September 18, 2015

Editorial: Northern Colorado needs only one eco-devo group

The writing has been on the wall.

Word that the Northern Colorado Economic Development Corp. had ceased operations and was negotiating to transfer assets to the nascent Northern Colorado Economic Alliance — first reported by BizWest — came as no surprise to those following the two groups. Private-sector investors formed NCEA in January, and it instantly had a chilling effect on the future of the NCEDC, formed through the merger of the Fort Collins Economic Development Corp. and the Loveland Economic Development Council in 2001.

But, truly, NCEDC has been faltering for some time, with turnover in its top executive position and other woes, including reductions in public funding.

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Unlike NCEDC, the NCEA hopes to thrive solely through private-sector funds, and its service area would encompass a much broader area than NCEDC’s Larimer County focus, also embracing Weld County and perhaps beyond. The idea was to create a unified voice for economic development in Northern Colorado.

Still operating — and with a new chief executive — is Greeley-based Upstate Colorado Economic Development, focusing largely on Weld County but including communities that overlap county lines, including Berthoud, Johnstown and Windsor. Upstate benefits from a combination of private-sector and public-sector funding.

This newspaper has argued in the past that Northern Colorado’s economic-development efforts would best be served by one cohesive economic-development organization. Overlapping communities cry out for a common eco-devo approach for the two counties, and site selectors looking at the region view it as just that: a region. County lines mean nothing.

On the other hand, we believe that a Northern Colorado economic-development agency would be most successful with a mixture of public and private funding. Were Upstate and NCEA to merge, the resulting organization quickly could boast a budget of well in excess of $1 million, a reasonable start in promoting the region.

Additionally, public-sector funds can come in many forms and don’t necessarily have to be in the form of membership. Some cities promote economic development by financing studies or other specific projects with a private-sector economic-development group. This approach has worked well for several local communities and their respective economic-development agencies.

Some level of public funding can provide a solid basis of funding for an independent economic-development agency.

So what are we looking for? We believe it’s time, with NCEDC fading away, for Upstate Colorado and NCEA to negotiate on a combination. It makes sense, and it’s for the greater good.

The writing has been on the wall.

Word that the Northern Colorado Economic Development Corp. had ceased operations and was negotiating to transfer assets to the nascent Northern Colorado Economic Alliance — first reported by BizWest — came as no surprise to those following the two groups. Private-sector investors formed NCEA in January, and it instantly had a chilling effect on the future of the NCEDC, formed through the merger of the Fort Collins Economic Development Corp. and the Loveland Economic Development Council in 2001.

But, truly, NCEDC has been faltering for some time, with turnover…

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