expanding existing business creates a greater demand for talent in the area, it’s important to those businesses that the community will continue to fill the talent pipeline.
One way REDI is planning to attract talent to the area is through their new website, www.easternidaho.org. The site, which is still a work in progress, will be largely for business development, but will also have talent attraction elements, including a large area attraction section and a list by industry sector of companies throughout the region.
“As we move forward, we’re not going to try to attract new business development without attracting new talent at the same time,” Rogers said. “You really can’t have one without doing the other.”
About Jan Rogers
Before becoming REDI’s CEO, Jan Rogers spent 14 years as the executive director for the Southern Idaho Economic Development Organization. She has served as the president of the Idaho Economic Development Association and is currently on the board of directors of the International Economic Development Council. Rogers has also participated as a panelist at several national, state and local economic development conferences.
A Showreel for the Region
In the fall of 2015, Harris Publishing (parent company of EIB and Idaho Falls magazine) produced a video package for Gallatin Public Affairs to help promote East Idaho as a destination for top tech talent, especially in careers related to nuclear energy research. Give it a look and let us know what you think!