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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTri City Development Council (TRIDEC) Industrial Recruitment Agreement 2019-2023INDUSTRIAL RECRUITMENT PARTICIPANT AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE CITY OF PASCO AND THE TRI -CITY DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL Benton Franklin businesses, local governments, chambers of commerce, and other economic development agencies are intent on working cooperatively with the Tri -City Development Council ("TRIDEC") to recruit new industry to the bi-county area. This agreement is between TRIDEC, the State's designated Associate Development Organization (ADO) for Benton and Franklin Counties, and the City of Pasco, a local entity, both designated herein as "Participants" in the bi-county industrial recruitment program. Similar agreements are being secured between TRIDEC and the counties of Benton and Franklin, the cities of Kennewick, Richland, Pasco and West Richland, and the ports of Benton, Pasco, and Kennewick. MUTUAL OBJECTIVES The Participants seek to expand business activity, increase capital investment, and broaden employment opportunities in the bi-county area. To accomplish this, TRIDEC will coordinate a program to expand existing industrial employment and recruit new industries to Benton Franklin Counties. While TRIDEC's primary mission is industrial job creation, the Participants are also committed to supporting creation of new businesses, commercialization of technology, expansion of tourism, retail development, and other means of economic development. However, these important efforts are led by community-based economic development organizations other than TRIDEC. The participants will establish roles and responsibilities for these functions with other agencies through separate agreements. The cities, counties, and ports may have occasion to pursue individual or collective industrial recruitment effort beyond the confines of this agreement. To the extent these supplemental activities require a significant commitment of TRIDEC resources, they may as well be the subject of separate agreements. AGREEMENT The Participants will cooperate in the planning and implementation of activities to recruit new basic industry to the bi-county area. TRIDEC will coordinate this effort, making productive use of its own staff and volunteers, as well personnel resources supplied by other Participants. The TRIDEC President is responsible for administering this agreement. Pasco designates its Community and Economic Development Director as its primary contract for TRIDEC's industrial recruitment program. PROGRAM STRUCTURE The TRIDEC Board of Directors is ultimately responsible for setting business recruitment program policies. Cities, counties, and ports have full representation on the Board. The recommendations of the Board's Commerce & Industry Committee and TRIDEC staff help shape these policies. Elected and appointed officials from member local governments have opportunities for active involvement. The TRIDEC staff is responsible for administering the industrial recruitment program in cooperation the personnel from Participant agencies. TRIDEC functions as the Associate Development Organization for the Department of Commerce. TRIDEC also engages businesses, educational institutions, the Department of Energy and its contractors, the Tri - Cities Visitor and Convention Bureau, and other bi-county economic development agencies to effectively support its industrial recruitment program. The TRIDEC President/CEO and participants, port, city, and county managers will endeavor to maintain effective coordination among the Participants. The Case Management Group, consisting of the TRIDEC Vice -President for Commerce & Industry and designated staff from each Participant agency, will work together on an on-going basis to market, recruit, qualify, and service prospects. TRIDEC, in cooperation with the Participants, will accomplish the following objectives: • Industrial Recruiting Staff: Retain a qualified business recruiting staff to work with designated Participant agency personnel. • Marketing Plan: Maintain and follow a formal, written plan to market to, identify, recruit, qualify, and service industrial prospects. Focus on target opportunities, including but not limited to agribusiness, environmental industries, I-5 Corridor business, metals industries, and back- office/telecommunication business. • Client Tracking System: Administer a client tracking system to manage and record prospect contacts. Encourage use of the system by all Participants. • Site/Facility Inventory Administer and update as needed a data base including the following information for industrial sites and facilities available for recruited industries: site and structures plans, location, site dimensions and acreage, soil conditions and slope, transportation access, availability or utilities, zoning, neighboring land uses, and contact person. • Training: Provide effective industrial marketing to Participants, agency staff, and community volunteers who come into contact with industrial prospects. • Measurement: Regularly monitor and report industrial recruiting progress using a mutually agreed measurement system that gauges program effectiveness. • Communications: Through its Internet, website, e-mail, printed reports, newsletters media releases, and briefing sessions, keep all Participants and the general public adequately informed of industrial recruitment activities. • Annual Report: The year's industrial recruitment accomplishment and plans for the coming year will be reported at TRIDEC's annual meeting. HANDLING OF PROSPECTS Business and recruitment activities can begin with contacts originated through Department of Commerce and referred to TRIDEC, directly by TRIDEC, or by a local entity. Contacts through TRIDEC: The following describes the handling of prospects cases when contact originates at TRIDEC or is referred to TRIDEC by Department of Commerce. • TRIDEC will provide general information on the bi-county area and other data requested by the prospect. In response to the Prospect's expressed interests, TRIDEC will also supply names of property owners and Participant contacts. • If the prospect indicates an interest in specific business locations TRIDEC will notify affected Participants and property owners, share information gathered, make appropriate introductions, and assist in follow-up marketing as requested. • If the prospect indicates interest in specific sites, but requests confidentiality, TRIDEC will keep affected parties fully informed without revealing the identity of the prospect. This information will remain confidential until release by TRIDEC is authorized by the prospect. • When a prospect establishes formal discussions with a participant and commits to a site in its jurisdiction, responsibility for managing the contact will be transferred from TRIDEC to that entity. TRIDEC will continue serving as the prospect's community advocate and provide assistance as requested. • Contacts at the Local Entity Level: This describes the handling of prospects when the contact originates with the local entity, or the entity has assumed responsibilities for the case. • Local entities rely on TRIDEC to supply a variety of valuable industrial recruitment information and services. When a local entity receives a contact inquiry or is managing an industrial prospect and desires support from TRIDEC, it need only request such assistance. • It is not necessary for the entity to divulge the identity of a prospect to TRIDEC unless it elects to do so. If requested assistance requires disclosure of the prospect identity, TRIDEC will render such assistance while maintaining confidentiality. • If the local entity determines that dealing with a prospect exceeds its abilities, the prospect will be referred to TRIDEC for further handling. • If more than one local entity requests assistance with the same prospect, TRIDEC will so advise affected entities. Under this circumstance, subsequent requests for assistance must be mutually agreed upon by affected local entities before it is rendered by TRIDEC. CLOSING DEALS The cities participating as Participants in industrial recruitment activities will collectively provide TRIDEC $95,000 annually to support the program in addition to transfer by the Counties of funds from Department of Commerce in designating TRIDEC as the Regional ADO. Shares are allocated as to equitably distribute the financial responsibilities for the program. The annual cost distribution is shown below City of Kennewick $30,000 City of Richland $30,000 City of Pasco $30,000 City of West Richland $5,000 For the services herein above described, the City of Pasco agrees to pay TRIDEC the sum of Thirty Thousand Dollars ($30,000) for the twelve-month periods beginning January 1 and ending December 31 for each year the contract is in effect. Payments shall be made in equal quarterly installments and within 30 days upon City of Pasco receipt of invoices setting forth the services rendered. TERM OF AGREEMENT This agreement will be effective on January 1, 2019 and remain in effect through December 31, 2023. It may be amended at any time by mutual agreement of Participants. The Agreement may be terminated at any time by mutual agreement or by either Participant for cause, failure to perform, or for other legitimate reasons. A one year (1 year) written notice to the Participant is required to effectuate a termination. Dated this 5th day of August 2019. CITY OF PASCO i Dave Zabell, 0it-y—Marrater Ange Pas , Interir) City Clerk TRIDEC Carl Adrian, President/CEO