June 28, 2018 – Paul Morden, The Sarnia Observer: Strategic plan to ‘focus’ economic development work for next five years
An updated plan for economic growth and stability in the community was launched this week by the Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership.
Developed over several months, the updated strategic plan will help focus the local economic development agency’s activities in the coming years and “define the priority needs for our programing that is based on local needs,” said Stephen Thompson, general manager of the partnership which is funded by Lambton County.
Each of the 11 municipalities Lambton, including Sarnia, has “its own unique circumstances and unique needs and this helps to set the stage for a collaborative approach to working on issues and opportunity to try to create jobs and investment,” Thompson said.
The plan sets out priorities and “a long list of activities to be working on over the next five years,” Thompson said.
Objectives outlined in the plan include attracting people and developing talent to support the area’s economic development, leveraging existing industries and accelerating development of emerging sectors.
“That includes the elements of new business attraction as well as supporting existing businesses and the entrepreneurship piece, working with people that have an idea or a very small early stage business,” Thompson said.
The plan also calls for promoting Sarnia-Lambton as “an exceptional place to build a career, life, raise and family and retire,” investing in new infrastructure and engaging municipal partners and others in supporting regional economic development.
Work on the plan update began before Thompson arrived in September to take up his post at the partnership following the retirement of former general manager George Mallay.
“It’s really exciting to see the amount of development that’s going on in the community,” Thompson said.
“It’s really amazing to see the uptick in the economy that is being driven by a number of projects.”
Thompson said they include the $2-billion expansion underway at Nova Chemicals in St. Clair Township, as well as projects coming out of the Western Sarnia-Lambton Research Park and Lambton College.
Thompson said he was excited to be involved in the final stages of the launch earlier this year of a local Innovation Bridge initiative to help businesses commercialize their ideas.
“I’ve also been quite impressed with how well organizations seem to come together around a common goal of supporting the local economies and attracting new investment,” he said.
A long-term effort to attract bio-chemical companies to the community to take advantage of its industrial infrastructure and workforce has led to several recent announcements of companies planning to set up manufacturing plants, including Comet Biorefining, California-based Origin Materials and others.
“I’m incredibly confident that will continue to be a driver for us,” Thompson said.
The partnership’s board and a project team worked with a consultant over nine months to create the updated five-year plan adopted in April.
It was introduced at the partnership’s annual general meeting this week, at the same time Alex Palimaka was appointed its chairperson and Katherine Walker vice-chairperson.