The new economic development strategic plan formed for Freeborn County over the last six months centers around four main goals, along with strategies to achieve those goals.

Albert Lea Economic Development Agency Executive Director Phillip Johnson, along with leaders of the city of Albert Lea, Freeborn County, the Albert Lea-Freeborn County Chamber of Commerce and Albert Lea Convention and Visitors Bureau, presented the plan at a community meeting at the end of February and encouraged people to get involved in the process.

“You really can’t have a plan like this succeed if the community’s not on board,” Johnson said.

He said about 70 people, made up of a mix of stakeholders, business owners and other community members, attended the meeting. He noted he wants people to be comfortable sharing ideas moving forward as the plan is adaptable and can be updated regularly.

The first goal of the plan involves leveraging the organizations that have a stake in Albert Lea’s economic development success to create a strong economic development ecosystem.

This will be done through defining roles of each organization, discovering gaps in staffing or resources to implement the plan and holding regular meetings with the organizations.

This goal also incorporates a joint marketing plan both inside and outside of the community.

“We all know what our community is, and we all love our community, but do other people know?” Johnson said.

He said one of the best things residents can do for the community is have pride in it, and the entities need to push out information that people will have pride in.

The second goal includes connecting schools and area colleges with employers in the community to make sure that colleges have training available for positions that companies are looking to fill.

This also includes initiatives such as internships and apprenticeships.

Johnson said the goal is to also let students and parents know that there are opportunities for jobs available.

The third goal focuses on enhancing and promoting quality of life amenities to attract talent, retain residents and increase levels of community engagement.

This includes integrating community members better, getting new community members involved in various efforts and developing a volunteer database of opportunities available.

It also includes removing barriers such as housing, transportation and child care.

Johnson said these elements are critical to attracting and keeping a workforce.

The fourth goal centers around making sure the county is prepared for business growth opportunities.

This will revolve around building stronger relationships with existing businesses to encourage growth, determining what types of projects the community will support and ensuring Albert Lea has a strong inventory of sites and buildings for projects.

Johnson said this involves asking if Albert Lea and the community are business friendly and that businesses want to stay  and grow here.

It also includes refining the incentive package that is offered to new businesses so Albert Lea and Freeborn County can stand out against neighboring communities.

The plan was developed with assistance from Ady Advantage, a specialized economic development and site selection consultant that works with economic development organizations and relocating and expanding companies.