Area economic development coalition holds critical meeting
By Larry Hurrle
Argus Observer
Friday, November 20, 2009 10:38 AM PST
ONTARIO — A little more than a year after an idea was generated to form a group to market the tri-county area of southwestern Idaho and eastern Oregon for economic development purposes, the Snake River Economic Development Alliance has taken steps toward making its corporation official and is eyeing early 2010 to begin operations.
In a general membership meeting of SREDA Wednesday night at the Four Rivers Cultural Center, the group voted unanimously to ratify its bylaws and articles of incorporation as a 501(c)(6) nonprofit organization.
Earlier in the year, SREDA had filed articles of corporation with the Idaho Secretary of State’s Office under a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, but Jim Smith, with the Idaho Department of Labor, said that corporation will likely be dissolved to make way for the 501(c)(6) filing. Smith said the new articles of incorporation will be filed in Idaho with the Secretary of State’s Office as a business filing and will be housed in Oregon.
SREDA Vice Chairman Mike Hanigan said the approval of the articles of corporation and bylaws will allow the entity to move forward early in 2010 by approaching local municipalities and counties with a game plan for SREDA.
“In 2010 we won’t miss any steps, and we will be moving forward,” Hanigan said. “By January we will be going out in more of a public forum.” Hanigan said a 35-member board of representatives has met and established a 15-member board of directors for SREDA.
The board of directors, he said, has been meeting every other week and now “has their feet on the ground” and is moving toward looking for an executive director for the organization. He said the board will now be busy budgeting and identifying expenditures and what it will take, monetarily, to run the organization.
“Never forget, we are a marketing arm for the three county area,” Hanigan said. “We are all here together in a very unified effort. Success breeds success.”
Malheur County Economic Development Coordinator Jim Jensen said it is important to understand that SREDA is not an economic development corporation, but a tool that can be used to bring businesses to the area.
“We all have economic development responsibilities, but what we don’t have is marketing,” Jensen said. “We are raising the ability to market this area. Our job is to get that business here. Then they can select an area here. We don’t care if it is in Nyssa, Vale, Ontario, Fruitland … it benefits everybody once it’s here.”
