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Thrive looks to help Rock County

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Sean Robbins

JANESVILLE — Challenged by an economic downturn, a regional group that includes Rock County continues to support high-quality economic growth, job creation, business retention and the development of new markets.

Formed in 2007, Thrive is a partnership of eight counties trying to foster economic development and quality of life as a competitive edge in the global economy.

Rock County is one of the eight counties. Dane, Dodge, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Columbia and Sauk counties join it. The vast majority of the group’s funding comes from the private sector.

Sean Robbins became the organization’s executive vice president in October. Previously, he was senior vice president of development for T. Wall Properties, a Madison real estate development firm.

Robbins said the timing of his arrival is perfect. Thrive recently launched a new set of goals.

“The economy shifted under everybody,” Robbins said in assessing Thrive’s first three years.

While tangible economic development results may have been fewer than expected, the group was successful in laying a foundation for its new initiatives, he said.

“I think we’ve gotten to the point where everyone agrees that a regional approach to economic development makes sense,” he said. “Previously, we were all in our own little silos, each defending our own turf.

“But the economy doesn’t care where the political lines are drawn.”

Robbins said Thrive also succeeded in getting economic development professionals from eight counties into the same room and looking at the same hymnbook.

One of those is James Otterstein, Rock County’s economic development manager. He’s been involved with Thrive since its birth and served on the board of directors that created the organization.

“We certainly continue to collaborate and partner with Thrive when and where it makes sense on a variety of issues,” Otterstein said.

Robbins said the groundwork is set for new initiatives that will run through 2012.

Capital growth

Financial capital is the key to job creation and community development, he said.

As a regional group, Thrive can be the conduit for public and private sources of capital for targeted investments.

Thrive will generate a regional capital database, an inventory of all the money available from federal, state and local sources.

At the local level, Thrive will inventory every tax incremental financing district in the eight counties to determine what’s been used and what’s still available.

“We want to become the one-stop shop when questions arise on where the money is available,” Robbins said.

Once the inventory is complete, Thrive can use its relationships to efficiently help existing businesses expand or locate in the region, he said.

Sector development

Thrive has long embraced a “grow your own” approach to economic development.

“Three out of four new jobs are created through expansions, while one in four comes from recruitment or entrepreneurship,” Robbins said. “We will focus on expansions but position ourselves to help when real recruitment opportunities present themselves.”

Sector development will focus on agriculture, health care and technology projects already in development. An earlier emphasis on biotechnology has broadened to include advanced manufacturing, which Robbins said is likely more applicable to the counties in the region not named Dane.

Thrive’s previous staff included what Robbins described as deep talent in the ag, health care and biotech sectors. Staff expertise, he said, has broadened.

“We can bring in the deep technical talent when we need it, but generally our tent has gotten much bigger,” he said.

Policy and research

A critical component of the growth that Thrive envisions is timely and relevant information.

The group will devote additional effort to measuring and reporting current economic data that is relevant to both short- and long-term business decisions.

“Providing timely and actionable data and information is critical to ensuring that our region stays ahead of emerging trends and is proactively positioned for quality growth,” he said.

An example of that, he said, is a regional approach to a software program called Synchronist.

Using a standard 45-question survey, two-person teams conduct interviews with industry executives. Data is entered into the Synchronist database, which generates information on a company’s value to the community, its risk of leaving or downsizing, its growth potential and its satisfaction with the community.

Beloit is using Synchronist, while the Rock County 5.0 group is taking steps to integrate it throughout the county.

“This is the sort of timely, standardized data that we need as a region,” Robbins said.