Regional economic forum Southeast Conference is seeking out data on private sector investment for its annual report on the economy.
The survey is supposed to only take three minutes, asking for general information on significant private project investments one’s business or company had made between July 1, 2016 and June 30 in Southeast Alaska. All individual survey answers are completely confidential, and will be reported in aggregate only.
“We do this annually so we can get a better feel for what the private investment is in the region,” explained Shelly Wright, SEC executive director.
“Last year I think we had something like 320 responses throughout the region,” she commented. “But it keeps getting better and better every year.”
The goal is for the survey to reach more private industry players, particularly smaller businesses and individual contractors.
As part of its five-year economic plan released last June, the organization tries to update the federal Economic Development Administration on such private investment indicators. The 2020 Economic Plan sets development goals in eight different sectors of the region’s economy. These include developing a maritime workforce, reforming the marine highway system, securing adequate timber supplies, replacing diesel power generation for public utilities, drawing in visitors and other ventures.
In looking ahead, the plan takes into consideration economic and demographic projections, as well as factoring in data and setting new targets as each year passes. At its annual Mid-session Summit last month, a progress report noted the various advances toward those ends made since late last spring.
“Every year we need to report to the EDA the progress that we’ve made on that plan,” said Meilani Schijvens, director of Rain Coast Data, which helps organize the data for SEC’s comprehensive economic development strategy.
The survey being collected is aimed at tracking private investments in the region’s economy.
The survey has also added some business climate questions this year. In the past, SEC has periodically conducted a wider business climate survey every five years, but since it is already reaching out to businesses Schijvens said it would be helpful to check on that a little sooner.
“It’s great just to get a spot-check from industry,” she said.
Response has so far been going well, on Tuesday gaining about 35 responses in the first hour. As part of SEC’s commitment to the 2020 plan, Schijvens explained the polling indicates the organization is staying on top of its targets.
“The goal of this is to continue to attract federal funds to the region,” she said.
With that, SEC hopes to continue encouraging federal funding to the region, in different levels of grants and program assistance.
The survey can be accessed online at http://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SEprivateinvest2017.
The big topic of the Mid-session Summit was a reform project of the Alaska Marine Highway System, looking to reconfigure the state service in order to make it more financially stable in coming decades. Partnering with the governor’s office and ferry system, a steering committee has been comparing management models for other transport systems that could work for Alaska, and hopes to have legislation prepared by next session for the Legislature to mull over.
The organization’s next meeting is scheduled for Haines from September 19 to 22.
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