Establishing economic development priorities for Miami-Dade

Project co-chairs (from left): Adolfo Henriques, Alexandra Villoch and Carlos Gimenez, with Beacon Council CEO Frank Nero.

Community leaders have crafted a new strategic plan for the county’s economic growth focused on seven target industries. Led by the Beacon Council, the county’s private-public economic development partnership, the project hopes to affect everything from university degree offerings to government development funding.

“Education, community organizations and government need to be aligned with economic development,” says Alexandra Villoch, a senior vice president at the Miami Herald Media Co. who co-chaired the project. Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez and Adolfo Henriques, president, CEO and chairman of Gibraltar Private Bank & Trust, also co-chaired.

If history is any indication, the plan, known as One Community One Goal (OCOG), will determine the county’s economic development priorities for the next five years. The previous OCOG plan influenced economic development spending and educational changes for 14 years.

Developing the OCOG plan required more than a year of research and input from some 5,000 members of the community, along with consulting firms. This time, leaders of the county’s universities, colleges and public schools were involved in the plan, which has at its core a properly educated workforce, Villoch says.

Other priorities include improved intermodal transportation; modern convention spaces; spending to foster entrepreneurship, high-tech businesses and targeted urban areas; and reliable funding for a major international campaign to attract companies to the county.

Changes already can be seen. The group is spearheading fundraising for a $15-million, five-year global economic development marketing campaign. Florida International University incorporated OCOG goals into its strategic plan, and both Miami Dade College and the county school system are using OCOG to evaluate their curricula. Gimenez has vowed to make OCOG the county’s priority as well.