The Rural Jump Start Technical Assistance Program

I hope that many of you read our TEEXblog of October 8, 2009, called “Jump Start Jacksboro,” where I wrote about Jacksboro’s success in spurring economic development. Today, I’m excited to announce that TEEX's Technology and Economic Development Division has a matching technical assistance grant program that will allow rural communities to take advantage of the Rural Jump Start program and pay only 50 percent of the cost.

Over the last three years, TEEX and the Rural Jump Start Program have provided technical assistance and economic development training to more than 300 communities, economic developers and local leaders throughout Texas. We’ve now developed the Rural Jump Start Technical Assistance Program, based on our experiences and feedback from economic development partners across the state, focusing on technical assistance for rural communities during 2010.



There are several benefits to the participating communities:

• The economic development course is delivered in local community.
• The community leaders are more informed of economic development practices and terms.
• The community members are engaged in creating wealth and jobs.
• A Strategic Plan is developed and ready to implement.
• The community is featured in an article in ED-Central, the monthly e-newsletter and library of economic development best practices distributed throughout Texas, the U.S. and internationally.
• The community members meet and network with state agency officials who can financially support their initiatives.
• The program helps position the community as a leader in economic development.

Rural Jump Start was developed for economic development directors, elected officials and community leaders. The program provides leaders with the opportunity to learn techniques and gain tools for building their economic base, while networking with colleagues and state agency officials to identify opportunities for collaboration and cooperation.

Let me tell you about the program, which features three phases led by TEEX economic development professionals:

• Phase I :: Economic Development for Local Leaders Training
  
  This on-site course will prepare your community leaders and advocates to formulate an economic development plan and make informed decisions about your community’s future. Developed on the Basic Economic Development Course (BEDC), it includes an overview of economic development, how to develop a community profile and an economic development plan, as well as how to fund economic development projects.
  
  
• Phase II :: Community Economic Development Strategic Planning
  
  TEEX experts develop a community assessment. Then they facilitate strategic planning workshops with local leaders, stakeholders and economic developers to assess and discuss your community’s future. Workshop discussions focus on identifying the community’s assets and challenges, establishing a community vision, identifying and prioritizing projects and outlining required tasks. TEEX documents the discussions and develops a strategic plan for your community.
  
  
• Phase III :: Economic Development Plan Promotion
  
  TEEX economic development specialists coach your team on how to promote the community’s economic development plan, from developing a powerful presentation to connecting you with potential sources of funding. TEEX serves as your advocate and arranges meetings for you with agencies that fund the types of rural economic development projects identified in your economic development strategic plan.

This is happening very fast, so if your community is interested in participating you need to observe this timeline:

• December 14, 2009 Program Teleconference*


• January 25, 2010 Application Deadline


• February 8, 2010 Community Selection Notification
  
• February 8, 2010 Rural Jump Start Program Schedule Announced


• February 22, 2010 Rural Jump Start Statewide Program Kick-Off
  
  *TEEX will host a teleconference on December 14, 2009 to review the program and application process and to answer questions. Participation in the teleconference is strongly encouraged.
  

Earlier, I mentioned we have a grant to cover 50 percent of the cost of the program. Because TEEX has limited funds available for the program, we are requesting applications from qualified rural communities interested in participating in a Rural Jump Start program.

In 2010, the program will be limited to five rural communities. The cost of the Rural Jump Start Program is $50,000. TEEX will contribute one-half of the total project cost for each of the five participating communities. The local community will provide the remaining half of the cost ($25,000).

Time is of the essence, as the program teleconference is this Monday, Dec. 14 at 9:00am CST.

Detailed information on the program as well as program eligibility and selection criteria is in the December 2009 Economic Development Resource Library Newsletter, or you may contact us at 979-458-6710.

While you are there, check out all of the information in the The Economic Development Resource Library (EDRL), which was established to provide under served communities with practical resources to inspire economic growth and prosperity.

This is a great opportunity to start an economic development initiative in your community.

Joan Quintana is the economic development and market intelligence program director for TEEX's Technology and Economic Development Division (TED). She welcomes your comments.

Thanks for the Stress and Pressure

In 2005, I was 28 years old and living at a volunteer fire station in Black Butte Ranch, Oregon. In return for living at the station, the department was paying for my Fire Structural Science and Paramedic education at a nearby Oregon community college. I’d always wanted to be a firefighter/paramedic. Already an EMT-B, I had finished my Fire Science and Paramedic prerequisites my first year and was looking forward to my second year of training.

Unfortunately, my school then suspended the Paramedic Program because of administrative changes. One term off became two and was quickly becoming three. I didn’t feel like I was getting anywhere.

One of the firefighter/paramedics at the Black Butte Ranch station was a native Texan and an Aggie. He suggested that I look into the 10-week, fast-track EMT-Paramedic course offered by TEEX. I needed to move forward quickly, so I researched costs and discovered that TEEX not only offered the least expensive program available (even considering the move to Texas for the duration of the course), but would also put my career goals back on track.

When he first told me about the program, I remember thinking, "There's absolutely no way I'm moving to Texas." For an Oregonian, let me just say that Texas was different and took some adjustment. First, Oregon doesn’t have the humidity, heat, lightning storms or flash floods that Texas does. Also, many of the instructors, to my Yankee ears, had an accent that took some getting used to. Plus, everyone says “yes, sir” or “yes, ma’am” all the time. I quickly found out that if I didn’t incorporate those phrases into my everyday vocabulary, it would possibly come across as rude or disrespectful. And the last thing I wanted to do was inadvertently insult someone.

Going into the program, I knew was it was going to be tough, but I didn't realize just how tough it would be. However, there was always great support staff there to help me through it. They were always willing to spend extra time outside of class to answer any of my questions or to address my concerns.

During the hospital internship part of the program, I was able to go online and schedule my hours and pick from the hospital departments available for work. This flexibility in scheduling was a huge factor in allowing me to specifically tailor my internship. I chose ESD-1 in Houston, hoping to gain a lot of experience through a broad range of calls. After comparing stories with other paramedics later back home in Oregon, I think I had more than a wild internship!

Recently, I was comparing notes with a friend who attended the TEEX course after I did. He’d picked my brain before he went, and I’d told him that TEEX had an extremely demanding curriculum. But I’d also told him that it was possible to make it through as long as you were willing and had the self-discipline to study every day. After he completed the course, he agreed with me that it was difficult, but worth all of the hard work.

By using the TEEX 10-week fast-track Paramedic course, I was riding as a paramedic 10 months earlier than if I would have graduated from my original Oregon program on time. Now, I’m working as a paramedic for a strong Oregon ambulance company with 55 years of service and commitment.

I have given TEEX’s information to many EMT-B students here in Oregon who are looking for a way to get a head start on their careers. Hopefully, many more Oregonians will eventually be spending the time and effort to travel to Texas and go through your program.

TEEX, thanks for all the good stress and pressure you put me through to accomplish my goals.

Andy Brookman is a paramedic for an ambulance service in Washington County, Oregon.

China On the Move

A couple of weeks ago, I spent some time in Beijing and Tianjin, China. We visited the country to sign an agreement with Tianjin University that would kick off a project to establish a fire school at the university. A delegation from Tianjin visited TEEX last year to look at our capabilities to serve the petrochemical industry in emergency response. As you may have heard, China has an emerging strength in petrochemical capacity centered in Tianjin, and the university is looking to provide a similar level of emergency services training to their industry.

It was my first time to visit this country, and I didn’t know quite what to expect. I was wowed by the Olympics on TV like everyone else. But it was no different than being wowed by the new Dallas Cowboys’ Stadium, because we only needed to travel a few miles to see the other side of the story.

This is a very vibrant country with lots of activity and energy. This is a country on the move with a genuine purpose, and they have the resources to fulfill that purpose. There is an air of optimism and hope. Sure, there is a fair amount of air pollution due to their automobiles and industrial expansion, which reminded me of growing up in Los Angeles. Personal space is at a premium, similar to downtown New York.

If you are like me, you have always wondered about the human rights issues. But I saw nothing to lead me to believe people were unfairly constrained in their daily lives. People traveled around the cities freely, and I was always greeted with friendly curiosity.

All in all, I have nothing negative to say about this country, which presents both a challenge and an opportunity for us Americans. The challenge is that this economic force is competing against us. It is very apparent that their government is pulling out all the stops to become the biggest exporter of goods in the world. For those of us that have a strong distaste for any government intervention in the market, be aware that the global playing field for our companies is tilted against us. We cannot regulate our small businesses without helping them acquire new markets

China is a great opportunity for United States businesses. The Chinese marketplace is huge, but I doubt that it will open up for small businesses by itself. We as a country need to look at our policies for increasing our success in exporting, with a focus on helping the little guy to compete more effectively.


Gary Sera is director of the Texas Engineering Extension Service and invites your comments.