December 12, 2003

Economic council plans to increase recruitment activity

LONGMONT — The Longmont Area Economic Council adopted its 2004 budget Monday and will be releasing its 2004 business plan to board members in January.

LAEC President John Cody said the 2004 budget will be $430,800.

Of that, $150,000 will be from the city of Longmont, $48,000 from Boulder County, $150,000 from the private sector and $48,000 from LAEC events. The rest, Cody said, would be from in-kind donations and miscellaneous sources.

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Next year will be the second year of a three-year recruiting campaign to bring new businesses to the area.

The council’s recruiting efforts were affected in 2003 by the slower economy, said Craig Ockers, vice chairman of the LAEC board of directors.

“The economy is turning to where companies are looking at expanding,” Ockers said. “We’ve raised more money through our members for recruiting and will spend more on it.”

Cody said many things are included in next year’s business plan. “It’s a continuation of most of the things we have been doing,” he said. However, he agreed that the emphasis will remain on recruiting.

“That includes trade shows, business recruiting trips, advertising and public relations,” Cody said.

For the second straight year, the LAEC also will hold its real estate showcase, where real estate professionals from the Front Range are exposed to vacant space and opportunities for development in Longmont.

Cody said the council is planning four recruiting trips for next year, all to California. Though he would not identify specific companies the council may approach, he said the LAEC has three industry targets: biotechnology, software and semiconductor design.

Ockers added that the LAEC certainly would not limit its search to those industries. “There’s not a good prospect that we wouldn’t pursue,” he said. “We just need more interest overall.”

The LAEC’s new Web site, which will be up in January, also will aid in recruitment. The LAEC engaged Boulder-based Streamline Interactive Communications to revamp the site.

“It will be designed for friendly navigation and focused on the business recruitment aspect,” Cody said. “It’s been a few years since we updated. It wasn’t as targeted as it needed to be.”

Cody said the LAEC will do Web-based promotions through e-mail and search engines to help spread awareness for Longmont.

Other LAEC plans for 2004 include the purchase of a new surveying software.

“It will allow us to better track the status of primary employers in the Longmont region,” Cody said.

According to current LAEC records, the Longmont area has 235 primary employers, which are companies that sell more than 50 percent of their goods and services outside the region.

The council also will continue the monthly update it sends out to primary employers, which includes information on a variety of topics and issues that are important to them. Plus, it will continue acting as an advocate for local businesses to promote growth and development.

“2004 looks to be an improved year for business recruitment as companies will have to spend money to meet the growing demands of their customer base.” Cody commented. “We’re very much looking forward to better job creation next year.”

LONGMONT — The Longmont Area Economic Council adopted its 2004 budget Monday and will be releasing its 2004 business plan to board members in January.

LAEC President John Cody said the 2004 budget will be $430,800.

Of that, $150,000 will be from the city of Longmont, $48,000 from Boulder County, $150,000 from the private sector and $48,000 from LAEC events. The rest, Cody said, would be from in-kind donations and miscellaneous sources.

Next year will be the second year of a three-year recruiting campaign to bring new businesses to the area.

The council’s recruiting efforts were affected in 2003 by the slower economy,…

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