ATOP (Assistance Towards Opportunities
for Prosperity)
A Newsletter by the Center for Energy and Economic
Diversification
Winter 1996
Regional Leaders Program
Meetings Continue in Reagan County
From the Director
UC Staff to Attend NAMTAC Meeting
Basin Indicators
Texas Department of Commerce: Global Communities
West Texas and the Permian Basin will face several challenges in the remainder of the
90's and into the 21st Century. In order to prepare for these opportunities, community
leaders must have many resources from which they may draw.
The University of Texas of the Permian Basin EDA University Center is developing a
Leadership Program for the Permian Basin and West Texas. This program will try to
identify, educate, motivate, and effectively network emerging leaders in areas which share
a common identity. Aspiring leaders in the area will annually have access, through this
program, to quality training. The vision: growing networks of regionally-oriented
graduates will develop stronger linkages among West Texas towns, lessening isolation and
significantly improving the quality of life.
The course is slated to begin in September, and will consist of nine sessions over a
nine month period. All sessions, except for the opening retreat, will take place over one
day. A wide variety of qualified speakers will help the participant develop effective
leadership skills and knowledge of public concerns. Topics will include teambuilding,
community assessment, communication, problem solving, and strategic planning. Anyone who
aspires to be a leader or a more effective leader in the community may participate.
The application process and the registration fee are still under construction. However,
sources of funding and/or scholarships are being explored.
The possibilities for this training are numerous. If you, or anyone you know, would
like to be a participant in this program, or for more information, please contact Wesley
Burnett at (915) 552-2447 or e-mail at burnett_w@utpb.edu.
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University Center staff continue to meet with Reagan County officials and community
leaders to develop a strategic plan for Big Lake, Texas. Meeting participants are now
collecting data to be used in the planning process. The meetings will help this West Texas
community analyze and address its strengths and weaknesses.
A new software program is also being developed through these meetings with the aid of
New Mexico State University and the Economic Development Administration. This software
will be user friendly and hopefully can eliminate some of the frustrations associated with
detailed planning. NMSU is taking the lead in the planning software development, however
it is still in its beginning phase.
This is an exciting undertaking and will lead to many new opportunities for communities
in our area and broaden the scope of the Center's planning capabilities.
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After reading the last issue of ATOP, a friend asked me what could be done to generate
economic activity in Big Lake, Texas? Someone else asked why did Reagan County and Big
Lake need a strategic plan? Both are good questions! I assumed everyone knew why a
county/community should have a strategic plan, and how we at the EDA University Center
could assist with this plan.
A strategic plan is no guarantee of success for a community. In fact it is possible
that after developing a well documented plan, the best thing that can be done is to clean
up the community to make it more attractive to the residents: planter boxes on the main
street, clean up vacant lots, empty buildings, and houses, etc. On the other hand,
community leaders may discover resources and assets that are marketable, and the strategic
plan will help them to capitalize on these assets.
Without a viable strategic plan the city/county leaders are often unsure how to
approach economic activity. A strategic plan is simply a "road map for a
community" to help guide its future. The plan is not intended to be the sole answer
to the economic woes of a community, but a tool that, if used properly, will help them
define the problems and find the solution, if there is one.
The first and most important step in developing a plan is for the community to realize
they need one. The EDA University Center at the UTPB Center for Energy and Economic
Diversification is available to help any community get started on its strategic plan. The
active word is help! The community must do the work and produce the plan. The University
Center will act as a facilitator/guide and an information resource.
What can be done to generate economic activity in Big Lake? Maybe a lot or maybe
nothing! They will decide when the Big Lake - Reagan County Strategic Plan is completed.
How about your community?
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University Center Director Bob Boothe and Assistant Director Wesley Burnett will be
attending the annual meeting of the National Association of Management and Technical
Assistance Centers in Washington, D.C. The meeting will be held March 3rd through 5th, and
promises to be very exciting and beneficial. One topic of discussion is the
"future" of Federally funded programs, with both agency and congressional views
being presented. The keynote speaker will be U.S. Representative Harold Rogers of
Kentucky, who is Chairman of the Commerce, Justice, State, and Related Agencies
Subcommittee on Appropriations.
Other topics of interest include benchmarking: Emerging Principles in Economic
Development and Business Assistance and Economic Development. The Educational Association
of University Centers annual meeting will also be held at this conference. The meeting
promises to be eventful, and again quite beneficial to everyone who attends.
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 |
Per Capita Income
Source: RESI 1969-1993, Bureau of
Economic Analysis, May 1995 |
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Unemployment
Source: Texas Employment
Commission, December 1995 |
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Employment by Sector
Source: Texas Employment Commission
2nd Quarter 1995. |
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Total Retail Sales for West Texas
Source: Sales and Marketing
Management, Survey of Buying Power. |
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Worldwide events are rapidly changing the economy. Businesses are faced with daily
challenges to remain competitive in the global economy. A healthy local economy and
community survival are dependent on the expansion of existing businesses and the growth of
new businesses. The Texas Department of Commerce is providing a community training
initiative to provide community leaders with innovative economic development strategies.
These workshops provide information on global economic trends, successful models of
tourism and business development efforts, and initiatives communities can implement to
help their businesses remain competitive.
The workshops are divided into three levels. Commerce recommends attending the first
level before advancing to the next level. The Level 1 workshop, Regional Cooperation:
Economic Development Strategies for Success, was held in Fort Stockton in January. Level 2
consists of specific workshop topics on "how-to" implement economic development
strategies: Community Workshop on Tourism, Designing a World Class Business Retention and
Expansion Program (BREP), and Exercising Due Diligence. Level 3 consists of a variety of
topics that will provide advanced tools and techniques for implementing business and
tourism development strategies for results and success.
The Level 2 workshop will be in Pecos on May 22nd with the topic of Community Workshop
on Tourism Development, and on the 23rd with Exercising Due Diligence. For information on
registration for this workshop, please contact the Pecos Chamber of Commerce, P. O. Box
27, Pecos, TX 79772-027, or phone (915) 445-2406.
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Send Mail to EDA University Center
chambers_j@utpb.edu |