By: Dewey R. Wotring
On September 16, 2008, Joe Schoenbachler, the executive director of the Oldham County Economic Development Agency (OCEDA) appeared before the Oldham County Fiscal Court for the purpose of updating the court on the activities of OCEDA.
Schoenbachler tried to dazzle the court with charts and graphs. He went on to explain the position which Oldham County is in from an economic standpoint and he used much of his presentation explaining what the targeted industries for Oldham County were and how they had selected these industries.
However, what appeared to be on the mind of some of the magistrates was what OCEDA had actually done to bring industry into the county. More specifically, Magistrate Iva Davis wanted to know if OCEDA had any brochures to present to prospective clients. Apparently shortly after taking office she had questioned Schoenbachler about the availability of a brochure for prospective clients. At that time, Schoenbachler apparently had assured her that a brochure was in the making. Now, several months later, Magistrate Iva Davis wanted to know if the brochure was available, however Schoenbachler responded that it still was not. When pressed on the issue by Magistrate Iva Davis, Schoenbachler stated that there were more pressing issues such as community development and infrastructure. Magistrate Iva Davis asked Schoenbachler if OCEDA were to be approached by a prospective business, would they have any materials to give to the company? Schoenbachler stated that OCEDA does not have anything to give to a prospective business right now.
Magistrate Iva Davis pointedly ask Schoenbachler what OCEDA was doing at the present time to attract businesses. Schoenbachler stated that they were trying to make sure that their web site was available, that their contact information with the state was properly maintained, and they were trying to maintain the relationships with businesses that we have because most jobs are created by existing businesses within the community.
Magistrate Voegele wanted to know if the OCEDA was waiting for people to come to them or was OCEDA being aggressive and trying to showcase Oldham County. Schoenbachler responded by saying, “We don't have a significant marketing plan together right now. We don't have any fancy brochures and that type of thing that we send out to people.” He said that OCEDA had not done a good job of going after industries in the past since 2000. (Yes, that's right, eight years)
When asked by Voegele about creating an “incubator business” to help entrepreneurship Schoenbachler responded that a typical incubator business needed about 30,000 square feet of space while a lot of entrepreneurs were not looking for space because they could work out of their homes. Thus, rather than seeking space, they were looking for other assistance.
Magistrate Scott Davis requested that future presentations show what results have been accomplished by OCEDA. He also expressed his concern about the lack of any marketing material. He said that OCEDA should be able to do more than manage a web site and maintain contacts with the state.
It does not appear that the county is receiving much for their investment in OCEDA. To me, it was apparent that Schoenbachler’s presentation was more about smoke and mirrors than it was about accomplishments. The three magistrates who questioned Schoenbachler are to be commended for their efforts. What is sad though is that after eight years of doing a poor job of going after industry, is the fact that other Magistrates and the County Judge did not question Schoenbachler. Isn’t it time that his feet are held to the fire? Shame on the rest of the Fiscal Court members if they continue to approve financial support in the future for OCEDA if the return on investment isn’t greatly improved.
