Adams council seeking CEO, marketing

Next meeting is May 15 at ATEC

ADAMS COUNTY - Several months after it made its debut, the new Adams County Development Council is making strides.

After holding its kickoff in Othello in January, the new council is patiently moving forward as it looks for marketing services and a full-time chief executive officer, president Stephen McFadden said.

This month, the council signed a contract with the state's Community Trade and Economic Development department as a county and state-recognized associate development organization.

"It is a great accomplishment for us," McFadden said. "Economic development is a game of patience and we have a substantial learning curve, being that the group is new, all of our board members are learning about economic development as we go along."

At the council's April 10 meeting, the board unanimously approved a request for proposals seeking comprehensive marketing services.

"It is seeking a marketing firm that can provide a full gamut of services, from logo design to Web design to trade show materials to pulse surveys of the existing business industry," McFadden said. "So it's fairly substantial."

At the May 15 meeting, David McFadden, president of the Yakima County Development Association, presents to the council about his experiences with economic development.

"What it is, what we can expect," Stephen McFadden said. "He worked for CTED and has been president of YCDA for quite a while. I think he can provide us with a fairly strong amount of guidance in terms of what we can expect. He is great about preaching patience."

There is no relation between Stephen McFadden and David McFadden. The meeting takes place May 15 at 6 p.m. in the Simplot Room in the Big Bend Community College ATEC Building.

Cities and towns of Adams County have all joined the council as partners, and a number of businesses have joined as partners, Stephen McFadden said.

"We passed out partnership pledge forms and received probably two dozen of them back from the January luncheon, including a number of folks who are willing to get involved," Stephen McFadden said. "Who want to actually serve on a committee or help us as we go along and I think that part is really good. That was something we didn't know, if people really were educated about who we are yet. We're doing more of that, and we have to do more of that."

Part of the reason for marketing services is to ensure the council develops its message and gets the message out into the community in a strong manner, he added.

The council board also approved a job description for the chief executive officer position, and has begun distribution to other associated development organizations in the state.

"We're not going to get this done without somebody who's on the ground full time during the week," Stephen McFadden said. "We need our version of a Terry Brewer (executive director of the Grant County Economic Development Council) or a Dave McFadden. Someone who loves economic development and wants to work for a few less dollars than what many of those agencies are hiring to pay. It's a ground floor opportunity. We're certainly a fresh new startup organization. We need someone with energy and knowledge, drive and connections."