The Creative Coast’s blogspot is Savannah’s sounding board for local thinkers, innovators, wanderers and wonderers. Guest bloggers share their thoughts, opinions and creative noodling from all over the map. This weeks guest blogger is Eric Johnson, SEDA board member and president of Hussey, Gay, Bell & DeYoung, a Savannah-based architectural and engineering firm. Read on for an interesting perspective on moving from Savannah’s squares to a world platform…
A World Trade Center Savannah? At first, I was skeptical.
But I committed myself to working with fellow SEDA board members Tommy Hester, Steve Green, Scott Center, and Brooks Stillwell along with Steve Weathers, Brynn Grant and consultant Kevin Werntz to explore the potential. It took four months.
As we got started, it was our intent to develop an international business development platform specific to the greater Savannah region and make sure whatever we might do would strengthen the four core focus areas of SEDA’s 5-Year Strategic Plan — Business Attraction, Business Retention & Expansion, Innovation & Entrepreneurship, and Competitive Positioning & Marketing, all of which exist for the purpose of creating jobs and attracting investment.
Our goals for the effort were to –
- Help established businesses expand internationally
- Help international businesses looking to our region for investment
- Elevate Savannah on the world stage
- Coordinate international connections and opportunities with a focused intent on generating a business result
- Create a meaningful regional economic development structure
- Generate revenue to support the effort
Ultimately, we came back to the concept Weathers had initially pitched as a possibility. After all of our due diligence, we determined a WTCA license offers the flexibility required to design a structure and strategy that meet the needs of the greater Savannah region while it also provides a global network and brand value that can be utilized to elevate and advance our goals at a relatively low cost.
On Tuesday, September 13, 2011, the Savannah Economic Development Authority Board of Directors voted unanimously in favor of securing a World Trade Center license for Savannah. On October 12, The World Trade Center Association Board of Directors will vote on our application at their General Assembly in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
The WTC Savannah will be the platform for a professional, proactive international strategy to develop and optimize international networks and opportunities for measurable business results that drive economic growth in the region. It will proactively generate and professionally respond to international business opportunities and will collaborate with partners like the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Georgia Chamber, Department of Commerce District Export Council, Greater Savannah International Alliance, Savannah Chamber, Creative Coast, and other regional development authorities as often as possible. Products and services will be developed to meet the specific needs of our region as well as Small to Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs) particularly, based on proven best practices, and then measured for long-term effectiveness.
While the Savannah region is uniquely positioned to realize the full range of advantages made possible through a WTCA license, a phased approach is planned. It will focus initially on two things: Trade Services and Foreign Direct Investment. The trade services will include educational opportunities and customized training, general data availability, customized research, business matching, and the coordination and/or hosting of international trade missions. Professional staff will also work to identify leads and develop business attraction projects with international companies looking to establish a presence in the U.S.
The World Trade Center Savannah will utilize existing resources and facilities of SEDA for greatest efficiency at startup. SEDA will own the WTCA license; however, it will establish a separate legal organization with an independent board of regional leaders.
Today, I am confident the WTC Savannah is a valuable tool for the region and one that will differentiate us in economic development internationally. As the president of Hussey, Gay, Bell & DeYoung, a local architectural and engineering services company, I can see the direct benefits it could have on our business. HGBD is already doing business in Saudi Arabia and many of the services offered through a WTC would have been valuable to us when we began our process.
Wherever we go next, I am sure WTC Savannah will play a major role in our future growth. I fully expect it will do the same for many other regional product and/or service-based companies.
If you are not already thinking about doing business internationally, maybe you should be.
Eric