Regional Blueprint for Sustainability: Employer Workforce Forum

<div class="date left"> <div class="entry-content"> <p>Over the past few months, leadership of the Greater Fremont Development Council has been looking forward.</p> <p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re exploring partnerships now that hopefully will benefit our community in future growth,&rdquo; Ben Siebler told those who gathered Wednesday at the Fremont Golf Club for the organization&rsquo;s annual meeting. &ldquo;&hellip; We&rsquo;ve had numerous communications and meetings with different agencies and groups such as the Nebraska Department of Economic Development, the Department of Roads, OPPD, NPPD, the Omaha Chamber &ndash; these are some things the Greater Fremont Development Council has really never done as a group before.&rdquo;</p> <p>Siebler, GFDC&rsquo;s immediate past president, told the membership it has been a year of transition since former executive director Pat Langan stepped down in June.</p> <p>GFDC leadership, which includes interim director Doug Heim and new president Scott Meister, has put together a list of best practices and goals, worked on a strategic plan and retained Smart Solutions, a consulting firm, to complete an organizational plan.</p> <p>&ldquo;To many of you, it may seem like things move fairly slow, progress moves slow in a group like this, and it often does,&rdquo; Siebler said. &ldquo;But from my perspective, I believe GFDC this year has made more significant headway in being a much more proactive, hands-on, organized and relationship-oriented group.&rdquo;</p> <p>Over the past few months, Heim has made contact with 37 local companies as part of GFDC&rsquo;s retention program. The organization also has received four requests for proposals from Nebraska officials and another 11 direct inquiries from companies.</p> <p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s been a little bit of activity; maybe not as much as we&rsquo;d like,&rdquo; Siebler said. &rdquo;But we think going forward that&rsquo;s going to change.&rdquo;</p> <p>One of the economic development drivers in the community is Metropolitan Community College. Its president, Randy Schmailzl updated the GFDC membership on the college&rsquo;s past activities and some strategies for the future.</p> <p>&ldquo;Since 2008, the Fremont Center has grown by 55 percent,&rdquo; Schmailzl said. &ldquo;We have about 1,300 students that attended the Fremont Center in 2011-12.</p> <p>&ldquo;One of our challenges has been to accommodate growth in Fremont. &hellip; We&rsquo;re looking right now to partner with the high school in welding,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re trying to get some of the trades out to Fremont.&rdquo;</p> <p>There are discussions about working to update the welding lab at Fremont High School. That would allow FHS to use the facility during the day and Metro to hold night classes. Schmailzl said that would help train people who could step into welding jobs at companies such as Valmont Industries.</p> <p>Schmailzl also would like to see the partnership with Midland University grow.</p> <p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re really interested in supporting Midland academically,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re looking for more ways to use the Midland campus for classes.&rdquo;</p> <p>Metro currently holds some science classes on Midland&rsquo;s campus.</p> <p>&ldquo;Our idea is for smart and sustainable growth based on current and projected facility needs,&rdquo; Schmailzl said. &ldquo;The Fremont Center&rsquo;s plan is to support enrollment growth over the next decade.&rdquo;</p> </div> </div> Continue Reading