WIRE-Net: Strategic Agenda

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Strategic Agenda

Our strategic plan is the bedrock of our organization, and every several years we implement a very thoughtful and deliberate process to review and update our plan. The current plan was developed, using the Appreciative Inquiry method, in 2008, and it will remain in effect through 2012.

The plan focuses on three program areas (and three capacity building initiatives):

Creating Pathways to New Markets,
Building the Manufacturing Talent Pipeline (both resulting from the Inquiry and the Summit), and
Redeveloping Northeast Ohio’s Manufacturing hubs.

How WIRE-Net does this work is important as well. Collaborations will be required in each of these efforts in order to make reasonable progress, given WIRE-Net’s limited resources. New and intensified relationships will be required as well, with partners, investors, and community (as well as business) stakeholders. Due in part to WIRE-Net’s outreach to and engagement with key economic development organizations and industry groups leading up to and since the Summit, many of these key relationships are in place with discussions now turning to identifying areas of cooperation and collaboration.

The plan would be challenging in normal economic times, and is even more so in our current economic climate. WIRE-Net will need to be flexible and nimble to take advantage of shifting regional and national priorities and resources.


	Mission Reminder Our Strategic Plan is the underlying roadmap that moves us toward our vision and mission of healthy communities and strong economic growth through manufacturing. WIRE-Net is here to support, connect and partner, building wealth and opportunity, creating value, and building on our strengths

Over a day and a-half (February 27-28, 2009), Summit participants identified 9 initiatives.
Additionally, WIRE-Net’s Board, staff and Management Team began evaluating the initiatives and our existing work against our Mission, and for impact and feasibility.
Through this process WIRE-Net’s 2010-2012 priorities were identified. These include the 3 program and 3 capacity building initiatives listed here:

Create Pathways to New Markets.
Build the manufacturing talent pipeline by forging manufacturing-education partnerships.
Redevelop Cleveland and NE Ohio’s urban centers, ensuring that manufacturing firms have modern space and easy access to markets.
Grow our membership by 15% each of the next 3-years.
Build our capacity by strengthening our internal systems and volunteer and professional talent.
Grow and diversify our funding.

Our Cleveland Focus: In addition to these initiatives, WIRE-Net has an major strategic commitment to manufacturing firms in the City of Cleveland. This is evident from the degree to which several initiatives are Cleveland focused. While this is not our only focus, it represents our belief that NE Ohio cannot prosper unless our core cities, especially Cleveland, are revitalized.

Re-Engineer Career-Tech Education: Expressed through our nearly 20 year partnership at Max Hayes Career Tech High School, the significant presence at Max Hayes of our School-to-Career programs (over 3 staff are based at the school) and our vision and work to rebuild the new Max Hayes as a “best in class” center for youth and adult career-tech education. Max Hayes is currently the only traditional trade school in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.

Cleveland’s 1000 Manufacturers are the heart of the region’s advanced manufacturing base: WIRE-Net has been working with the city’s west side firms since we were founded in 1986. In 2007, we expanded citywide and, at the City’s request, took over management of the Cleveland Industrial Retention Initiative (CIRI), now working with the City’s 1000 firms that employ 25,000 people. WIRE-Net staff, in cooperation with the Cleveland Department of Economic Development and Midtown Cleveland, visit over 500 firms each year and help them resolve issues affecting their ability to do business and grow here. In the last two years, the CIRI program has had significant interventions retaining or attracting 995 jobs, representing a $38 million annual payroll in Cleveland.

Collaborating to improve access to Cleveland’s industrial districts: WIRE-Net has had a long-term focus on working with manufacturing stakeholders, and public planners and others to identify roadway projects that needed to be improved in order to improve access to markets, customers and suppliers for the City’s 1000 manufacturers. In 2008, WIRE-Net worked with our partners to secure over $20 million in funding for five projects in Cleveland – both east and west side.

Leveraging collaboration will be critical to our success in these Strategies. This means building collaborations both with groups of firms and with other intermediary organizations, including industry associations, local departments of economic development, workforce development organizations, and economic development groups.

For more information on WIRE-Net’s plans for the future, please contact John Colm, President & Executive Director.