BCEDC summit explores connections

SANDPOINT — There is something for everyone at Thursday’s Bonner County Economic Development Summit.

From a look ahead on the economy, both on a local and regional level to a national level and beyond, to workforce development and housing to a chance to network and visit with some of the region’s leading business people and organizations, the daylong summit is packed, Andrea Marcoccio, BCEDC executive director, said.

“As residents of the fastest-growing state in the nation, Idahoans have exciting opportunities for maintaining and expanding our healthy economy,” Marcoccio said. “By gathering for a day of speakers, discussion panels, networking, and more, the BCEDC seeks to discern the hurdles current business owners face and connect to uncover strategies for paving our way forward.”

Keynote speakers Marc Brinkmeyer, chairman of Idaho Forest Group, and Bryce Ralston, vice president and trust portfolio manager for Columbia Trust Company, will join leaders from Kochava, Litehouse Foods, Daher and Schweitzer Mountain Resort for a series of panel discussions and keynote talks. Topics touched on at last year’s summit — workforce housing and development — will be addressed in two breakout panel discussions, with participants allowed to pick which one they want to attend. A pair of keynote talks will focus on the economic outlook as well as on regional opportunities.

Brinkmeyer began his career as an accountant with Arthur Anderson in Portland, Ore., and has worked with medium-sized and large companies, including several in the forest products industry. He plays an active role in guiding the strategic direction of IFG and is heavily involved in the promotion and development of the Idaho forest products industry. Ralson, vice president and trust portfolio manager for Columbia Trust, has over 17 years of investment experience, with the last 12 years in bank trust and wealth management.

“We’ll be doing kind of a broader economic projection, what to expect in the coming years, both on a national and larger level as well as regional and local level, to kick off the day,” Marcoccio said. “It will kind of give folks in the room kind of a mindset of where we’re headed collectively, the economy in general.”

Attendees must register in advance, with registration costing $49. Limited registrations remain and tickets are a first-come, first-serve basis. If summit participants join the EDC, they can apply the cost of the summit to their membership, which normally costs $149, Marcoccio said.

“We’re trying to encourage small and medium businesses to be active in our organization so we can represent the full spectrum,” she said, adding that membership helps businesses connect to key business people and organizations in the region.

The summit begins at 8 a.m. with registration, a light breakfast and network. The morning keynote talk, featuring an economic outlook by Ralston, begins at 9 a.m. From 10:30 a.m.-noon, summit participants will have the chance to attend one of two breakout panels — the first on housing development success stories in the county and the second on private and public partnerships on workforce development.

Following a noon lunch catered by the Pack River Store, Brinkmeyer will give a keynote speech at 12:30 p.m. At 2:30 p.m., an entrepreneuers’ discussion will explore innovation from concept to market. From 4:30-6 p.m., a happy hour and raffle will be held for a Schweitzer corporate 2019-2020 ski pass — valued at $1,999.

Breaks between the sessions will not only highlight great regional products but give attendees a chance to network and talk face-to-face with others at the summit.

For those who are interested, the keynote talks and discussions are being recorded and will be made available on the BCEDC website following the summit.

Marcoccio said the event would not be possible without the support of generous and committed business sponsors. This year, the summit’s keynote sponsor is Ting, with additional major sponsors including Washington Trust Bank, Idaho Forest Group, Litehouse Foods, Columbia Bank, Innovia, the city of Sandpoint, and Schweitzer Mountain.

The BCEDC Summit annually brings together over 100 prominent business owners and community leaders, providing networking opportunities for small, medium, and large businesses in Bonner County. Also on the guest list are strategic public and private community partners and investors, keynote speakers, and local success stories, driving the connections that feed a community-based economy.

“From the keynote address to the conversations between business owners during breaks, the summit is a day of learning about our future,” said Eric Paull, BCEDC board chairman. “The day will include discussions and solution-oriented breakout sessions that address the opportunities and challenges facing current businesses. Additionally, there will be a panel discussion about entrepreneurship and available resources. Between speeches, panels, sessions, and discussions, the summit provides insight into our economic picture — for today, tomorrow, and the years to come.”

By bringing business and community leaders together in the same space, Paull and Marcoccio said the community creates an innovative and positive environment — capturing new ideas, sparking relationships, and seizing real-time opportunities.

“We can collaborate in learning how to navigate the growth in our community, supporting current business owners and attracting incoming prospects,” Marcoccio said in the press release. “By promoting economic stability in a changing scope, we can secure for ourselves and for future generations the opportunity to live and thrive in this beautiful place we call home.”

An exciting addition to this year’s summit is an entrepreneurial discussion during the afternoon with Kochava representatives leading that with other groups such as the Panhandle Area Council, and MoFi — a regional lending institution that offers non-traditional lending to institutions or businesses that have big ideas but may not be able to get traditional funding.

“Places where MoFi works usually see very significant investments so we’re really excited to have them at the summit this year. In addition, members of the Quest team, now Daher, will be speaking to on public-private partnerships that they’ve developed to enhance their workforce,” Marcoccio said.

“We’re trying to let the businesses who have thought outside the box and been creative to shed light on those experiences and say, ‘Hey, this is how this has worked. This is what we need so we can all be getting outside of our day-to-day and say I have the same problem.’”

The BCEDC takes a three-pronged approach in its efforts, from retention of the existing business community to growing current businesses to recruitment and attrraction of new business.

“The summit is an annual event that kind of honors and highlights all of that work and brings together leaders in the business community, current and potential, to network and discuss and then of course, address challenges and opportunities,” Marcoccio said.

More than 120 people have already registered but a limited number of tickets remain, which will be held at the University of Idaho Organic Agriculture Center, 10881 N. Boyer Road. The deadline to register is late Tuesday (Nov. 5) evening, Marcoccio said.

Information and registration: bonnercountyedc.com