The Pikes Peak Workforce Center is leading the way for a 12-region economic development partnership that is intended to bolster job growth and create an economic identity for southeastern Colorado.

The center is using a $200,000 federal grant to pay for a study about economic clusters. The study, which is being conducted by James Gollub Sr., vice president of ICF Consulting, is expected to be completed in August.

This is the first time that the Pikes Peak region has been involved in a cluster study that includes all of southeastern Colorado, according to Jeanne Cotter, workforce center spokeswoman.

A cluster is an economic development strategy that involves education, training, finance, innovation, infrastructure, government and businesses. Its purpose is to determine how these areas can work together for business development. Clusters typically account for about 25 percent of jobs in a community, but their multiplier effect accounts for the remaining jobs, according to Gollub, who has studied them for 30 years.

Regional clusters will help all counties in southeastern Colorado compete nationally and internationally, according to Kara Roberts, a workforce center board member. By working together as a region, the counties also might qualify for federal grants they wouldn’t qualify for on their own.

The southeastern Colorado cluster study’s purpose is to identify key industries in each of the 12 counties and determine whether they are vibrant, dying or need to be revitalized. That will allow community leaders to know where to focus their job attraction and retention strategies.

The study also could be used to determine ways that a multi-county partnership might improve an existing industry or create a new one, and help develop an economic brand for the region, which staff at area economic development offices can use to market the region, said Roberts, vice president of local industry with the Colorado Springs Economic Development Corp.

Once the industries have been identified, the study group will work to develop a regional economic plan. The success of the plan is, however, dependent on participation from community leaders who are asked to be stewards and take ownership to ensure the plan doesn’t become “just paper on a shelf,” Gollub said.

ICF Consulting has developed cluster studies for cities and regions from Hong Kong to San Antonio, Texas. In Austin, Texas, it helped unite universities with businesses to develop a diversified, solid economy.

The company also helped boost tourism in Scotland by establishing a partnership with Ireland, Gollub said.

“It’s probably worthwhile to revisit economic development research every so often and bring people together to do some common thinking about the local economy and where it’s going,” said Dave Bamberger of Dave Bamberger & Associates.

Staff at the Pikes Peak Workforce Center began the groundwork for regional economic development cooperation last summer when they created the Southern Colorado E3 Partnership. (The three Es stand for education, employment and economic vitality.) The 12 counties participating in the partnership are Teller, El Paso, Fremont, Pueblo, Las Animas, Huerfano, Crowley, Kiowa, Otero, Bent, Prowers and Baca.

Although there have been disputes between El Paso County and other counties in southern Colorado about water and land use, those involved in the cluster study think the areas will be able to work together for economic development.

“We need to think of the bigger picture and include those from other communities,” Cotter said. “It’s not about the pieces, it’s about the whole.”

Sarah.Colwell@csbj.com

Source: thepbj.com