ITEM 1 Economic Development Strategic Planning MemoMEMORANDUM
TO: Mayor and City Council
Department Heads
FROM: Lori Johnson, City Administrator
DATE: June 12, 2014
SUBJECT: June 16 Economic Development Strategic Planning
Mr. Adeel Ahmed, Associate Extension Professor and Extension Education of the University of
Minnesota Extension — Center for Community Vitality, will facilitate Monday's Economic
Development Strategic Planning session. Mr. Ahmed has assisted numerous cities with
economic development planning including analysis of the individual city's market data and
unique attributes and providing guidance on how the city can use those to its advantage.
At the May 28 Council meeting the Council had an opportunity to discuss what it wants to
achieve as it undertakes this Economic Development Strategic Planning initiative. I provided
Mr. Ahmed with the Council's input and priorities for these sessions to assist him in refining the
agenda topics and leading the discussion to obtain the outcomes the Council desires. The
agenda for the second session can be refined as needed based on Monday's discussion and
Council direction.
In the past few years, Otsego has been growing steadily in the residential sector while, as with
many communities, the retail and industrial sector has lagged. The construction of the Ruan
distribution facility has created renewed interest and momentum for industrial development.
Retail development is market driven and has posed a greater challenge. With additional
housing units and resulting population growth as well as an increase in the local employment
base, the climate for supporting additional retail is improving. As a city, we need to be
prepared to capitalize on opportunities in this changing development climate.
Mr. Ahmed will provide market data and trends as a starting point to will help determine
Otsego's niche and assist in identifying the tools the City can deploy to attract the development
it wants. The development and policy decisions made now affect how the city will look in 20
years; therefore, identifying and understanding the Council's future vision of the City is vital to
making the right decisions now. If we know the course, everyone involved can evaluate actions
and decisions in terms of how each fits with the long term vision of the City. It also provides a
tool for staying the course when a proposal or project comes forward that may seem attractive
at the time, but sidetracks or derails the long term goals. In the past Otsego has resisted the
temptation to accept something less than it desired in areas that have a higher and better use
for the most part which has positioned the City well. With the many changes in the economy,
the region, and the simply the way business operates today, it is time to reassess where we
have been and where we want to go, to realign and identify the tools and resources available,
and to develop a long term strategic plan to achieve the development that the Council desires.
In conclusion, although Mr. Ahmed will be providing background information and data, the
intents is for informal and interactive meetings with much discussion and input. For your
information, I have attached Mr. Ahmed's biography. If you are interested, additional
information about the Center for Community Vitality can be found at
http://www.extension.umn.edu/Community/. Finally, Monday's meeting starts at 3:30 and will
adjourn by 5:30. We are meeting at City Hall.
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Adeel Ahmed
ahme0004(a_umn.edu
Phone: 320-203-6109
Fax: 320-203-6110
Extension Regional Office, St. Cloud
Midtown Office Complex
3400 First Street North, Suite 400
St. Cloud, MN 56303-4000
Counties Served:
Blue Earth, Brown, McLeod, Meeker, Nicollet, Renville, Sherburne, Sibley, Stearns, Wright
Education
• B.S., Chemistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
• Masters in Public Policy, University of Minnesota - Humphrey Institute, Minneapolis, MN
Work Experience
Adeel has developed and delivered Extension Community Economics programming in
Minnesota since 2006. He has extensive experience in evaluation methodology and is
passionate about teaching use of technology. He has consulted on Extension's Business
Retention and Expansion programs in Monticello and Menahga, while conducting other
programs in tourism development and retail market analysis in his region.
Adeel taught chemistry and physics in Tanzania with the Peace Corps while practicing
community development. At the Humphrey Institute, he conducted a feasibility study on the use
of switch -grass as an alternative energy source. Adeel also has seven years of private sector
experience in information technology at Northwest Airlines, Koch Industries and Emerson
Process Management. He is fluent in Urdu and Hindi (the primary languages in India and
Pakistan), and has language competency in Swahili and Arabic.
Special Interests: Volunteer Geographic Information collection, eCommerce education, and
Crowd sourcing
Affiliations, Honors and Community Service
• Awards: National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals
National Diversity Award for the Study of Minority Business Owners in Willmar, MN
(2013); Innovative Collaboration Award (team award), Minnesota High Tech Association
(2012); Boren Fellow, National Security Education Program
• Certifications: Business Retention & Expansion
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• Memberships: Community Development Society, National Association of Community
Development Extension Professionals
Selected Publications
• Ahmed, A. (2012). Willmar area minority business report — An analysis of the experiences
of local minority-owned businesses, based on a representative survey. St. Paul, MN:
University of Minnesota Extension Center for Community Vitality. Retrieved from
www.extension.umn.edu/communitv/research/docs/Willmar-Area-Minoritv-Business.Ddf
• Ahmed, A. (2011). Field testing volunteer geospatial information collection — The viability
of community mapping. St. Paul, MN: University of Minnesota Extension Center for
Community Vitality. Retrieved from
www.extension.umn.edu/community/research/docs/viability community mapping.pdf
Our mission
The Extension Center for Community Vitality makes a difference by engaging Minnesotans to
strengthen the social, civic, economic and technological capacity of their communities. We help
communities choose their future by:
Informing the decisions they make.
Improving the processes they use when they make decisions.
Enhancing the skills, ability and confidence of the people who lead and decide.
Increasing the number of people who step up to lead and decide.
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