Greater Eatonville Chamber of Commerce Strategic Plan Vision: Eatonville is a community with a thriving local economy. It embraces local and sustainable industry, cottage merchants, and tourism. Eatonville honors and maintains its heritage which is rooted in agriculture, forestry and fisheries industries. Eatonville grows within sustainable limits, maintains its small town feel, protects its natural environment, and nurtures a harmonious community. Eatonville concentrates its services within the town to support a regional rural economy. It provides an economic structure that supports all, including low-income senior housing, local employment opportunities, education, and a comprehensive transportation system. Mission: The Greater Eatonville Chamber of Commerce facilitates a healthy and thriving local economy. The Chamber promotes individual success, small business development, and entrepreneurial activities by providing information and education, umbrella services, and leadership to local businesses and members. The Chamber actively participates in the projects and activities of other agencies and organizations to communicate and further Chamber objectives. The Chamber encourages broad participation among the community, local organizations, the Town of Eatonville, and other government agencies in all matters affecting the economy, environment, and community. The Chamber supports efforts to protect and conserve natural and cultural resources, recognizing that stewardship of the natural environment and Eatonville s heritage are essential to the local economy. Values: The Greater Eatonville Area Chamber of Commerce values the uniquely American view of freedom with its reverence for personal independence and individual rights. The Chamber prizes the special character and spirit of the Eatonville community especially visible in its giving, sacrificing, and coming together in time of need. The Chamber champions fair business practices and inclusive economic planning. Ethics: The Greater Eatonville Area Chamber of Commerce advocates optimism, positive thinking, transparent decision-making, and subsidiarity (making local decisions locally). The Chamber employs a personal touch, helping people to maximize their potential.
Goals, Strategies, and Goal One: Develop and implement a regional economic strategy. Strategy 1: Position the Greater Eatonville Chamber of Commerce as a leader in regional economic strategic planning and implementation. Participate in key meetings where regional economics are being discussed Maintain a role as a convener to encourage collaboration and coordination of regional economic actions among stakeholders Be a source of current and accurate economic information for businesses, media, local governments, etc. Stay informed of regional business and economic trends and activities. Know what is going on in the area (e.g., attend conferences, maintain library, send representatives to training opportunities, post information on the website) Develop and implement a marketing strategy that consistently brands the Eatonville Chamber of Commerce as a leader of regional economic policy. Establish and maintain a presence as a player in area economic activities, discussions, and decisions. Strategy 2: Promote a healthy regional rural economy. Actively participate in and support projects that implement downtown revitalization planning and implementation. Create a web-based platform to support and promote internet marketing for local goods. Maintain an inventory of trade area businesses. Develop and implement a program to encourage and match local services to local buyers Support rural transportation initiatives. Include an environmental ethic that supports conservation and stewardship of natural and cultural resources. Assure the regional economy includes (at a minimum) the following components: 1. Local agriculture (farming and forestry) 2. Light industry 3. Performing arts and artisans 4. Tourism (food, gas, lodging, shopping, activities, etc) 5. Public health 6. Government (police, fire, emergency medical, parks, planning) 2 P age
Strategy 3: Support and promote centralization of services in Eatonville. Strategic Plan: 2008 Establish a regional medical center in Eatonville that includes an urgent care clinic, provides physical therapy, and operates on extended hours. 1. Develop a concept paper describing the opportunity, barriers, issues, etc. 2. Send a formal letter to area hospitals, medical centers, and physician s associations describing the Town s interest and requesting a meeting to discuss the opportunity 3. Meet and learn about one another s interests, needs, issues, etc. 4. Form a committee to keep moving the project forward (develop incentives; respond to issues and/or requests for further information, etc). Reorganize and consolidate local police, fire, and emergency medical services into one regional emergency services district that provides comprehensive, efficient, and economical coverage for the entire region. 1. Develop a concept paper describing the opportunity, barriers, issues, etc. 2. Send a formal letter to area emergency services providers describing the Town s interest and requesting a meeting to discuss the opportunity. 3. Meet and learn about one another s interests, needs, issues, etc. 4. Form a committee to keep moving the project forward (develop incentives; respond to issues and/or requests for further information, etc). 5. Consider the potential for establishing a shared Public Safety building housing: Fire/Emergency Medical Eatonville police Pierce County Sheriff District Court Establish a regional tourism center that provides both local and regional visitor information. 1. Establish a regional tourism partnership between the Town of Eatonville, Chamber of Commerce, Mount Rainier Visitor Association, Visit Rainier, and the Tacoma Convention/Visitors Bureau. 2. Establish a Board of Directors. 3. Develop a budget and a business plan. (Note: if National Park Service presence and display of the Arrowhead is desired, include budget item to reimburse Mount Rainier for the cost of employing a uniformed position to staff the visitor center) 4. Secure funding. 5. Lease/remodel a building or buy land and construct a building Establish a regional transportation center and provide public transportation links to regional destinations including Mount Rainier National Park, the City of Tacoma, and Sea-Tac Airport. 3 P age
1. Participate in the planning, formation, and operation of a regional rural transportation entity. 2. Develop a budget and business plan. 3. Secure funding. 4. Lease or buy land. 5. Design, permit, and construct the facility. Establish a Regional Non-Motorized Trail Network 1. Organize a planning process to prepare and print a plan for a regional trail network. Assure the planning process includes a public involvement component. 2. Formally adopt the trail plan by the Town of Eatonville and Pierce County. 3. Write grants/secure funding 4. Enter into cooperative trail management agreement partnerships with adjacent jurisdictions for the use/inclusion of existing trails. 5. Assemble corridors and rights-of-way (land acquisition, easements, agreements, etc). 6. Develop design and engineering drawings and specifications for new trails. 7. Submit trail plans and drawings for the appropriate permitting requirements. 8. Construct new trails 9. Empower a volunteer Friends of the Trail non-profit organization to steward the trail system Establish a Senior Care Center in Eatonville for independent and assisted living and to provide home care nursing services. 1. Develop a concept paper describing the opportunity, barriers, issues, etc. 2. Send a formal letter to area senior services providers describing the Town s interest and requesting a meeting to discuss the opportunity. 3. Meet and learn about one another s interests, needs, issues, etc. 4. Form a committee to keep moving the project forward (develop incentives; respond to issues and/or requests for further information, etc). Provide Pierce County services in Eatonville (e.g., building permits, vehicle licensing, social services, etc). 1. Set up a study session between the Eatonville Town Council and the Pierce County Council to discuss/study the need for a county services satellite office in Eatonville 2. Form a committee to keep moving the project forward (develop incentives; respond to issues and/or requests for further information, etc). 4 P age
Goal Two: Support existing business and recruit new business. 5 P age Strategic Plan: 2008 Strategy l: Provide business marketing, business plan creation, and financial consulting services for existing businesses and those entrepreneurs entering the local economy. Develop a business mentor program (e.g., established business paired with startup) Identify resources that will assist in business and marketing plan development Develop local lending institution resources to provide business finance consulting services Strategy 2: Maintain useful demographic information, business trends information and economic analyses of the rural regional economy. Maintain updated data set from Pierce County, regional and state collections Develop economic model to assess impact of Nisqually-Mashel State Park project Develop economic model to assess impact of Train to the Mountain project Develop tourism economic model to guide that planning element Strategy 3: Market the Eatonville area and do outreach to recruit and welcome new businesses. Establish formal collaboration with communities and businesses in market area Find sponsors and grants to develop market segment planning (e.g., tourism, agriculture and natural resources, and sustainable industries) Develop marketing materials and a welcome packet. Consult/collaborate with the Pierce County Economic Development office. Create incentives to attract new businesses to the area and help them get established (e.g., delay payment of development impact fees for the first 2 to 3 years). Strategy 4: Support and strengthen existing business. Support strategic planning for cottage merchants. Identify all service industry businesses and attract them to join the Chamber Create a coordinated tourism strategic plan Create an area Wi Fi for free wireless internet access Improve business visibility on Internet search engines Support development of a knock-out website for the Town of Eatonville Update the Chamber of Commerce website.
Implement SCORE program (senior retired executives provide mentoring services for business planning, marketing plans, etc. See SCORE website.) Strategy 5: Establish a business trust (or cooperative) with the ability to buy, hold and resell businesses in transition between owners and to administer a small business assistance program. Expand business definition to include agriculture, natural resource and timber based business For agriculture and natural resources, work with existing land trusts and local agricultural agencies to identify potential for transfer of development rights, conservation easements, and outright purchase Research and develop the business trust concept, such as describing a business model, required capital and grant or private funding partnerships. Develop a small business assistance program to help new businesses with start-up costs (e.g., meeting building codes, permits, applying for grants and/or low interest loans, etc). Strategy 6: Develop a regional cooperative program that offers employee benefits and services for small and rural businesses. Pool resources to purchase and maintain office equipment (copiers, fax, mail service, etc). Offer a benefits package that includes health and life insurance, and a tax-deferred savings plan. Maintain liability insurance for small business cooperative members. 6 P age
7 P age Strategic Plan: 2008 Goal Three: Promote a comprehensive continuing education program in partnership with business, industry, government, education, and community. Strategy 1: Develop a partnership between schools, businesses and local government to provide continuing education programs. Develop a process for collaborating with local community, school and town government for facilities use and instruction Encourage participation by offering learning opportunities in a variety of styles (e.g., seminars, conferences, classes, workshops, guided tours, etc) Establish a separate community college training center (e.g., Pierce College branch campus) Collaborate with the administration at Pierce College in curriculum development Coordinate with the Washington State Board of Education to assure compliance with state laws Include opportunities for handicapped training and support Promote job mentoring, job shadowing, and internships with local businesses Support development of high school curriculum on business education Strategy 2: Offer a wide variety of learning opportunities on an array of business subjects. Develop learning opportunities on the following subjects: o Management o Marketing o Advertising o Technology o Motivational programs o Customer service techniques o Networking skills o Decision making o Ethics & social responsibility o Hospitality Strategy 3: Offer a wide variety of learning opportunities on an array of life skills and general interest subjects. Develop inventory of life skills training (e.g., Town of Eatonville, Nisqually River Council, Nisqually Tribe, UW Pack Forest, Mt. Rainier National Park, Pioneer Farm, Good Samaritan Hospital, NW Trek, Camp Arnold, etc)
Develop learning opportunities on the following subjects: o GED o Parenting o Managing personal finances o Personal health o Environmental stewardship o Recreation/Outdoor Skills o Foreign language o Arts Strategy 4: Explore barriers and develop plan to entice community college to operate in Eatonville. Develop a concept paper describing the opportunity, barriers, issues, etc. Send a formal letter to area community colleges describing the Town s interest and requesting a meeting to discuss the opportunity Meet and learn about one another s interests, needs, issues, etc. Form a committee to keep moving the project forward (develop incentives, respond to issues and/or requests for further information, etc). 8 P age
Goal Four: Create a permanent, sustainable, comprehensive, and inclusive community-based planning and governing forum for the Greater Eatonville (the geographical area encompassed by the Eatonville School District) based on a big picture vision for the area. Strategy 1: Nurture the creation of a permanent stakeholder organization (existing or created) as the process facilitator and keeper of the big vision. Identify stakeholders (e.g., who is working in the area? What is their geographic footprint? What are their goals? Etc.) Prepare a white paper promoting the concept of a whole systems visioning approach and explaining preliminary ideas for the organization Invite participants to become part of a new organization Strategy 2: Develop and publish the big picture vision for the Greater Eatonville region through an inclusive and collaborative planning process. Jointly develop an organizational structure while facilitating an inclusive and collaborative planning process to develop the big picture vision for the area. Convene a visioning summit intended to analyze and explore the inter-relationships and commonalities between past and current planning efforts of the Ashford, Eatonville, Ohop, and Tanwax communities and kick-start interest in preparing one shared vision for the area. Write, illustrate, and publish the big picture vision document. Strategy 3: Integrate the forum process into all local public and private planning activities; keep the vision in the forefront of community efforts. Nurture and sustain a network of relationships with public and private stakeholder groups, organizations, and individuals to maintain a shared understanding of roles, responsibilities, mission, agendas in a collaborative partnership.. Develop a written media and marketing plan for communicating and promoting the activities/accomplishments of the forum and publicize regular forum gatherings (at least once a year). Encourage Pierce County Planning and Land Services (PALS) Department to develop a community plan for the remaining area of southeast Pierce County that does not have a plan.. 9 P age
Strategy 4: Develop, practice, model, and promote the concepts of teamwork, partnering, and proactive change. Participate in the projects and activities of other agencies and organizations to communicate and further the objectives of the forum Organize community projects, events, and activities for purposes such as fundraising, volunteer work parties, and PR promotions. Practice values and ethical behavior. Model participation and positive thinking. Note: The Greater Eatonville Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors approved this strategic plan for dissemination and implementation on December 1, 2007. 10 P age