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Goals, Vision

Posted March 16, 2008

Vision, Goals

I thought it might be of interest for folks to look at what we are setting our sights on for the year in terms of goals for the organization.

However, I think it is important to understand first, what is the foundation for these goals.

It is our vision statement. Our Vision Statement reads, “Designing the future for Anderson County through economic development innovation”. This simple, yet comprehensive vision statement is meant to effectively guide our organization forward. It is the same principle used by Fortune 500’s, non-profits, and public sector organizations- a guiding principle to help us focus on the ultimate objective for the organization.

Hence, the goals we will discuss are just a piece of what I feel is a long term program of work that should constantly evolve and challenge the organization.

I would say we could categorize our organizational goals for this upcoming year under five segments. These five areas are just the entry point to achieving a greater mission, that of leading us to our vision.

The first objective of Innovate Anderson is to support the economic development (ED) missions of the Anderson County Office of Economic Development (OoED). This will happen in most cases in the form of implementing the marketing plan for the OoED. We will provide collateral pieces, cluster inserts, and trade show graphics (traditional marketing elements). We would also like to see Anderson County be represented at up to 6 marketing events. These events should cover specific industry segments such as automotive, advanced materials, site consultant events, etc. Innovate Anderson will also assist in supporting branding materials for the OoED and support targeted feasibility studies. We would also like to support events during the year to raise the level of awareness about our County through roundtable discussions and other specialized events.

A second area that Innovate Anderson would like to help in is the recruitment of industry by identifying funding streams for specific ED projects. A couple examples would be to find manners in which to fund industrial park development and “spec” building construction. As well as, create venues to help showcase Anderson County to ED projects coming to the area when they visit.

We will continue to work in supporting the efforts of the Anderson Convention & Visitors Bureau as another avenue toward increasing the economic growth of Anderson.

Another area of emphasis for Innovate Anderson will continue to be the management and development of the Clemson University-Advanced Materials Center (CU-AMC). We would like to see the completion of a strategic marketing plan and begin the process of master planning the campus and the "187 corridor" as the advanced materials capital of the world.

These are our goals, and many of these will only be achievable by working on the final piece- growing the organization. More specifically, we want to increase the “value” of the organization-the value to the community, the OoED, the CU-AMC, and our investors.

I know this quickly and briefly covered many topics. However, I am proud of what the local “community” organizations are working towards and think Innovate Anderson is another source of positive influence in creating a better quality of life.