Community Revitalization PlanNovember 2015

Intro

Troy Ohio USA is a wonderful City, which companies and residents are proud to call home! More importantly, Troy is a true community that should be considered America’s Best Community, not because it is perfect or affluent, or endowed with extraordinary beauty, but because it truly exemplifies the challenges and opportunities of smaller cities and knows that constant reinvention is crucial to deal with the loss of major employers, changes in modes of transportation and new technologies.

Our Revitalization Committee believes that our plan must address three goals- economic development, workforce development and communication. To accomplish this, we have identified four new initiatives that will be incorporated into our existing programs, which will make our programs more effective in the short term but also will provide a blueprint for future long-term development.

Our Community Platform Initiative will address our goal of creating a connected community through communication.

Our Sustainable Leadership Initiative will expand our leadership and workforce development goals.

Our Technology/Infrastructure Initiative will ensure that our technology infrastructure can meet the needs of our businesses, educational institutions and residents.

Our Downtown/Riverfront Initiative will connect our beautiful downtown to our historic riverfront both physically and functionally to attract and retain a skilled workforce.

The greatest strength of the Troy community is the economic base created by our companies and the talents of the employees who make these companies a success. Our plan is to connect the resources and talents of the private-sector and the public sector into a comprehensive revitalization plan for all aspects of the community.

BackgroundIn preparation for our initial submittal for the America’s Best Community Contest, the Troy community created a steering committee comprised of representatives from the Troy Development Council, the City of Troy, the Troy Chamber of Commerce, the Troy City Schools, the Troy Foundation, and Troy Main Street.

The Steering Committee undertook a number of research activities, focus groups with different constituencies and surveys and outreach activities with the public. The Steering Committee has since become the Revitalization Committee.

The input from the community was very extensive and rewarding. Not only were we able to identify our strengths and weaknesses, but we were also able to develop a consensus on new solutions to our greatest challenges.

From these activities, five primary challenges were developed-

Challenge 1- Enhance our communication tools for different audiences

During our first Focus Groups held in January of 2015, we were very surprised to learn that the way people found out about the community was extremely diverse and that social media was by far the primary communication tool.

The Committee determined that our most immediate challenge was the need to enhance our communication tools for different audiences. Our businesses, our government organizations and many individuals are involved in many important projects but it is extremely difficult to find out about these projects and activities. Without a centralized communication process, there is no way to coordinate, support and promote these projects.

Our research demonstrated that most people learned about what was going on through school events and social media- primarily Facebook- depending on their age group. We also found

that when seeking information, most business leaders and residents used Google Search and that Microsoft Outlook was used most often for business communications and scheduling.

It became evident to the Steering Committee that the most important solution to address all of our challenges and provide the most immediate opportunities to make our existing programs effective was through developing and incorporating new broadband internet and telecommunications technologies.

Challenge 2- Improve our workforce attraction and retention efforts

For the past four years, the expansion of our existing companies and the location of new companies have shifted our economic development efforts to workforce development. The international war for talent and the challenges presented by global workforce issues have an effect on our employers and our economy daily. Four new workforce programs were developed through the Partners in Progress Initiative. These programs will be expanded.

Several long-term challenges were identified as part of our long-range economic and workforce development needs.

Challenge 3- Enhance recreation, cultural and entertainment opportunities

It was determined that a primary strategy for our long-term workforce attraction and retention must focus on the enhancement of recreation, cultural and entertainment opportunities. This is currently being accomplished through the expansion of our marina at Treasure Island and the expansion of the Hobart Arena. There is also a very concerted effort to expand our bikeways and walking trails throughout Miami County.

But long-term, the Revitalization Committee determined that we need to tie our riverfront into our downtown, incorporating the development of our riverfront with the downtown infrastructure and buildings and strengthen promotion for both of these assets. While this strategy has generally taken place as an economic development activity, we believe it is an essential activity for attracting the future workforce and to retain skilled workers in the community.

Challenge 4- Retain and expand existing companies and competitively attract new companies.

The Troy Development Council and the City of Troy have a very active Retention and Expansion Program, which includes meeting regularly with our largest employers and all of our manufacturing companies.

The greatest challenge for our international companies continues to be the attraction of workers both locally and from outside of the region.

In addition to our workforce initiatives, we assist our existing companies on real estate and financing issues. As part of our property development efforts, we identified the need for a concerted effort to identify and secure the technology and infrastructure needed by businesses, organizations and residents to connect through broadband infrastructure and internet service.

Challenge 5- Improve community infrastructure and facilities

Our Revitalization Plan was started in response to our participation in Frontier Communications’ America’s Best Community Contest. But through the engagement of thousands of residents of all ages, and businesses of all sizes, our Initiative has grown to encompass everything from City-wide property development planning, to helping our businesses and residents with social media communications and video story-telling, to expanding our workforce programs to help adults and students with career planning.

The Revitalization PlanOur foundation of the Revitalization Plan is to identify, develop and connect businesses, organizations and residents of all ages to the resources they need to be successful. Having just celebrated our 200th birthday, the City of Troy is committed to understanding, informing and planning where our community is currently and where we are going.

Vision“Our Vision is to create a community where residents are gainfully employed and experience a lifestyle which is inclusive, safe, productive, and provides a sense of belonging – which comes from being a connected community- individually and collectively.”

Mission"Our mission is to bring together businesses, residents and visitors in new and relevant ways that will lead to sustainable leadership, a stronger workforce and a growing economic base through the development of a connected community."

GoalsEconomic Development – Economic development is the primary focus of the City of Troy, the Troy Development Council and all of the members of our Revitalization Committee. The members of the Committee all contribute to the primary economic development activity of retaining and supporting our existing industries. The Troy Development Council is the primary economic development organization in the community and is supported by 30 businesses and organizations. The TDC’s economic development programs include our R & E Program and marketing and support of new companies. Property and infrastructure development and the development of a thriving retail and commercial business sector of local based businesses are also prominent activities. Workforce Development – Workforce Development has become the most important activity of our community and involves partnerships between business, government and education leaders in many areas. Our workforce development efforts include programs to support employment recruitment for residents and non-residents, career information programs and the development of training and education resources for businesses and individuals. Communications – The Revitalization Committee that has been formed has identified the development of a communications and information system as one of the greatest needs for the economic growth of our community.

Revitalization Plan Initiatives:

Community Platform Initiative Sustainable Leadership Initiative Technology Infrastructure Initiative Downtown/Riverfront/Recreation/Entertainment Initiative

Community Platform Initiative

Our vision is to develop a revolutionary new Community Platform, which will become the new way in which our community gets its information and stays connected. The proposed Community Platform will provide a vehicle for our community to begin working together and collaborating in new and exciting ways. The end result will enhance the community’s ability to network, socialize, live, work, hire, and play in a much more cohesive and connected way.

The community engagement activities of the America’s Best Community have demonstrated to the Revitalization Committee that we need to broaden our concept of providing information to creating a community platform, which allows all of our businesses, organizations and residents to gather information, inform others and work on development projects collaboratively.

For the purposes of the funding request in this Revitalization Plan, we are requesting funding only for the Community Calendar. The Community Calendar is one of five components of the Community Platform Initiative.

We are designing -

- A platform that would include a website and/or app landing page focused on the visitor rather than to describe a single business or organization.

- A platform that would have a comprehensive community calendar that will allow the visitor to identify all employment, entertainment, recreation, sports and social events easily.

- A platform that would integrate social media. For example, as of the end of 2015, this would include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and a community YouTube channel.

- A platform that will provide information to our businesses and companies about our initiatives through high definition videos

- A platform that would allow for collaborative project management across different organizations. Our collaborative work on the America’s Best Community Contest has involved the sharing of Word and PowerPoint documents and scheduling through

Outlook. We have identified a need for a true platform for comprehensive work on our Revitalization Program

The Community Platform Committee has begun meeting with individuals and businesses to gather information pertaining to what is currently on the market for this type of technology platform. The meetings have allowed the Committee to bring on several new partners to the initiative to provide the technology background necessary to create a sustainable platform that incorporates all aspects of our community. To date, the Committee has:

1. Received guidance from Wes Gipe, a very successful entrepreneur who owned and operated a software and computer technology company focused on the health care industry. Mr. Gipe is providing input on how a platform such as this should be accessed by the community through a wide variety of technologies (i.e. mobile devices, desk tops, etc.). He is also providing critical input on the development and maintenance of a technology platform.

2. Received guidance from Leib Lurie, an entrepreneur and creator of OneCall Now, a very successful communications/calling tree company. Mr. Lurie’s company currently develops APPs used by school districts, colleges and universities and allows easy collaboration between departments in a mobile platform. This technology could be easily repurposed to integrate the many segments of our community into a single APP.

3. CrossPointe Communications, one of the leading community website developers in the US, was engaged during the Quarter-Finalist period to create a community calendar, which is a critical component for engaging the community in the platform into the community.

4. The Troy Development Council has developed the TroyOhioUSA comprehensive professional recruitment website and the Troy Career Connect regional employment and career planning website. These websites and their associated community engagement activities will be part of the Community Platform Initiative.

5. The Troy Foundation has committed $25,000 a year for 5-years ($125,000) for the administration and maintenance of the platform. It is the belief of the Steering Committee and The Troy Foundation, that in order for the community platform to be sustainable, five years must be committed to building, marketing, and using the platform before it becomes the official place that our community stays connected, and the “go to” place for all information

Measurement and Outcomes for the Community Calendar

Complete the initial design and format for the Calendar Determine capacity for adding picture and video about events postedHire and train intern Determine the categories of activities that will be posted Determine what organizations are authorized to post eventsEngagement program to contact and involve organizationsDetermine what events and activities outside of the community will be postedDetermine social media integration with traditional media outlets and identify linkages with other event calendarsProvide training to organizations on posting eventsBegin media campaign to promote Calendar

The Community Platform will be measured in several ways as well as at specific points in time. It is the belief of the Community Platform Committee, that the Platform’s success can only be fully measured after it has been in place for a period of 5 years.

The Platform will be measured by:

The number of activities, events, and dates that are posted within the Platform. It will be important that the Community Platform Committee remain intact during the initial five years in order to constantly identify new partners to the Platform in order for the Platform to encompass all aspects of the community.

This will be an indication of how the Committee is doing to include all potential Providers to the Platform

The number of active partners that provide information to be included on the Platform. This will be the indication of potential providers finding value in the Platform

The number of people using the Platform to gain insight on the communityThe site will accumulate usage numbers (‘hits’).

Feedback from providers on a regular basis to understand how people are using the Platform

This may be shown by an increase in registrations or attendance at events, or an increase in the number of applicants for a business using the Platform to post employment opportunities, etc.

Ultimately the success of the Platform will be when it is recognized as THE place to get

Information and to become (and stay) involved in the community. Sustainable Leadership Initiative

Troy has been very successful in its efforts to engage community and business members. The Troy Community has a very engaged and dynamic group of volunteers. We also have several excellent Leadership Programs that have been in place for decades. And we have many outstanding organizations that have a great deal of experience in recruiting and managing volunteers.

Unfortunately, the demands of work and home life are making it increasingly difficult for individuals to be engaged in the community as with the case of "Millennials", executives whose schedules do not permit time for participation in our current nine month leadership program. We need to engage many more people in our leadership programs including retired executives leaving the workforce and community residents of different races and ethnicity. And we need to better engage the alumni of our existing Leadership Programs.

We need to develop a more sustainable source of leaders for now and the future so that our non-profit organizations will have access to a pool of leaders that will have the skills and backgrounds necessary to keep their services and programming current and viable. We need to provide opportunities to create leaders from all parts of the community. Engaging all different segments of the community into leadership roles will allow Troy to become more nimble to take advantage of new opportunities and to address issues that may arise.

In order to accomplish this, we are proposing -

1. Get on the Bus Program- There are many upper level executives who are recruited by our companies and move to the area and immediately become part of our workforce. We do not have a “welcome wagon” type of program and these executives cannot participate in our current nine month Leadership Program because their travel and work schedules do not permit them to devote one day per month for nine months.

The Get on the Bus Program will provide a one day informational session to provide individuals and business members with an effective working knowledge of the Troy community. The day-long tour will incorporate suggested topics of interest from area companies, realtors, and local healthcare network, allowing participants to quickly gain knowledge of the Troy community. The Program will also offer information on the opportunities they have to be further involved.

2. Leadership Study – The Committee will undertake a study to determine how the Troy Community can improve its programs to inform and recruit our leaders for the future. The Study will –

1) Analyze our existing Leadership programs2) Perform a study of Leadership programs in other communities3) Identify ways to engage all segments of the Troy community in leadership programming4) Identify ways to keep graduates of our existing Leadership Programs engaged after

graduation.

At the conclusion of the Study, the Committee will create new sustainable leadership programs.

The Leadership Committee for the Revitalization Plan will develop and manage the Get on the Bus Program and the Learn and Lead Study.

The Get on the Bus Program is now being developed and will be operational in November. Cost initially will be covered with funds received in the Quarter Finalist Round. Future costs associated with the Get on the Bus tour will be covered by a participant fee as well as corporate sponsors for each tour.

For the Leadership Study, the Committee is developing a program of work to be completed over the next eighteen months. During this period, the Committee will look at other Leadership Programs including their recruitment, participation, programming, costs and management. One comparative program will be Leadership Akron, which was identified by the Committee as one that has been successful in providing relevant programming for nearly all gap segments identified. The Committee will visit Akron to investigate their methods of program delivery as well as their ability to fund the costs associated with it.

The Committee will be expanded to include additional representatives from the existing Leadership Troy Programs, the Chamber’s Non-For-Profit Council and the Graduate Academy for Community Leadership within the Edison Community College Foundation.

The Committee will hire an intern through the Troy Foundation. The Revitalization Committee has allocated $3,000 for this purpose. The intern will be responsible for gathering information about current leadership development and training opportunities available in our community and outside of the Troy area.

Measurements and Outcomes:

The Get on the Bus Program will be developed and implemented by the first quarter of 2016.

The Get on the Bus Program will hold at least three sessions in 2016. There will be 60 participants.

The Leadership Committee will be fully functioning by January 2016. The Leadership Committee will hire an intern and have the intern engaged by early

January 2016. The Leadership Committee will conclude their Study in March and begin programming. The Leadership Committee will review the Teen Leadership Troy Program, which occurs

in early June and will use this class to determine how to expand the Program in the fall of 2016.

Technology/Infrastructure Initiative

The goal of this Initiative is to establish a well-connected community through an analysis of our internet and telecommunications technology needs to insure that there is reliable fiber- optic infrastructure/backbone that would strengthen the ability to exchange data/information locally as well as provide the technology required to connect and compete regionally, nationally and globally.

The Steering Committee for the America’s Best Community Contest found that there was a strong understanding

throughout the Troy community that a world-class fiber-optic system for internet and telecommunications was essential to our businesses and our residents. But there was not a very good understanding on who provides telecommunications and internet services and what quality and quantity of fiber-optic infrastructure was in place.

It was determined that technology infrastructure is a critical concern and a Committee was established to investigate. A new Initiative was developed that capitalizes on the comprehensive technology projects undertaken recently by the Troy City School District and the City of Troy.

The efforts of the Committee were coordinated by the Superintendent of Troy City Schools and the Economic Development Director for the City. The Technology/Infrastructure Committee met with Frontier and Time Warner Cable and other service providers. The Committee concluded that connecting the different areas of the areas was a logical decision and that work completed on the School infrastructure could be used as the model for going forward in other areas of the city.

Eric Herman, the Chair of the Committee and Superintendent of the Troy City Schools informed the Steering Committee that the school model is usable throughout the city but will take a much longer period of time and cost. The school’s buildings are similar in age and overall structure to most of the buildings in the City so there are similarities.

The Troy City Schools have recently concluded an MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing) assessment that also includes technology upgrades in each school building in the District. “Troy City Schools have developed a comprehensive facility assessment plan of all five-year plans into one plan,” said Schools Superintendent Eric Herman, a technology/infrastructure team member. “We contracted with SHP out of Cincinnati/Columbus for our assessment. The MEP assessment was expensive and is on-going.”

The City of Troy recently entered into a comprehensive agreement with Frontier Communications to implement an improved technology plan including extensive updates to their telephone system as well as increased internet service which will increase interconnectivity between their eight buildings. This is being done as part of the City’s comprehensive capital improvement plan for their different departments including the fire department, the police department, the park department, and the electrical department.

The City of Troy’s project with Frontier Communications is just starting and is already showing promise of not only providing better connections between departments but also saving money.

This Initiative will involve hiring a consultant to make recommendations on the needs of the community for bandwidth and ensuring that there are reliable services in the future, especially with the proposed changes in the ownership of Time Warner Cable in our community.

The consultant will assist the Committee in determining the areas of the City where our technology infrastructure must be a priority. The City is like many older smaller US cities in the Midwest. There are six areas of the City that have large and economically crucial manufacturing facilities that are heavily reliant on fiber-optic cable. Interruptions to these facilities are devastating. These facilities are spaced across the eastern, southern, and western sections of the City with additional industrial growth currently occurring in the northern section of the City.

The community is also concerned about internet and telecommunications services to our commercial and residential districts. The consultant will help us identify the needs of the different constituencies within the community.

In addition, the Committee will continue to evaluate partnerships and opportunities that can arise from the City and School projects. For example, the Troy City Schools are evaluating placing technology towers at each school and developing information centers in building entrances that will help distribute news and information to the public and to students.

This initiative also addresses longer-term plans for public facilities/infrastructure using the school’s technology assessment model. For those community members who need a device to connect to the information network, the Committee is also exploring a program of providing loaner devices.

Should Troy be funded as a Semi-Finalist, the $10,000 of the funds allocated will be used to engage a consultant. Prior to the announcement, the specifications for the consulting contract will be developed and the contract will begin and end within the eleven months. The result will be a Study that will be used to provide guidance to the Committee so that we can effectively engage with Frontier Communications in the next round of telecommunications and internet infrastructure planning.

Downtown/Riverfront Initiative

This Initiative’s goal is to pursue a comprehensive riverfront redevelopment plan that will create physical connections to Troy’s historic and beautiful downtown. The purpose of these connections is to enhance the quality of life, promote occupancy – commercial, retail and residential – and to support economic development. As part of this effort, better ways of helping people both local and visiting our community find their way to and between offerings/venues will be addressed.

There are three components of the Downtown/Riverfront Development Initiative.

The River Corridor Redevelopment Plan- This plan will be developed over the 11 month period and will be the first step in a long-term strategic investment plan that will outline an action-oriented comprehensive program to connect the assets and investment projects within Downtown Troy with the assets and investment projects along the riverfront through the Downtown. The results will be to further activate the downtown core, strengthen its

connection to the riverfront, and link the downtown to surrounding neighborhoods, recreational destinations, and development opportunities.

The Plan will leverage new ideas and Troy's inherent strengths-primarily the riverfront, historic downtown, and ample recreational opportunities- to expand and unlock Troy's development potential; to attract new talent and businesses to the area; and to enhance the quality of life for Troy residents. The Plan development will be led by the consulting firm MKSK.

Should Troy be funded as a Semi-Finalist, $45,000 of the funds allocated will be used

to engage a consultant who will provide a comprehensive set of recommendations for a long-range comprehensive River Corridor Property Re-development Program for commercial and residential development in the Downtown that maximizes the assets of our riverfront.

Troy Wayfinding Project-The purpose of the Wayfinding Project is to provide signage throughout the downtown and riverfront areas that will direct people to tourism and recreation sites (Hobart Arena, Downtown Troy, Treasure Island, Hayner Cultural Center, Miami County Courthouse, etc.) and parking. The signs would also list the average transportation time to the sites.

This project will enhance the physical connection between our entertainment and recreation sites by directing residents and visitors to all of Troy's amenities. This project will be near completion in May of 2016. No funds are requested.

Recreation/Entertainment Plan-

There are a number of very important investment studies and projects being completed in the Downtown/Riverfront corridor within the next eighteen months in Troy. These projects center on the Treasure Island Marina and Park Project and the expansion of Hobart Arena. In addition the City of Troy and the Miami County Park Districts are receiving numerous awards for the expansion and connection of

our bikeways through the community that tie all parts of the City to the riverfront and the downtown.

Each of these projects provides new entertainment and recreation opportunities for Troy area residents. The Committee will promote these opportunities and evaluate how the facility improvements and their marketing initiatives will work together for both the riverfront and downtown areas.

The development of this plan will be primarily for the Committee. No funds are directly requested for this activity but the activities may overlap with the River Corridor Redevelopment Plan.

Troy’s Outstanding On-Going Programs

This section of the Revitalization Plan provides background on our existing economic development, workforce development and communications programs and how the four new Initiatives will support and enhance these Programs.

On-Going Communications Programs

Our Economic Development and Workforce Development Websites and Communications

TroyOhioUSA is a registered brand and website domain that has been developed for economic development and workforce development marketing by the Troy Development Council (TDC). In 2013, the TDC developed a professional recruitment website which was unique for a small city. In 2014, the site had over 350,000 unique page views. The purpose of the site was to provide a visual overview of the community for people considering moving to the community. The website was divided into short subjects on housing, education, recreation, the economy and other subjects that are of interest to people considering moving to the community.

The TDC is continuing to develop our economic development website programs to include our high definition video story project. People now get the majority of their information through video. Information is now portrayed in websites, advertising and social media through high definition video with visual images changing every one to three seconds.

We are now revising the TroyOhioUSA site by updating the overview videos to a new high definition format. And we are starting a new video story telling project about our companies, our projects and our initiatives. We will use new 4-K video to inform people about our companies and their investment projects, about our on-going city and school projects and about the focus initiatives in the

Revitalization Plan. Our goal is to complete eight of these videos by the summer of 2016 and to complete at least 10 additional ten videos by the end of 2016.

The greatest challenge that was identified by our local retail, service and commercial businesses was how to use social media to inform the public about their business and their products and services, especially with the rise of social media as a primary information tool.

Most advertising in all formats is now for national brand name companies due to cost and the decreasing use of newspapers and print publications. It is becoming increasingly difficult for local companies to advertise their products and services.

The Troy Area Chamber of Commerce is just completing a new website and social media platform which will allow our companies to more effectively market their products and services. This new Chamber website will make local advertising much more effective and communication between local businesses much easier. The video story project will make it possible for local businesses to be able to afford to created videos to put onto their own websites and the community connection platform will provide a location where residents and other businesses will find their products and services.

The TDC has also created the Troy Career Connect Program which includes a job posting website. The primary goal of the site is to provide a listing all of the jobs available in the Troy area. The site currently hosts over 100 jobs and has over 2,000 subscribers who have downloaded the app or receive e-mail notifications of job availabilities. The next phase for promoting the website is to have high school students register so that they understand the employment opportunities for summer and part time positions and so that they know how to find local jobs should they leave the community and want to return.

The Community Connection Platform will provide a community calendar which will be updated on a regular basis and will draw additional visitors to the information about our businesses, their activities and their jobs.

“The Community Connection Center”

The Revitalization Committee looked at the Initiatives of the cities we are competing with and saw the wisdom in the having a building project which would capture the interest and enthusiasm of the community. The Committee looked at the concept of the “Maker’s Space” but decided that it would not serve a large

enough sector of our population to meet our needs. The Committee looked at focusing only on housing rehabilitation or downtown retail development but these were also limited and were on-going Initiatives that were already underway.

The Revitalization Committee chose to develop a bricks and mortar “Community Connection Center” where businesses, residents and visitors would gather and collect information on all aspects of the Troy community. The Community Connection Center is located at One East Main Street directly on the square in the commercial center of Troy’s downtown. This Center was designed as the headquarters for the ABC Initiative.

The Center is hosting meetings and events for small to mid-size groups. The Center provides displays for showcasing our companies, our organizations, our projects and our initiatives. The Center will be staffed

during high traffic hours and will be available for meetings by appointment.

Frontier Communications will be one of our exhibitors to inform the public about using new technologies in the home and office.

The Revitalization Committee will continue to engage the community through virtual communications and in person at events and at the Community Connection Center.

Our On-going Leadership and Workforce Programs

Leadership Troy and Teen Leadership Troy Programs

The Troy community has two excellent Leadership Programs that are currently very active. Leadership Troy was begun in 1983 and has over 200 graduates. The program is a nine-month leadership course that provides an overview of all aspects of the Tro7 community. Applicants have been identified as future leaders. Beyond attending nine full day sessions, participants are required to complete a group project, to participate on the Board of a not-for-profit organization or undertake a research project over the nine month period.

Teen Leadership Troy is a one-week Leadership Program for high school juniors. Their curriculum follows the Leadership Troy Program. Participation is limited to 24 students. Applicants must demonstrate their leadership potential and participate in all activities including the formal dinner ceremony at the end of the week.

The Sustainable Leadership Initiative is designed to complement these programs by providing a one day orientation program for future leaders. The Initiative will also provide a forum to keep graduates engaged with the community after graduation.

The Leadership Initiative is important to our economic development programs because it involves young professionals in becoming acquainted with the community and helps to retain the Program participants at their place of employment and in the Community.

The expansion of our Leadership Program will allow us to better involve the Program participants in developing our economic development and workforce attraction and retention programs.

Our Leadership Troy Class participated in our original round-table discussions and focus groups that helped to identify our challenges and then develop our focus initiatives. The Leadership Troy Action Team undertook an on-line survey of over 500 people and meet with a number of service clubs to gain additional input into the ABC competition. Their community outreach activities were essential in the development of our Connected Community Initiative.

Our On-Going Workforce Development Programs

Workforce development is currently driving economic development to an even greater extent than transportation costs, access to markets

As part of Troy’s last economic development program, the Partners in Progress Initiative, the community worked together to develop four new workforce programs. As part of the America’s Best Community planning process, we will now expand these programs and activities through our Connected Community Initiative.

We have identified three programs of work for our Workforce Development Programs. These programs are organized by our Human Resources Council comprised of company HR managers, our college and career center managers and other service providers. These programs of work are- employee recruitment and job search, career information and education and training. We have a number of separate strategies to implement these programs.

Employment Recruitment and Job Search - Our Troy Career Connect website provides an effective way for our large and small companies to post position openings. It also provides a single source of information to job-

seekers and their supporters to learn about employment opportunities. Our Annual Job Fair held at the Hobart Arena allows our employers to work as a coop to advertise at one location.

The Revitalization Plan will support these activities by placing these independent websites and apps into a common communication platform. Our video story project will allow our employers to develop recruitment videos for their specific Troy operations showing their location, their work environment and their involvement in the community.

Career Information – The eight school districts in Miami County are working with our employers to expose students to many different career opportunities. This has been done with a one day Career Day event at the Hobart Arena involving over 1,100 high school students to tours of manufacturing facilities by high school and junior high students. Planned improvements to the Troy Career Connect website will allow us to integrate career information with our company information and provide videos about different career opportunities.

Education and Training – The Chamber’s Business Advisory to Education Committee provides education about personal finances and accounting through the Fetch Program. Our Leadership Programs provide valuable education in like skills, management, and leadership development. And our companies work with the many educational organizations to develop customized training programs. The Upper Valley Career Center and Edison Community College are leaders in providing apprenticeship programs and customized training. The Troy HR Council will be surveying our companies to determine additional training programs needed for multiple employers. We will then be providing promotional information on Programs through our Connected Community Initiative.

Our On-Going Economic Development Programs

Property Development is a primary function of many businesses, government agencies and organizations. Residential property development is also a

function of agencies and organizations but is also dependent on employment and individual choice. Real estate is the largest component of net worth for almost property owners including businesses and people.

Our property, buildings, infrastructure, highways and waterways are essential to all economic development, workforce development and communication activities. As the Revitalization Committee looked at the development projects and investments being made by the public and

private sector, we decided that a comprehensive property development strategy to support the growth of our facilities and infrastructure was needed.

The Troy Development Council has never been busier with Retention and Expansion projects.

Private Investment Projects in 2015Clopay to invest $30 million and create 200 jobs – creating the largest garage door manufacturing facility in the world

F & P America to invest $30 million for advanced stamping and welding of frames for vehicles

ConAgra to invest $18 million to increase production of Slim Jims

UTC Aerospace to Consolidate Division Headquarters in Troy for wheel and brake production

City of Troy to invest $8 million for Treasure Island marina and park

City of Troy to invest $1.8 million in improvements to Hobart Arena

ITW establishes partnership with Troy Development Council to develop former Hobart Brothers Manufacturing Site

Background for the Community Platform Initiative

The importance of broadband internet services and cell towers are now almost as important as electricity and interstate highways airport access. During our initial focus groups and our follow-up engagement activities, we asked participants how they found out about what is happening in Troy.

Social Media - 37 points – Facebook - Channel 7 - Troy Main Street- Chamber websiteSchool Activities -34 points - Community Activities - 21 points - Church & Service Clubs - 21 points Our local newspaper ranked 11th as a communications tool.

We were very surprised by these results and these results led to the Revitalization Committee’s decision to focus directly on community communications.

Background for the Technology/Infrastructure Initiative

As part of the outreach activities for the Revitalization Plan, we met with our broadband providers to conduct an initial analysis of our telecommunications capacity and broadband infrastructure. This analysis generated a contract between Frontier Communications and the City of Troy to provide broadband service throughout the City.

The Technology/Infrastructure Initiative will produce a comprehensive study to determine the services needed to connect our businesses and organizations with the highest level of service possible, starting with our existing schools and potential sites for new schools.

Given the scope of this project which involves so many different organizations, this Initiative will be coordinated by a sub-committee of the Revitalization Committee.

Background for the Downtown/Riverfront Redevelopment Initiative

Perhaps the most important new Initiative to come out of the Revitalization Plan discussion was the identification of a need for a focused and effective Initiative to coordinate our existing and future river redevelopment projects with our current and future downtown development projects. Since the existing activities of our riverfront and downtown projects are focused on opportunities for recreation and entertainment, this sub-committee of the Revitalization Committee will look at all of these issues. This Initiative is unprecedented for our community.

Management of the Revitalization Plan

The America’s Best Community Contest has been instrumental in developing a new multi-dimensional leadership structure for Troy’s community development efforts. The Steering Committee, now the Revitalization Committee has been very engaged in the development of the Revitalization Plan.

Different members of the Revitalization Committee have led sub-committees to develop each of the strategies. These sub-committees under the direction of Committee Chairs have assumed responsibility for all of the planning activities to date. These Chairs and sub-committees will now take responsibility for the implementation of their plans and for funding these initiatives.

For the past three months, the Revitalization has been meeting weekly to prepare our submittal and discuss the Initiatives. In addition, our consultant for the project has met with each of the sub-committees and their Chairs on a regular basis to develop this Plan.

We know that the $100,000 being requested for the next phase of the Contest will need to be matched with significant financial and staffing resources from the community. It is the intention of all of the members of the Committee to complete the Initiatives within this proposal even if Troy Ohio is not chosen in the next round of the Contest.

Community Engagement

Prior to Troy’s original submission for the America’s Best Community Contest, our Steering Committee undertook an extensive community outreach program. Since being chosen as a quarter-finalist, the revitalization Committee has been supported by an Action Team from Leadership Troy.

We are very proud that to date our Community Engagement activities have reached over 2,600 people including 521 who completed our on-line Survey. These activities have included- 1) An announcement event on the City Center Circle and a community awareness event on the Courthouse Plaza.

2) TroyOhioUSA’s America’s Best Community booth at the Troy Strawberry Festival where hundreds of attendees at the largest Festival in western Ohio were informed about the Contest and allowed to share their comments about our Community.

3) Created an Action Team of Leadership Troy participants to coordinate our outreach program.

4) Held individual meetings with our largest employers in Troy and Japan to determine their immediate and long-term workforce challenges and how the TDC could use the ABC process to assist them in workforce recruitment and assist them in retaining employees. We have met

individually with the management of American Honda and F & P America in Japan and in Troy. We met with Hobart Brothers, ITW Food Equipment Group, Clopay Building Products, Crown Equipment, ConAgra, Upper Valley Medical Center, Upper Valley Career Center, Bruns General Contractors, Miller Valentine, Vectren, DP & L and many other corporations serving the community to determine their interest in participating in this Initiative.

5) We engaged the Daniel Consulting Company to organize our on-going and proposed Initiatives including our Riverfront Redevelopment Initiative, our Downtown Initiative, our Recreation/Entertainment Initiative, our Facility and Infrastructure Initiative, our Future Leadership Initiative and our Community Connections Initiative. Many of these Initiatives were developed during our initial ABC application meetings. These Committees are all now active and underway.

6) We have developed an active and effective Steering Committee to manage our Revitalization Plan. The Steering Committee is now the Revitalization Committee. The Committee has developed and approved our budget and has set the goals and strategy for this round of the contest, including hiring consultants and videographers for targeted activities.

Many of our participating organizations have held focused strategy sessions and we have had a number of outreach efforts at events including –

Initial Focus Groups- identified assets and challenges with group of 60 leaders and all members of the Troy City Council

1. Action Team In Person Surveys – At Troy High School Football Game, at Streets Alive, at Troy Service Clubs

2. Action Team On-line Survey with over 500 participants

3. Chamber Board Retreat- half day session with 18 business leasers

4. Troy Development Council Executive Committee and Board Meetings – our Board of 18 business and organization leaders meets monthly to develop and integrate the Connected Community Initiative into their economic development, workforce development and community marketing strategies. The TDC has allocated $15,000 of local matching funds, has formally endorsed the Initiative and has authorized further participation as the Initiative progresses.

5. Troy Main Street Board has made this initiative a priority for their efforts

6. Troy Foundation Board has reviewed the proposed Connection Platform initiated and plans to fund this development

7. Acorn Society – This philanthropic organization has contributed $6,000 to the Community Connection Center

8. Japan – During our visit to our sister-city - Takahashi Japan- we reviewed their process for developing infrastructure and community development projects

9. Leadership Troy – Initial focus group session was held when the group first met– there was on-going input from the group as a whole and the creation of an Action Team focused on community Engagement – and the Action team made a final report on October 21.

10. Strawberry Festival – for two days, the Revitalization had a booth at the Festival to inform the public about the Contest and to gather input on assets and challenges

11. Festival of Nations – This event celebrates the different nationalities of our businesses and residents. We had a team who informed those in attendance about the event and gathered input on challenges from people of different nationalities

12. Career Day and Job Fair – We had a booth at the Annual Career Day and Job Fair and were able to reach out to many of the 1,100 high school students in attendance. The Initiative provided Chrome books to two students at each high school for completing their Career assignment while attending the event.

13. Manufacturers Day – We used the opportunity to inform the high school sophomores who attended about the ABC Contest and the Connected Community Initiative.

Research

Our Plan and the resulting strategies were developed through extensive research. This included:

- Commissioned studies by expert consulting companies – Silverlode Consulting completed business attraction study to identify the assets and challenges of the community in attracting office and medical facilities

- MKSK developed a proposal format for our Downtown and Riverfront Redevelopment Initiative

- Crosspointe Interactive provided an overview of the community platforms and community websites being used by large and small cities across the US

- Continued research on professional recruitment and job posting websites

- Identified plant closings in Ohio and Indiana for worker attraction

- Completed literature review of leading publications in community development

- Had interns perform an analysis of leading programs in other communities, many of which are ABC competitors

- Consolidated Information gathered through our Retention and Expansion Program and interviews with our largest employers specifically related to the America’s Best Community Contest

About Troy Ohio USA

Troy Ohio is located in west central Ohio at the Intersection of Interstate 75 and Interstate 70. There are over 20 US, European and Asian manufacturing

companies with over 50 employees representing the automotive, aerospace, building products, industrial machinery, and food processing and metal-working industries.

We are best known as the home of Hobart- either for their world renowned commercial cooking, refrigeration, weighing and packaging equipment – or for the Hobart Brothers operations- an international leader in welding equipment and supplies.

Our location at the center of the eastern US population and the center of the North American manufacturing industry, we are also a national center for logistics. These operations include major distribution centers for American Honda.

In September of 2015, the national site consulting company, Silverlode Consulting completed a study of our assets for attracting companies to Troy. This study provides an excellent oversight on our current economic situation.

Troy Development Council Redevelopment Study/Marketing Plan September 17, 2015Ranking of assets for company recruitment

About the Troy Area workforce

For over 31% of

workers, the average commute time was less than 15 minutes. For over 39% of workers, the average commute time was 15 to 29 minutes