Oregon Economic Recovery and Resiliency Cohort
OVERVIEW
Small and rural communities don’t always have the same resources and capacities as larger, more urban peers to enable needed economic development planning. This was the case for three organizations in Oregon: the City of Corvallis Economic Development, Lane County Economic Development, and Oregon Cascades West Council of Governments. This cohort—a city, a county, and a regional government— contracted with Coraggio to assist in creating an Economic Recovery and Resiliency Plan for each entity, laying the groundwork to enable them to be nimble and respond to unforeseen crises, such as the recent coronavirus pandemic, with a focus on the next 12–18 months. Coming together as a cohort allowed cross-pollination of ideas and created relationships for continued collaboration. We helped each organization assess its current capacity, consider economic scenarios, prioritize near-term actions and initiatives, and identify implementation resources.
OUTCOMES
Each organization came away with a roadmap to give direction in a time of great challenge—the coronavirus pandemic—with scenario strategies, decision criteria, and prioritized and sequenced action items.
The plans provide a focus for 12–18 months.
Working together created relationships between these unique entities, helping them see one another as resources, thought partners, and potential collaborators in new and ongoing initiatives.
Through training, each organization is better prepared to respond to crisis, measure its success, and change course when needed.
Facing similar challenges but each having their own unique circumstances, the organizations that came together in this cohort not only built actionable resolutions in a time of crisis, they made local connections with colleagues that will continue to provide support and resources.
APPROACH
Get Clear: Insights
Requested and reviewed profiles of organizations, communities, current situations and existing strategic plans
Get Focused: Planning
Addressed organizational capacity, economic scenarios and indicators, and decision criteria
Considered initiative phasing, sequencing, and resourcing
Get Moving: Activation
Forming response teams
Measuring and monitoring success
Determining when and how to consider new strategies