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1"3. Economic eontext I Our analysts will prepare a targeted assessment of factors that define Kittitas County's overall competitiveness and are of greatest concern to economic decision makers. 0ur analysis will be tailored to meet project objectives and to take advantage of available data resources. The results will be delivered in an electronic format, with significant findings integrated into the Phase 1 deliverable. 1.4. Leadership workshop I The consulting team will facilitate a workshop with local leaders and representatives of the community. We envision addressing the following objectives during this session: -, JrcJd$4 !es1!Eqt&es. Provide an overview of relevant trends and disruptions, along with national best practice examples for supporting recovery and fostering resilient economies. ' Osmmalldeimtro-n, Ensure local leaders have an agreed-upon definition of economic development that will drive the planning process. ' Stratqgic_elrre_stia!- Facilitate a discussion of the desired future of Kittitas County and the Cify of Ellensburg, to include a preliminary vision for economic development and broad goals and objectives. 1.5. Stakeholder engagement I Along with the leadership workshop, TIP will identify and engage a targeted set of partner organizations, stakeholder groups, and community leaders through roundtable discussions. ln addition to providing meaningful information about relevant trends, barriers, and assets, engaging these entities and individuals will help communicate economic development priorities and build support for the outcome of the planning process. Where appropriate, confidential interviews can be conducted to solicit feedback on issues that may not surface in a collective setting. 1 .6. Network analysis I Building on the context gained in prior tasks, we will examine the economic development network in greater detail. This analysis will expand on the scan of the partners completed in Task 1 .2 and will consider major programs, initiatives, and assets that influence economic prosperity in the region. Consideration will also be given to staffing and resource levels for key partners, as well as how major program objectives and goals align with the outcome of the leadership, staff, and stakeholder discussions. The results can be used to facilitate greater collaboration and coordination, identify resources that could be brought to bear on specific projects, and highlight potential gaps and redundancies. 1.7 . Findings report I TIP will prepare a summary of findings from Phase 1 that can be used to raise awareness of the role of economic development, illustrate Kittitas County's collective value proposition, and suggest opportunities that will drive local and regional growth for Kittitas County and, specifically, the City of Ellensburg. PHASE 2 2.1. OPPORTI.JNITV & IMPLEMFNTATION Best practices I Drawing on our team's extensive network, we will research national best practices that may be a fit for Kittitas County and the City of Ellensburg based on our work in Phase 1 . The results of this task will help shape our recommendations and will be integrated into the final deliverable as appropriate. 2"2. Opportunity workshop I TIP will facilitate an opportunity workshop designed to engage regional leaders in focused discussion of potential strategies. ln addition, we will use this workshop to review findings from Phase 1, present relevant best practices, consider recommendations from the prior plan, and explore roles and responsibilities. The outcome of this task will be a set of prioritized strategies and focus areas, along with a collaborative framework for aligning available resources to accomplish them. 2.3. Strategic plan I Using findings from prior work and phases and the experience of the consulting team, TIP will prepare a strategic plan. ln addition to outlining specific goals and strategies, the plan will highlight relevant findings from the Phase 1 report. Together with the implementation matrix (see Task 2.4),the resulting document will provide specific recommendations and tools needed to implement a long-term economic strategy for Kittitas County, the City of Ellensburg, and participating municipalities. I IP S IRATF-GIES, INC PAGF 2