HomeMy WebLinkAbout2008 05-20 PreMeridian Citv Pre-Council Meetina May 20, 2008
A meeting of the Meridian City Council was called to order at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, May
20, 2008, by President Charlie Rountree.
Members Present: Mayor Tammy de Weerd, Charlie Rountree, Keith Bird, Joe Borton,
and David Zaremba.
Others Present: Ted Baird, Jaycee Holman, Anna Canning.
Item 1: Roll-call Attendance:
Roll call.
X David Zaremba X Joe Borton
X Charlie Rountree X Keith Bird
X Mayor Tammy de Weerd
Rountree: All right. I will open the Meridian Pre-Council meeting, Tuesday May 20th, at
6:3D. Roll call attendance, please.
Item 2: Adoption of the Agenda:
Rountree: Next item on the agenda is to adopt the agenda.
Bird: Mr. President?
Rountree: Mr. Bird.
Bird: I move we adopt the agenda as published.
Borton: Second.
Rounfiree: It's been moved and seconded to adopt the agenda. All those in favor?
Motion passes.
MOTION CARR'IED: ALL AYES.
Item 3: Economic Excellence from Phil Stiffler with AspireOn:
Rountree: Next item on the agenda is Economic Excellent report from Phil Stiffler.
Phil, welcome.
Stiffler: Thank you.
Rountree: As always.
Meridian City Council - Pre-Council Meeting
May 20, 2008
Page 2 of 11
Sfiffler: President Rountree.
Rountree: Bearer of good news I hope.
Stiffler: Yes.
Rountree: All right.
Stiffler: President Rountree and Madam Mayor and Councilmen, I will say that Josh is
with me, too, so I'm not just here alone. Though I recognize that it is a team and it's --
some of the members of the team are not here, but it also has to do with understanding
I guess our opportunity to be able to tell you a little bit of the story which you're such an
instrumental part of, but to understand a little bit of kind of the update of where we are
today and I guess a little bit where we are at, where we are going and what do we need
to do get there. And I have to tell you in the last few weeks I have gotten a lot of input
from a lot of fhe citizen stake holders about what we need to do to get there. So, I will
get a chance to share that with you. In your packets I will mention to you that there is --
on the right-hand side of the packet I gave you there a copy, which I'm not going to go
through in detail, I will answer any questions, which is actually kind of our overall work
plan that actually goes from -- goes from present all the way through to October. You
will see in that work plan -- you see the five strategic focus areas that we have identified
for economic excellence, which you saw in the past. But you will also see in each one
of those you're going to see the strategies and the objectives, plus the milestones and
the deadlines, which have actually been worked out through the Mayor's o.ffice in
cooperation with looking at where we want to get to achieve those things for the city.
So, I did give you a copy of the complete work plan, which I will be glad to answer
questions on after I have kind of finished the presentafion. What I would say is is that
you're well aware of -- I want to, actually, identify whaf we think to be your -- our
collaborative team approach to Eaonomic Excellence for the city. I think the challenges
of the present economic fiimes are part of those things that why we get a lot of the input
that I fhink I do get on a routine basis. Somefimes on a daily basis. And I will say that's
very constructive and very helpful and it's an opportunity for me to share that with you.
So, first of all, as we see it there, the Built For Business, Designed For Living, is -- I
would say that what I wanted to do is I wanted #o outline -- and I have picked just ten
kind of what I call milestones or objectives. In your packet you will find Economic
Excellence milestones from 2007 through a 2008 update. I have only picked ten of
those and you will see those are kind of highlighted in blue, but I wanted to speak to
those to you as examples. In the first challenge it was said how do we look at branding
the identity for the Meridian and I will say that was part of really branding the identity of
truly meaning what it is, Built For Business and Designed For Living. And I think that
our citizens and the stake holders that we confinue to see want to understand that this
is a place to actually live, work, and play. I would note that if you probably went out and
you saw the new signs which are at Bridgetower, as an example, you will see that our,
quote, branding identity is now being used by a lot of our developments. If you go to
Gramercy you're going to see live, work, and play. You're going to see them part of the
new marketing things tha# are going to come out of the health sciences corridor, you're
Meridian City Council - Pre-Council Meeting
May 20, 2008
Page 3 of 11
going to start seeing a centralized theme that the people want to maintain and be part of
as a partners with us. I think that branding identity is something we need to confinue to
built on, but I guess it is also a reflection of Council, it's a reflection of leadership, and I
say leadership throughout the city, because that branding identity is supported by the
services that the staff and that you as Council as -- provide fhat leadership and I think
that's having to do with the identity, too, that we do -- Anna's sitting over there and she
knows by participation that we actuall:y do -- we do actually walk the talk with regard to
the acfions we take when we look at entities coming here and whether it's for
development or businesses and what happens and being able to respond to that. So,
fhe branding identity is one that actually we have now had fhe opportunity to actually
share in fhat in fhe context of at one point in time Boise valley has related to it, I guess
what I would say is I was asked and challenged to say how do I leverage our
relationships on a regional basis, whether it's with BVEP, how do I still get the identity
and how do my -- who do we as a team representing the city make sure that -- that
Mer.idian is not lost in that Boise valley, but, instead, that we want to show we are the
leadership of it. And i feel very comfortable in the fact that we now have -- and you're
~going to see -- we continue to see where we have those opportunities for existing
Meridian businesses to be recognized and to understand, actually, how they play such
an important part of the overall economy. The next one I picked was fhe collaborative
partnership with stake holders for the health sciences tech corridor. I think about -- of
the last time that we talked at any major session we were still talking about what was
goin:g to happen with ISU and I think that one of the components of being able to
identify that corridor and looking at it saying what does that really represent as an
infrastructure asset that we have to build off of, which gets back to the major target of
creating value added jobs and the kind of economic sustainability that we need for those
valued jobs. That corridor, with the core pieces that we have there -- and we know
some of fhose core players right now. We have the hospitals. We have fhe Blue Cross.
And when I say hospitals, I mean an advanced health care in addition to St. Luke's. I
look at the fact that we have major -- major stake holders there sfill within the
technology side, whether it's Crucial Technology -- obviously, as you know, we now
have DMB over Dennis Baker's new corporate headquarters there sitting in the center of
that piece of property that's part of that whole corridor. What we want to have is that
synergistic type of ability to say here is that complimentary consistency that can be
there, but we have all fhe players wanting to be part of that and it is a context that they
want to say their success is our success. Your success is our success. And to the
point that now we have them wanfing to look at that kind of joint marketing effort every
time we go to the tabie. And, in essence, that will be I guess a primary focus on why I
have it there, because I think it's one of our primary focuses to those value added jobs.
The third piece I did just is just fhe positive reinforcement of new and expanding
businesses. I think that what we understand is -- and we use examples that -- that the
contacts and the important part is that we recognize not only the new businesses that
are coming into our area -- and I would menfion is that we have -- and I think it's a
relafionship of the -- we are centrally loaated, but we have a recognition -- it's almost to
the point -- sometimes I have taken people out of Boise on a tour of Meridian -- and I
know this may sound ridiculous, but they have not really seen Meridian. It's kind of like I
take fhem -- I mean I took one of the BVEP representatives, took them on a drive and
Meridian City Gouncil - Pre-Council Meeting
May 20, 2008
Page 4 of 11
they kind of said, wow, I didn't know that. I#'s not just somebody that's in the area, out of
the area. The last Economic Excellence breakfast that was sponsored -- Charlie -- the
president -- President Rountree was there -- is that it was ~interesting that was
sponsored -- sponsored by Thornton Oliver Keller and Dennis Baker on the Pinebridge
development. Within three days after that breakfast they had four -- four actual
showings of Dennis' building and they have leased up two of the spaces to people that
didn't even know that it was going to be there or was around. And so it's the -- the
identity is not only fhat we are looking oufinrard, but we are looking at what would
actually' could happen within that. We are continuing to see -- and some of you are
aware of those -- we are still seeing that movement, whether it's ESI moving its ~'
corporate headquarters to Portico, whether it bodybuilding.com coming in to
Silverstone. Power Engineers is a new one that's going to be coming. And fhere is an
announcement that will be out about another acquisition that they are making fihat's a
technology company that we are not -- I am not free to actually speak to right now. But
we are going to continue to look at that and the expanding business side -- I still think
one of the ones and one of the greatest spokesmen that we have had -- and he's had a
chance to get national press -- is in the B'lackhawk Manufacturing one. I think I've
related this to some of you. You know, when they started back they had five jobs. They
now have 80. They have now established that as a western regional distribution center
and they are going to grow to 200 jobs and those are manufacturing jobs, they are not
nine dollars an hour, it averages 14 to 15 dollars an hour, plus benefits. They have a
potential of making anywhere from 18 to 20 dollars an hour. And they are a great
example of some of the things fhat we would like to see for that kind of exposure. We
have somebody who is a spokesman in fhat regard. The Economic Excellence series
with the chamber, for those of fhe Council that have had an opportunity to participate,
that was -- that was a task that was looked at how we could work effectively with the
chamber to really say let's set the stage what we really mean by Economic Excellence
to the business community. And it means it isn't -- and I have always steered away
from that economic development word just in itself, because the version our of
Economic Excellence is sustaining and helping the businesses here to grow and go
forward. It isn't just chasing big rainbows someplace, that's looking at the core
businesses that we really want. As you're aware, the first Economic Excellence series,
to give you an idea, I think we had 120 people. The last one we had 160. This next
week on the 29th -- or, excuse me, on the 30fih is the next Economic Excellence
breakfast. That is going to be centered around fhe whole thing of, you know, Meridian
why. Why is Meridian. What is it all about. The speakers fihat we are going to have
there -- one of the key speakers is going to be the real estate expert for Porter Novelli
out of California at no cost to us, who is coming up here. I have already taken him
around Meridian. He's the gentleman that will help push -- push marketing, looking at
the idea of what kind of infrastructure and value we have. When I show him the Ten
Mile plan and I take him to the developments that are here, he goes wow. You know,
it's just amazing. And here is a guy that's written stuff on California in the San Diego
area to Arizona or whatever of looking at being able to demonstrate and show those are
infrastructure assets fhat the City of Meridian has. Those -- also events I would say that
I think has done a great job of getting collaborative kind of discussions. For those of
you who have been about at it, usually it seems like they -- the people are there 20
Meridian City Council - Pre-Council Meeting
May 20, 2008
Page 5 of 11
minutes ahead and they are there for 45 minutes afterwards. And in this next one we
are going to have we are offering to all the various developments -- they are going to
have displays. It's like a little mini trade show. You're going to see Grameray, you're
going to see all fhose developments that are going to be there as part of that Economic
Excellence series, in addition to businesses giving testimonials about why they are
here. The Meridian businesses in the news. I guess I'm proud to say -- and you will
see a list in there and it relates to it. We continue to be able to push those articles,
which helps our -- I'm going to use Blackhawk as an example. They couldn't believe it
when we got that national article. It was just more from persistence and follow up.
Well, how does that relate? It relates back to jobs to us and it relates back to telling
other companies that here is a place where somebody is prospering in what they are
actually succeeding in doing. I think that the collaborative advertising efforts in
Hemispheres was fhe first step, which, you know, as I think most of you know, basically,
we raised 30,000 dollars from the combined businesses to run that ad. And I guess
what I say is fhat that's part of support and fhe buzz and the communication and the
commifiment. I see more collaborative relationships coming on all the time where
people say, Phil, what can we look at as far as joint marketing, whether it's in the health
sciences technology corridor or whether it's. related to looking at promoting Meridian in
those areas, to the point we are now looking at getting invitations to say can we be part
of a trade show with that businesses. That's someplace that can also lead us to the
networking and the other businesses that they can see as potential growth here or
expansion here fihat makes good sense. The developer relationship engagements -- as
we are well aware, one of the things that has been very, very informative to me, beyond
the fact that in the cases where, obviously, the developments are not just new
developments that are coming in, but existing developments of being able to talk with
those people about issues or concerns and those issues or concerns both related to
whaf's actually happening today. I would have to tell you in the last two weeks I have
talked to probably four or five of the major developers and fhe message that they are
sending to me is one that you will see later on in my talk, they are saying, Phil, we got to
go get value added jobs. We need jobs. We need jobs here in IVleridian. They are very
pleased to see some of the movement, but they are saying let's not chase the big ones,
let's look at those businesses and let's look at finding every way and they want to be
part of that. And they know that's how they actually look at their investment and fhe
stake holder side of what they are doing. The other one is -- I felt it was very important
to bring up Project Data. And as you know -- and I won't make references to the name
as to confidentiality, but, actually, the Mayor has a copy of the Project data package that
we have the opportunity to rush through and participate in. The reason I bring that up is
somebody might say, geez, Phil, why did you bring that up. Some of the news said we
didn't get it. Well, I can tell you I'm not -- I guess am I disappointed? Yeah, I was
disappointed when I was on the telephone call that day. The Mayor didn't want to talk to
me, you know, because I was -- I was not a real happy camper. However, I will say this
to you. If there is anything that reinforced -- and I would sit here and say this, is that it
reinforced a couple things. One, when a team of people come together -- and the
compliment that we received, which was not meant in jest or anything else, we were told
that the actual presentation that fhe City of Meridian and their representatives and the
representative Anna sitting here, as well as Tom Barry and the people here -- I mean all
Meridian City Council - Pce-Council Meeting
May 20, 2008
Page 6 of 11
the staff, in addition to the fact that we got Idaho Power to come to the table, we got the
county commissioners to come to the table. We got the Tel-Com people to come to the
table. And they were all a part of that package and we were told that -- from that entity
that it was actually the best presentation they had seen in over five years on any city
related to looking at why they wanted us. But I must tell you the thing that enticed them
-- and fhe Council should be very proud of this -- was the Ten Mile plan. And I think it's
very important to understand when we think about the growth, that Ten Mile plan, when
you look at it on a national, regional basis, people look at that and they go, wow,
couldn't -- you know, can we believe that that's really there. I can still remember when
Anna went -- and she actually gave kind of the presentation and laid out with the people
-- that they -- they understood it. They get it. They connect to it. And I only fhink that
that represents kind of one of those other growth areas that we will see as that
opportunity that that's asset that can be marketed to get the objectives that we want to
get done as far as Economic Excellence long term to the citizens and the stake holders.
The workforce development efforts, you have heard me talk a lot and some of you were
at fhe last workshop. We talked a lot about work force development and fihe Economic
Excellence breakfast. We had on the various -- various institutions there from ISU, to
NNU, to the school district. The education and development of the workforce is going to
be a key to the economic engine. It has to be. And we have a great school district and
it goes on related to how does that pass on forward and we start talking about
programs. If we have a health sciences education corridor without ISU, we don't have a
big piece of stake in fhe ground that really relates to fhat. It's very difficult. The other
institutions that are here and fhe continuing idea being able to provide that educafiion
component, is very significant to that workforce development. The advisory council to
the Mayor that actually is being formed related to that professional development and
looking at workforce, every site visit that the Mayor and I make with businesses I can tell
you we hear topics, we hear transportation, but the other one we hear is related to
workforce development, that connectivity of understanding fiheir needs and being able to
communicate and be there with them to talk about those challenges and looking at other
alternatives that makes sense and those people want to be involved in it. When the
Mayor and I were at bodybuilders.com they brought their whole management team into
us and they sat down and talked about part of their challenges or what is going on and
how can we connect and where can we connect that to them. They are an entity that an
example -- they were looking at being able to attract and connect as to other entities
because of fhe investment fhat Liberty Media put in there to 150 million dollars and now
Ryan DeLuca is going to be one of our primary speakers at our Economic Excellence
breakfast next week. And he wants to tell the story of why Meridian. So, with that I
would te11 you there are more details and I would be glad to answer any questions. I
just wanted to pick out ten kind of -- ten of those components that speak a little bit to
this sheet kind of on the update. Josh, go ahead. The rest of this presentation I`m
going to give you here -- the reason I wanted to kind of use this and, then, come up wifh
a summary of what I think are action items and the foaus that needs to be fhere and to
get your input on, is I would tell you I have had the opportunity to give this presentation
from this point on. I gave it at Rotary the other day. I gave it at the BVEP quarterly
meefing. I'm giving it at Key Bank senior management team -- or, excuse me -- Key
Bank senior management team tomorrow. I'm giving it to the Department of Commerce
Meridian City Council - Pre-Council Meeting
May 20, 2008
Page 7 of 11
tomorrow. This is a presentation that I have been -- and I have to admit to you that
some of it I got -- I'm gefting asked to do it. And part of the thing that I really think -- and
I will say this is -- Tammy was there and I will say this when I gave this at the BVEP
quarterly meefing with all the investors, it's not an ego thing, I was proud -- they kind of
applauded because it was the only -- I wasn't talking negative, I was talking about what
we need to take action to do and was talking about that Meridian is taking more of an
approach to saying let's be proactive. So, I have actually explained what we are doing
to the business community and in a way they put a business model and say, okay, let's
talk about that. What's that really mean. And they connect with this. They connect with
it and they see how we are taking an asset and how we are looking at marketing fhat
asset and what it represents to the value to the community with regard to what's going
on. So, you will see on there -- I didn't just name ISU, I put education research campus.
Well, the reality is you say, well, wait a minute, Phil, we haven't got a lot of research
there today, but I can tell you that right now as of finro weeks ago at the advisory board
for the president of ISU, which I sit on and I headed their strategic planning meeting, is
right now already to (unintelligible) Foundation and Skaggs after fheir 5.2 million dollars
that they put up in the state -- state capital fund matched that other 5.2 for the pharmacy
school there, they are now talking about what's fhe potential for up to 20 million dollars
in other investment with regard to research. Now, is that going to come overnight? No.
But, guess what, same package that I'm presenfing, ISU and the president of ISU is
also taking that same package about the commitment that fhe City of Meridian has done
that helps to secure where we want to talk about with the idenfifying those related
research companies. So, as you will see, the key to this to me -- it isn't just the City of
Meridian selling this -- as you -will probably note, I could actually bring into you the
pamphlets, you will now see the health sciences court, fhe health sciences technology
corridor referenced in ISU's new marketing materials. You're going to see it in Portico
as marketing materials. You're going to see it in Pinebridge's marketing materials and
what it is -- it is the idea of keeping that centralized theme and telling our story that's
consistent and they are excited about that. Also, with part of the marketing side of that I
now attend the meetings. We have joint marketing meetings with either the realtors or
the developers looking at -- saying, okay, let's make sure we are on the same consistent
page and looking at doing that marketing. Scott Perrin and Associates has actually
donated to ISU to write part of their strategic marketing plan that links exactly into our
overall plan. Go ahead, Josh. The next one that I-- actually that I wanted -- I want to
make sure that this is my point I have said earlier about where people -- sometimes we
think they understand about the Ten Mile plan, well, it's kind of this is just a summary
page, it allows me to talk about it and, obviously, with the Ten Mile interchange and the
future of what goes on and after seeing some of fhe -- after being able to expose this, is
that I get a chance to talk about Ten Mile. The Ten Mile -- and in being able to talk
about what that really represents and I think the excitement is not just on the localized
level, but, again, that starts to tell the story, because in a way that person starts to think
about somebody else they network with, whether it's a supplier or whether it a related
entity, that they start to understand the infrastructure that we have there. So, when I
talk about the Economic Excellence team, I would have to say to you it starts right at the
group I'm facing, it's fhe Mayor, the Council, and fhe city leadership, which -- which the
idea is when we really look at it, we have got to be consistent and aligned as a team.
Meridian City Council - Fre-Council Meeting
May 20, 2008
Page 8 of 11
Right now that alliance of that team is the people who are also the developers and the
stake holders that own the dirt and are trying to look at it and, guess what, fihey want to
push in the excitement of saying I guess the complimentary side that we are making the
effort to try to coordinate that effort and be aligned to where we want to go. The
businesses and the chambers, the same thing. I think the contacts and what we are
doing with each one of the businesses, I believe that -- I have feel very comfortable that
I think -- I think our relationship with the chamber, both from the economic development
committee, as well as the activities there, I think the communication and the
coordination of fhat communication is enhanced and it has continued to be enhanced
and fhat was one of the challenges that I was -- I was charged with and i feel that we
have actually got that on a very cooperative effort. On the school district -- I should
have moved -- and I should have moved college and universities, I could talk about the
whole education component all up there togefiher, but that Economic Excellence team --
and I tell you, I would say that Linda Clark or the representatives of the various colleges
and universities couldn't be anymore helpful. Those of you who were at the last
Economic Excellence workshop where you actually heard President Vailas talk the
economic engine and what it is, I spent a whole day with him on the recent -- when he
was over here. He's now talking about pulling together conferences and symposiums
related to part of the nano technology and hosted them here in Meridian. And he wants
to do the first one in the summer. The regional economic development partners, my --
as you are aware, I sit on the BVEP -- BVEP working group committee and I attend the
other events and in cases where the Mayor requests for me when she may be in
schedule, I also attend the business retention committee. I would say to you that what
we have done is that we -- I feel fhat I always should be represenfiing the City of
Meridian, but in representing them in a collaborative participatory way, but I will say that
I am not candid -- or I'm not -- I'm not bashful about representing our interests and what
we see makes sense or what does work. I would say that right now we have
established that relationship, so that, yes, we have the ability to respond to those things
and respond to items that are actually being presented to us, but, more importantly, we
now have fhem on an appr.oach that is -- they are now looking more at how do we do
proactive target marketing. The establishment at the last quarterly meeting, I would say
the feedback fhat came back from the investors there, you have done a great job of
putting fhe Boise valley on the map. We have established some branding identity. We
confinue to get some of the national news, but now let's take that foundation that's been
laid and let's turn it into actual direct targeted approaches to getting those businesses
and those jobs here. So, I just kind of covered that leveraging. Targeting
complimentary businesses. One of the things -- and, actually, this came up -- I won't
say it wasn't my idea, but I sat down talking with one of the business owners and he
said, Phil, you know, we are not only -- because I was asking him about supply chain
people or other businesses he does business with. There is a local manufacturing
company here on Franklin that I won't mention the name, because it has to do with
some private information what they share with me, but they have, for example, a
supplier who has 25 employees that sits in San Jose, California, and they send their
people up there all the time and travel and he said the guy's complaining and I said,
well, heck, you got to get -- let me talk to him. That's the kind of connection. Bvt it
really gets down to if we think about all the business people and the business people
Meridian City Council - Pre-Coumcil Meeting
May 20, 2008
Page 9 of 11
that are moved here and are here and we ask each one of fhem to tell us a name of -- I
don't care whether it's a relative, a friend, somebody they have dealt with at a trade
show, whether it's a supplier, somebody they sell to, some component integrated part of
what it is, those are contact names that gives us an upward kind of first step in talking
wifih those people and we want to leverage that in every way possible. I think that the
identifying expansion opportunifiies is that we want to make .sure that -- we want to make
sure that businesses -- the businesses that are there, we get a chance to make sure
fhat we are helping them to facilitate that expansion. Quickly on the advisory council for
ISU, just to give you an idea, t was able to be part of getting that all set up. We had
representatives firom both hospitals, from RX Eiite, from Jack Lindlay, to Ray
Coughman, to David Sant of Merrill Lynch. We got 16 influenfial people throughout the
whole valley that are sitting on that and the focus of that committee is to promote and
support the Economic Excellence related to our part of the country right here related to
ISU and what's going on. So, I guess my summary there is working -- everyone working
togefher. Well, I-- when I gave this to BVEP I kind of said that's what I thought the goal
objective of BVEP was and we want to continue to sustain that and move it forward.
So, you guys are all very familiar, Council and -- you're all familiar wifih this, that one of
the things when I get a chance to tell this story, I want to be able to tell the story about
some of the projects and if's amazing, I have taken people to each one of those, like I
said, and they go, wow, we didn't know that. I carry around a little box in the back of my
car and I have -- I have all the portfolios for each one of the packets and it's kind of like
the traveling salesman, let's talk about fhis one as we go by. So, education excellence
equals economic excellence. Those of you who heard that, we looked at -- we look at
workforce drives the economic engine. I mentioned fha.t the Mayor's advisory council.
ISU is now the anchor and fhey are there, they are not going away. Distance learning
opportunities, I will talk very quickly that I want to mention to you one of the primary
concepts -- and it was made pubiic by the president of ISU in our advisory council and it
was not meant to be privy, there is an opportunity that one of the goals that ISU -- and
they want to work directly with us on, is that they want to look at establishing -- I will put
it this way: First of all, ISU is one of the oldest pharmacy schools in the United States.
I#'s been in existence for one hundred years. One of fhe biggest issues today on a
global basis, which the president of ISU has as an initiative and spent -- is that they are
looking at how do we educate the rest of the world. There is pharmaceutical companies
that want to dispense, but fihey do not have the training. They aren't pharmacies. They
don't have the trained people. So, fhe president of ISU's quote is: Meridian, Idaho,
needs to be the center of distance learning to training pharmacists throughout the world.
And that comes back to the idea of that being here as a center where the dollars and
cents -- we export fihat knowledge and that learning, the money comes back here on
research and development and we have those other entities being part of it. NNU will
be actually announcing -- they actually want to defer that to into the fall, part of their
overall business development education programs in cooperation with the city. And I
will summarize -- I won't go fihrough this detail. It's going to go to the last page with
time, but we are going to take the targeted industry approach and these are the areas
that we think are part of those targeted industries and particularly when I say advanced
the R&D and you see pharmaceutical, medicine, that ties right into, obviously, the health
sciences corridor. At the same token, you're going to continue to see part of the other
Meridian City Council - Pre-Conncil Meeting
May 20, 2008
Page t0 of 11
technology in support of that in some of the research and development side of also
some of the laboratory testing and some of fihe connectivity. For example, with the
UroJogy Institute that sits over there, along with ISU, they already -- we have got them
talking about cooperative programs and who wants to be able to do those clinical
tesfing. Go ahead, Josh. So, this is -- this is not a slide that I'm actually using in the
presentations, but I just wanted to give you my take -- I guess this is feedback that I
have been getting from our stake holders and they say, Phil, we must be aggressive
and proactive with the direct sales campaign, don't wait and depend on somebody else
to do it. The primary goal was to generate sustaining value added jobs and where do
they come from? New job development through new companies to the area, yes.
Growth by supporting our expanding and emerging businesses -- I will mention, for
example -- you may not -- you guys have actually approved -- are you familiar with
VengaWorks. It's part of the Freedom Storage Group. They were approved part of a
plan. They are sitting over off of Overland. That's going to be an emerging business
center. Those are two technology guys out of the Silicon Valley that moved up here.
One lives in -- lives up Sun Valley. I just had them in at City Hall here last week and I
have been working with them since December. They will have a true -- not incubator,
but emerging business center that will be one kind of the state of art, that it sits right
over -- right behind DBSI.. On the -- on the targeted supply chain related entities and
such, I talked about, try to find every information we can. So, what are those focused
acfions to accomplish? I will just -- one I have not mentioned or talked.. I will say this
planned regional presentation to regional markets, why Meridian. And I say regional
markets -- sometimes we skip -- we think -- we forget about the Portlands, the Seattles,
or even some of the areas where people want to -- we already have people commuting
back and forth. We forget about some of those regional areas where we are very
attractive for a lot of reasons. The last one I would say is fhat part of the relationship to
involve collaborative business involvement relationship with ISU and INL. There is a
very focused plan. You may not be aware of it, but, actually, what's happened is the
National Health Foundation, I believe, has actually funded fhe new cyclotron for ISU,
which will be used for medical isotopes, which, actually, will be related to the idea of
treating prostate cancer and other forms of disease. They are looking at and having
discussions about where that should be located and I can tell you the desires are
potentially looking at having that located tied to the campus here. So, with that -- and, I
apologize, I have used up my half hour talking, but I like the story and it's exciting. . I
guess I would like to answer any quesfions.
Rountree: Are there any questions, comments?
Bird: I have none.
Rountree: I don't see any. Thank you, Phi.
Stiffler: Thank you.
Rountree: It sounds like progress is being made and the outlook is good. Appreciate
fhe effort.
Meridian City Council - Pre-Council Meeting
May 20, 2008
Page 11 of 11
De Weerd: Too bad you're not passionate about it.
Rountree: Yeah. And the enthusiasm is very apparent. That concludes the agenda for
the Pre-Council meeting. I would entertain a motion to adjourn.
Bird: So moved.
Borton: Second.
Rountree: Moved and seconded to adjourn. All those in favor.
MOTION CARRIED: ALL AYES.
Rountree: We are officially adjourned at 7:05.
MEETING ADJOURNED AT 7:05 P.M.
(TAPE ON FILE OF T CEEDI'NGS) Q~
i . 0~ , ~D , Zo0 8'
TAMMY DE , DATE APPROVED
`,~~,,~u~~iirii~i~~~~i
,~~~~~`a~~` ~ ~~~9'L~~~~'-.
0
. ~°~'°~ =_
ATTEST: • = :
JAYCE L. HOLMAN, CITY CL~RK AL =
; ~ ,~~ `;
'~, '9 ~t t1C~ • . - ~`.
.,~~~,Q~ ~ • ~Q. ``~~.
'~~~~~~~-~rin,~~~~~``~~~`