Azar News Conference
Job Creation and Recruitment
Everyone is talking job creation…..like I said, everyone is talking. But are they saying anything substantial? Saying I am going to create jobs is like me saying I am going to win the lottery. Sounds good, but how am I? Just luck? So, for whoever wins the position of mayor and council members Tuesday, and hopefully you will honor me with the title of mayor, here is an outline of how to, rather than talk to. It is only a sketch, and many details need filling, but it is a real life, viable sketch.
1) Build from within. We do not build from within. Too many businesses are capable but have no assistance, yet we go outside to recruit. If we have the talent and facilities, as our politicians say, why are we not using them? Years ago a local fast food owner shared that he had been recruited by cities in SC and NC to open locations, but not by his own hometown of Columbia. He said that each store employed 25 and that he could open 5 more stores here. But, though the other cities offered assistance, Columbia never even came to visit.
This I hear all the time. Even I, who started my first business in 1970 has never had the city ask me how they can help me grow. We have the talent, materials, skills and experience in Columbia, but all of these elements are never joined. Google, Microsoft and Apple were started by 2 college students who went on to create 3 of the largest corporations in the world. I know we have that same talent here; I have seen and met it. But we have not mined it.
At one time we had a high technology entrepreneurial group that month twice monthly. Unfortunately, it was usurped by Ingenuity. Glenn Oster, Tom Ledbetter and I created 2 technology fairs to bring all members together and help everyone learn what each was doing so synergies could be built, and to let Columbia know what was available here. They were successes, with business being directed locally, rather than out of state. Simply building communication created business for locals, business that was being sent out of state due to lack of knowledge on the part of the business community.
I would promote business fairs and technology fairs, allowing business and individuals the opportunity to learn what is available in Columbia. Creating jobs from within can be the most successful route to building business in Columbia.
2) Reducing property tax. This is a business killer! Our rates are far too high and chase away business. In my Fee In Lieu Of Taxes article, you can plainly see a solution to this problem (http://groups.google.com/group/theazarnewsletter/browse_thread/thread/0fe70c06c7099697 ). If we do not reduce, we will continue to bleed both businesses and residences. When a business on Huger pays $28,000 and moves 1 mile across the river to Sunset and pays $6000, in a new building, no less, it is a massive wake up call for business and the city alike. Either a businessman moves the business for cost savings if he has no real need for a specific city location, or the city finds a way to reduce this draconian burden that is driving our business from the city, causing a loss of revenue and other businesses that follow.
3) Build from within, again. I had hoped to have a working demonstration database for city business development by now, but the IT group I am working with is currently engaged in other projects of importance and cannot spare the time at present to finish this. The concept is simple, yet one that directs business and individuals to city businesses.
Mrs. Jones wants to print invitations. Where does she go? She could call everyone in the telephone book, discuss it with them, drive to them and show them approximately what she wants. Or she could email her ideas to print shops. But can she find all the shops? Can she get what she wants easily? What if there was a website that allowed her to post what she was looking for that sent it to all the businesses in Columbia that could fill her needs? It could be a lot easier for her, allow all Columbia business to have an opportunity for her business, and help keep her business here rather than send it out of Columbia. Because today what usually happens is that Mrs. Jones does an internet search for her needs and much business leaves our city, our state.
The web site could be city run or independently run, with different business models as a basis. But they would all use the city business license database as the source of businesses to include, thereby directing business to our own within the city, helping them to grow and providing incentive to remain within Columbia limits.
4) Recruit to Columbia businesses that build wealth by exporting from Columbia goods and services and bring in cash. It is sheer folly to believe that bringing in a national retailer brings in wealth. Rather, a national retailer brings in goods and takes our cash away, along with business and jobs from our local, long standing businesses.
If we are to bring businesses in, we must choose those that enhance our current business basis. Bringing in small to medium mid-technology business and manufacturers is far wiser as these do create something they sell outside of Columbia and bring in cash to our city. By having many smaller firms, we become more insular to a failure, have more company involvement in our city, have more job and educational development, provide more business to business opportunity for local business, and attract more support business.
Unfortunately, our city has historically not been interested in recruitment of small business. Rather, our politicians wanted a big hit, one that they could stand up and say, Look at me and what I did! For instance, a man visited my store in the 90’s and wanted to move his optics and electronics firm to Columbia, since he had just married a lady from here and wanted to move close to her family. He was bringing 100 jobs. I gave him city hall’s number, the chamber, and two real estate agents. I knew he would find success among those. A few weeks later he came back saying your city does not want me, I am too small. He moved somewhere to the Raleigh area.
I encouraged our business and political leaders to recruit these types of businesses back then, to no avail. Imagine now if we had just added 10 companies of 25 to 150 people a year, where we would be now! Columbia has everything so many smaller companies nationwide need and want. I knew so many that were moving away from California and the northeast, at that time looking for elsewhere to go, and with our assets, we could have been the destination. But we did not recruit them, we wanted a big company.
Recruiting them was simple. We first start with trade show presence, either with a booth, or with our economic development agents walking the show, presenting information about Columbia, and gathering information from the companies and contact information for follow up. We develop a database of support businesses in Columbia that can assist business relocation and startup and give both parties leads when applicable, to help the process (that is also the value of item 3). And we go after them in all good ways possible, including the help of the state commerce department, universities and colleges, and other ways professional, to convince them Columbia is the place to be. We also partner with all municipalities and counties in the midlands, as bringing in business anywhere in the region helps all of us (of course, we would like to have as much as possible within the city limits).
Other states and cities do this, as I have seen at trade shows on electronics and other technologies. Many that left California went to Colorado and Utah, and they should have come here as we had everything they wanted and needed. I know, I spoke with them and suggested Columbia. Unfortunately, I was not in the business of recruiting, so I could not spend the time and effort to pursue.
5) Work cooperatively with all regional educational institutions. Here is something I suggested years ago. Businesses need help: they are always looking for good employees and good researchers and consultants, while keeping costs down. Our students need jobs, especially upon graduation, if we are to keep our intellectual and creative talent here. Our professors desire to learn more in real world activities to keep sharp and on top of emerging technology and trends, while also wanting to enhance income. By creating an internship program among business and educational facilities, Columbia could meet so many needs.
College students are willing to work for whatever they can get while in college, working as waiters and fast food workers at low wages, for example. If they could work at similar wages in business of their study, they could still make the same, or more, but gain invaluable real world information into their field. The business would gain a very interested party at a lower wage that potentially may become a long term employee at graduation.
As for professors, they can gain real world, up to date experience while adding to their incomes. Business can often employ college professors at slightly lower pay for research and consulting work, while receiving excellent information. The educational institutions can use this program to help recruit teaching talent, especially since our facilities cannot pay what a Duke or Harvard pays. This adds to teaching pay and real world experience, something all educators desire.
An example of that I learned from a nurse. A friend that was an ICU nurse, and a student working on her nursing degree, told me that in school she had to unlearn all she was doing at work to meet what she was learning in school. As she said, what we are learning in school is at least 6 months behind what we do in the hospital. Real world, up to date experience for educators creates better students and teachers, bringing a stronger focus on our educational facilities and making them a target for teaching and learning.
These are a few ideas, most of which I have presented in my newsletters and other campaigns over the years. They still have not been embraced, yet they would have brought business to Columbia. In speaking with the many mid-technology businesses I know and meet at trade shows, I find we had everything here they need. They just have no idea as no one in Columbia or SC ever contacts them to pitch our assets. But they all love what I tell them of our great area, schools, assets. We were a viable destination, if only someone goes recruiting as other cities and states do.
Today, this is still viable, this rough sketch. But it is a lot tougher as many have settled elsewhere, outsourced elsewhere, or gone out of business in this oppressive economy. Being here with our assets might have given some the opportunity to remain in business.
It is tough now. It is also time now that our local leaders finally recognize the need for small to medium business. It is now that we should put this plan in place so we can begin to bring business to Columbia as the economy slowly improves. To not do so would be, again, foolish.
Small business, mid-technology, areas I know and have worked in for 41 years. I have met thousands of businesses and entrepreneurs at trade shows, seminars, and business functions, discussing needs, wants, new ideas, collaborations, new products, and new methods of marketing to old and new markets alike. I have never been paid for these services, having given away them to the companies I deal with. I have brought many together to discuss and work synergies. I have presented concepts too futuristic at the time, but later embraced by competitors. I have even advised the head of a joint venture of IBM and CISCO that the business model they had would fail. It did.
As mayor, if you choose to elect me, I will work to bring jobs and stability to our economic foundation, and a future of good, stable growth and development.
If you do not choose me, this outline should still serve as a viable one for recruitment. There are many blanks to fill in, but anyone with a knowledge of small to medium sized business, and with knowledge of the consumer and business electronics industries, as well as mid to high end technology, should be able to substantially fill those in competently.
I do expect that this model will be adopted, regardless of who is elected, and in 4 to 8 years, you can hear those elected brag about their successes. I hope so as we need jobs desperately.