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The Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) <br />Process: Community-Based Economic Development Planning <br />over the past ten months organizations and individuals in Central <br />Washington have been developing a Comprehensive Economic <br />Development Strategy. This CEDS will help Kittitas and Yakima Counties in <br />Central Washington focus their energies on economic diversification. The <br />CEDS identifies issues, needs and critical priorities that Impact the region's <br />ability to advance the local economy. The need for a CEDS is not driven <br />solely by a desire for federal Economic Development Administration ( EDA) <br />funding. Rather, this strategy and the process formed to complete it, <br />serves as a platform for future economic development planning in the <br />region. <br />To drive and shape the planning process, Yakima and Kittitas County Commissioners appointed <br />a special CEDS steering committee. This group has met frequently during the CEDS process and <br />has been instrumental in developing the plan and encouraging public Involvement. The CEDS <br />committee is comprised of: <br />Jim Anderson, Kittitas County Chamber of Luz Gutierrez, Las Milpas, LLC Commerce <br />Jean Brown, Yakima County Development Assn . Larry Mattson, Yakima Valley Conference of <br />Governments <br />Karen Cunningham, Yakima Nation Mario Martinez, Mayor, City of Mabton <br />Rand Elllot, Yakima County Commissioner Obie O'Brien, Kittitas County Commissioner <br />Jesse Farias, Mayor, City of Wapato Dr. Bill Provaznlck, CWU Institute for Innovation <br />and Entrepreneurship <br />David Gonzales, South Central Workforce Council <br />- <br />' <br />/ I <br />The steering committee was appointed <br />in May 2012 and initially helped Dr. Roy <br />Savolan from Central Washington <br />University develop an economic and <br />,. .. \ '\ Central Washington University ... ,., <br />demographic portrait of the region. The group then developed a list of SWOT {Strengths, <br />Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) for Yakima and Kittitas Counties that became the basis for <br />public forums and discussions. <br />During the fall the CE0S committee organized six public forums to share information about the <br />planning process and generate input regarding the region's SWOT. Forum participants were <br />also asked to identify strategies that could help diversify the regional economy. One of these <br />3