HRDC Commits to Helping Organizations in the Region Move Forward.

~ Joseph Campbell

Over the years we’ve come to appreciate and understand that quote. It can apply to communities, and individuals, and certainly organizations.

The truth is, there are strong external forces that organizations are subjected to every year: market trends, state and federal policy changes, local, state, and national events, and the changing attitudes and perceptions of the public.

Organizations have but two choices: be a spectator and see how those forces play out for them, or be proactive, assertively claiming and creating their future.

We’ve made a commitment to help those organizations in our Region that not only want a better future but are willing to work hard to make it happen. Our Region is blessed with a number of organizations that are willing to do just that.

Following is a partial list of the organizations we’ve worked with over the last year to create a brighter future. If you want to talk to any of these organizations click on the links to talk to a person that was involved in the effort.

• The Headwaters Science Center undertook a strategic planning effort to identify and address their most important strategic issues.
• The Beltrami County Environmental Services Department conducted a Shoreland Summit as a follow-up to a similar effort in 2005.
• The Minnesota Board of Water and Soil Resources is working with the HRDC to complete its strategic plan; the last one was completed in 1997.
• The Center for Research and Innovation and Custom College (CRI-CC) and Northwest Technical College conducted a meeting to identify the opportunities and challenges that need to be addressed to broadcast the Tech College’s knowledge and skills out to the regional business community.
• Healthy Achievement and Performance Academy (HAPA) convened a Youth Drug, Alcohol and Tobacco Task Force to develop a strategic plan to reduce underage use of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco.
• The Bemidji Area Joint Powers Planning Board held a retreat in the spring of 2007 to review its progress in implementing the recently adopted plan and ordinance for the greater Bemidji community.
• The Spearhead Lake Board continues its deliberations to address its lake access challenges.
• The Lake of the Woods Economic Development Commission has agreed on an economic development strategy to improve economic opportunity in the County.
• Beltrami County has requested the HRDC’S help in undertaking a major management/leadership effort using the Balanced Scorecard methodology.
• Northern Exposure to Lifelong Learning, a non-profit organization that provides learning opportunities for retired community members in the Clearwater County area, completed a strategic planning process in 2007.
• The Bemidji-Beltrami JEDC completed a strategic planning effort designed to align its work program and strategy with its mission.

We’ve come to understand that the best organizations are those that are toughest on themselves. Those organizations identified here clearly fall into that category.

Communities also need to create their own destiny.  Click here to read about our major efforts to help communities with their future.