IS YOUR COMMUNITY READY FOR WIND?

Many communities across the country are eager to be involved in hosting wind energy farms recognizing there are many economic and other benefits for doing so.    Before getting out too far in front of the process, there are some very basic questions to consider, especially since wind development can often become a center of controversy and community upheaval.     First and foremost, does your area have “enough wind” to be of interest to a developer?    Is there adequate transmission capacity in close proximity to move the power to the grid?    Do you have  zoning in place that enables wind development to occur while protecting the health, safety, and welfare of your residents?     Finally as it relates to the basic set of questions, will your residents welcome wind development to your community?     Having a wind ordinance already in place does not always guarantee that your residents will support wind development because very often zoning ordinance review  occurs in a vacuum unless the community has totally engaged the community in the process.      If you plan to open the door to wind development, knowing the answers to the two technical questions first before directly engaging the community will help minimize the potential for front page newspaper stories, but once you are ready to proceed, having a transparent community engagement process is important for success.    CES has the experience, proven process, and successful track record to take your community through a community engagement process that will deliver “Results…..not Promises.”

“On the Road Again”

The current and potential future economic climate and changing political landscape may make it time to think about “hitting the road again” to attract foreign companies to your location if you haven’t done so in a while.  Or if you have not had a foreign direct investment (FDI) attraction strategy before, the time might be right to consider a “road trip.”    FDI missions are expensive and time consuming, but too often communities who make this investment end up disappointed with the results because the approach that is often used does not generate any prospects or even FDI leads.    Plus FDI does take patience since some cultures, such as the Asian market, require a lengthy relationship building process before results are produced.   CES and its affiliates use a proven FDI attraction process called the CES WAY, which in time, delivers certifiable leads and prospects.    CES specializes in Asia, Europe, Northern Africa, and Australia.   Consulting services include bilingual capabilities and cultural understanding of the most attractive FDI markets.    So if your community or organization is considering a road trip, contact CES to see for yourself why our mantra is “Results…..Not Promises.”     

Know Your Stakeholders-The Community View

Community Engagement is not just the responsibility of the project developer, community officials and leaders also have a responsibility to ensure they fully understand what the attitudes and receptivity their residents will have toward potential projects they would like to attract.   Too often communities identify potential target industries without fully understanding if their residents will support the type of industry identified.     Target industry identification is matching the strengths of your community including labor quality and quantity, infrastructure, and access to suppliers and potential markets among other features, but community leaders should not forget about community acceptance.     This is something that should be understood long before the potential project emerges.  Learning this when the project is announced may be too late and do nothing more than generate negative headlines and create community friction.    CES and its affiliates are prepared to help communities ensure that stakeholder attitudes are fully understood before any investment is made from the community (e.g., infrastructure) and the project developer.