New name, new mission proposed for economic development organization

By Buck Collier, Special Correspondent
Posted 4/12/23

HERMANN — A former director of its board is hoping a new name and a new set of goals will breathe new life into what has become a “stagnant” organization aimed at promoting economic …

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New name, new mission proposed for economic development organization

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HERMANN — A former director of its board is hoping a new name and a new set of goals will breathe new life into what has become a “stagnant” organization aimed at promoting economic development in the Hermann area.

Businesswoman Raylene Hollrah, an original member of the Hermann Regional Economic Development (HRED) Corporation created a decade ago, has proposed reworking the non-governmental organization to have a clearer mission and measurable goals. But for one member of the group’s board, what’s in a name is important.

At this month’s session of HRED, held Tuesday, April 4, in the Hermann Area Chamber of Commerce Conference Room, the proposed new format was unveiled. Hollrah and several current board members are supporting the shift from shifting the identity of the organization from HRED to REDI — Regional Economic Development Initiative.

One reason for the proposed name change is to make it clear that the target area of the group’s efforts extends beyond the Hermann city limits. Indeed, the organization — and city government, as well — has at the top of its current list of projects is the support of a move to create a Montgomery County Port Authority. That agency would be responsible for helping recruit and develop an industrial “megasite” within the Interstate 70 corridor in Montgomery County.

The City of Hermann is attempting to be included in the proposed Port Authority District. (See related story on page 3).

But some members of the HRED Board of Directors are not too keen on the proposed name change.

“It’s important to keep ‘Hermann’ at the top” of the group’s letterhead, said Hermann Tourism & Economic Development Director Tammy Bruckerhoff.

“Maybe not,” replied Director Ron Kraettli, who has long been a critic of what he sees as a lack of effort toward economic development on the part of the city. Kraettli has been a consistent advocate for a full-time economic director position within City Hall. Kraettli said the organization has become “stagnant”over the years.

The name HRED won’t go away, Hollrah explained, because that’s the name the group is incorporated under with the Missouri Secretary of State’s Office. But while HRED is the formal moniker, the new reference of REDI will give the organization a new perspective in its effort to promote economic development, supporters said.

The proposed new mission is brief and to the point: “to sustain and grow the Hermann community and region with an inclusive, inviting, and welcoming strategy while offering quality of place and an economy with vitality.”

Board Secretary Susan Stiers, one of the advocates of the remake of the agency, said the identity change is aimed at helping the directors “be sure we’re going down the path we want to be on.”

A review of HRED’s existing by-laws show they would need little if any change to accommodate the proposed organizational facelift, which, as one advocate said, is designed to “clarify” the group’s role and “get a little more organized” about what it hopes to accomplish.

That has been one of the questions within the community about HRED — created a decade ago when it became clear to Gasconade County R-1 School District administrators that the student enrollment slide might become a long-term issue. Then-Superintendent Chris Neale was a key player in the development of HRED, which brought together business people, city and county government officials and education leaders focused on ways to promote economic development within the Hermann region as a means of creating jobs that could attract families with school-age children.

But one crucial piece to the original HRED puzzle has been missing from the beginning: Available affordable housing for the workers of whatever jobs resulted from the organization’s efforts. And that piece of the puzzle remains a concern today for those advocating a change to the organization. So much so that a Housing Initiative is at the top of the proposed strategy list. As the Number 1 strategy on the agency’s so-called “roadmap,” the Housing Initiative includes two parts: Affordable residential rentals and residential homes for individuals and families.

There are three other Strategy items for the proposed remodeled organization:

• Education & Workforce Development. This includes the development of a Career Center initially under the auspices of Gasconade County R-1 School District and, administrators hope, turned over to the University of Missouri or University Extension to continue operating. The Career Center would be focused on offering training in hospitality, vitaculture (centering on the wine industry) and horticulture, according to R-1 Superintendent Geoff Neill.

“We don’t want to create jobs; we want to create careers” with the proposed center, he said. Toward that end, he and R-1 Director Jeff Englert, who also represents the school district on the HRED board, voiced their support for the proposed change.

“I think it’s a really good idea,” Neill said.

Also included in the Education & Workforce Development portion of the Strategy list is a goal to increase population within the R-1 District and increase the student enrollment.

• Be Opportunity REDI. The most ambitious portion of the Strategy list, this section includes a focus on regional economic development and the proposed Montgomery County Port Authority; identifying available property and locations for possible development; compiling incentives for property buyers and sellers; and raising awareness and use of Hermann Area District Hospital.

• REDI Funding Mechanism & Marketing. This could be the key ingredient in making the proposed organizational overhaul a success. HRED has on hand about $9,000 — less than the amount in the Gasconade County Commission’s Cemetery Fund ($11,000, which is used to keep the grass cut on the one abandoned cemetery under the county’s authority). HRED no longer receives tax dollars. The city of Hermann has not provided financial support and the modest $1,000-a-year contribution from county government ended with this year’s county budget. The County Commission for the past few years questioned the effectiveness of HRED, but was reluctant to pull its support. This year, with a new Commission in place, the donation was removed from the budget.

A motion to put the new plan into action at last week’s meeting fell short. Kraettli proposed adopting the new format.

“I’m not sure I’m ready to vote on it,” said Bruckerhoff, saying she wanted time to consider the proposed changes.

If the overhaul is adopted, the changes would take place July 1, the start of the organization’s fiscal year.