NEDCO Strategic Plan

1.  ORGANIZATION DESCRIPTION.  The Nacogdoches Economic Development Corp. (NEDCO) is a non-profit — Section 501(c) (3) — corporation organized to promote, assist, stimulate and enhance economic development within Nacogdoches County, including its incorporated cities. NEDCO is a public-private partnership that receives the majority of its operating funds from private-sector companies doing business in Nacogdoches.

2.  VISION. NEDCO’s vision is to help create a vibrant, prosperous community with a broad-based economy, enabling people of all ages and walks of life to build careers while being able to enjoy the fruits of their labors.

3.  MISSION. NEDCO’s mission is to facilitate growth and prosperity throughout Nacogdoches County and its incorporated cities by helping existing businesses remain successful; by fostering local entrepreneurship; and by recruiting new industry and business to Nacogdoches County.

4.  ASSETS.

• Stephen F. Austin State University (12,000 students, plus faculty and facilities)
• Proximity to Houston (IAH, Port of Houston, Houston Market, etc.)
• College-educated work force (23.22% have at least a college degree and 9.2% have graduate or professional degree) in the County                       
• Urban population of 32,000
• County population of 62,000
• 7-county market population of 300,000 within 40 miles of downtown Nacogdoches
• Student population with a large disposable income, as well as a tendency to spend heavily in retail and entertainment
• County ranks No. 8 out of 254 Texas counties in Agricultural production
• Road Infrastructure: US-59/Future I-69 dual-lane, divided highway connecting Houston and Longview (I-20); TX-21 and TX-7 provide east/west access
• Rail Infrastructure: north/south service provided by Union Pacific
• Relatively diverse economy, with no single employer (except SFASU) whose demise/departure would “blow a hole” in the region’s economy
• 20 local employers that employ at least 100 people
• Relatively low cost of living
• Relatively low labor costs
• Readily available land that is also relatively inexpensive
• General aviation airport with 5,001 foot runway and Instrument Landing System (ILS)
• Asian connection through SFASU and several local industries

5.  LIABILITIES.

• 25% of adult population has less than a high school degree
• No current interstate highway access serving Nacogdoches
• No passenger air service within 75 miles (IAH is 2 hours south)
• Industrial Park is undeveloped (although utilities do extend to the entrance of the park)
• No rail service into the Industrial Park
• Population size & income levels makes retail attraction more challenging
• Student population keeps Median Household Income statistics down

 a.    General

• Begins with a Long-Range Vision (15-20 years in the future) that will raise the standard of living and quality of life of all Nacogdoches County residents
• Establish goals with measurable results
• Must have community support, be achievable, and be worth doing

 b.  Long-Range Goals (Target 2020):

1. Median Household Income above the Texas average
2. Unemployment Rate below the Texas average
3. Poverty level below the Texas average
4. Work Force Demographics: HS & College Grads above Texas average
5. Designation as a Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) with Lufkin
6. Complete I-69 linking Nacogdoches with Houston and I-20
7. Regional airport between Nacogdoches and Lufkin
8. Passenger Rail Service to Nacogdoches (links to Houston and Dallas)
9. Continuously incorporate SFASU goals into NEDCO’s goals — (i.e., new departments, new degree programs, number of students, graduates, PhDs, graduate students, etc.)
10. Firmly establish 1-2 new Industry Cluster(s) that currently do not exist in Nacogdoches

c. Mid-Range Goals (Target 2015):

1. Establish a retail hub on US-59 west of city (i.e., Sam’s Club, several smaller stores, hotel(s), gas station and several restaurants)
2. Develop at least half (35 acres) of the R&I Park
3. Launch 10-15 new businesses through Entrepreneurial Incubator Program
4. Develop another retail center on north side of city
5. Expand retail & industrial development south of loop
6. Establish a magnet development between Nacogdoches and Lufkin
7. Establish an intermodal (truck & rail) facility in Nacogdoches County
8. Reduce retail leakage by 25 percent
9. Expand housing options targeted toward upscale retirees
10. Increase recreational and cultural opportunities
11. Expand commercial and residential development along Sam Rayburn Reservoir

d. Short-Range Goals & Action Items (Target 2011):

1.    Develop plan for R&I Park (either develop as an Industrial Park with basic infrastructure, or sell the land)

• Determine emerging technological amenities to be included in infrastructure plan
• Update infrastructure plan design and costs
• Identify alternatives for development (i.e., NEDCO development, partner with other entities, sale of land)
• Develop cost-benefit analysis for alternatives

2.    Locate 1-2 companies in the R&I Park (if we decide to develop it)

• Create marketing plan for R&I Park
• Utilize existing incentive programs to facilitate negotiation

3.    Successfully establish Nacogdoches Entrepreneur Incubator Program

• Develop Entrepreneur Incubator Program design
• Launch 1-2 new businesses each year through the program

4.    Attract at least one new company from outside Nacogdoches County each year

• Utilize existing retail leakage study to determine target businesses
• Survey existing local industries to identify suppliers whose location in the Nacogdoches area would be beneficial to both the industry and the supplier
• Coordinate with outside developers and site selection consultants
• Create list of target companies and make personal contact

5.    Revise NEDCO website to be more customer-focused

• Determine requirements
• Design and build website through outside vendor
• Maintain accuracy of content
• Continuously expand content to better serve customers

6.    Market all available commercial property on website (land & buildings)

• Develop plan with local commercial real estate brokers to maintain accurate data
• Identify potential developable land along major transportation (road and rail) routes, as well as along the electrical grid, through Nacogdoches County

7.   Participate in ACCRA/C2ER’s Cost of Living Index

• Enroll Nacogdoches in the COLI program
• Collect and submit required data to C2ER on a quarterly basis IAW their published schedule

8.    Establish a Technical Training Center in Nacogdoches to support local businesses and non-college bound high school students to ensure a steady supply of “skilled trade” workers (i.e., welders, electricians, etc.)

• Develop list of training requirements in coordination with local employers
• Coordinate with Angelina College, the various Nacogdoches County Independent School Districts and SFASU to operate and maintain the facility
• Develop facility requirement plans, including costs
• Locate a source of funding to build the facility

9.    Improve telecommunications service throughout the County to help expand residential and commercial development

• Meet with service providers (i.e., AT&T, Sprint, Suddenlink, etc.) to identify obstacles to service expansion of coverage
• Ensure that service providers plans for expansion are in line with local development and expansion

10.  Aggressively promote participation in Census 2010

• Develop action plan with city, county and chamber to promote the importance of an accurate census to the future of Nacogdoches
• Coordinate with Census officials at state and local levels to ensure board community understanding of the Census
• Promote community-wide outreach program to encourage full participation in the Census collection

11. Partner with Main Street program to ensure health of the downtown district

• Aggressively market available properties
• Meet with owners of vacant properties to determine obstacles to tenancy
• Coordinate with local government and business entities to Identify and eliminate/mitigate obstacles to business development in historic downtown district

12. Coordinate with leaders of incorporated towns in Nacogdoches County

• Identify their economic development needs and desires
• Incorporate those needs and desires in NEDCO’s action plans
• Identify and market rail-served large parcels of land for industrial development in the County

13. Improve access to property information for developers and entrepreneurs

• Partner with the Columbia Geospatial Center and the Central Appraisal District to secure data for Nacogdoches County that complements existing interactive web-based City GIS mapping

14. Support the community’s Retiree Attraction efforts

• Assist, where possible, the Timber Springs development
• Attract a developer for an upscale Recreational Vehicle (RV) Park
• Encourage establishment of a lakeside residential development

15. Support the community’s Tourism Attraction efforts

• Partner with Convention & Business Bureau and the Chamber of Commerce to support their programs and goals
• Lay foundation for commercial and residential development along Sam Rayburn Reservoir.