Kauai has one. Maui has one. Hawaii Island has one. Oahu, of course, has one. There’s even one for the state of Hawaii. Numerous counties from New York to California and Washington to Florida have one, too. It gives you access to wealth and power and builds confidence and influence in your community.
It’s a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy plan.
Economic development agents fondly call it the “CEDS plan,” pronounced like “saids.” “A what?” you ask. If you’ve been involved with food and agriculture, science and technology, renewable energy, educational pipeline and other initiatives on Kauai, chances are you have heard about this pivotal plan for the Garden Island. If you haven’t heard about it, here’s a primer for you and why you should care.
CEDS 101
Funded by the U.S. Economic Development Administration under the U.S. Department of Commerce, local nonprofit Kauai Economic Development Board initially developed the “Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy 2005-2015 Plan” for Kauai in close partnership with the County of Kauai and its Office of Economic Development.
Simply put, CEDS is a strategy-driven plan for regional economic development. A CEDS is the result of a regionally-owned planning process designed to build capacity and guide the economic prosperity and resiliency of an area or region. It is a key component in establishing and maintaining a robust economic ecosystem by helping to build regional capacity that contributes to individual, business, and community success.
The CEDS provides a way for individuals, organizations, local government, academic institutions and private industry to engage in an exciting and meaningful conversation and debate about what capacity building efforts would best serve economic development in the region.
The CEDS takes into account, integrates and leverages other regional planning efforts, including the use of other available federal funds, private sector resources, and state support which can advance the CEDS goals and objectives. It also identifies investment priorities and funding sources to support local projects and initiatives that will build our local economy.
Regions must update their CEDS at least every five years to qualify for EDA assistance under its Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance programs. Those are important, competitive federal grants and loans that support construction, non-construction, technical assistance, and other projects. The monies are designed to leverage existing regional assets, favoring economic develop- ment strategies that advance new ideas and creative approaches to advance economic prosperity in distressed communities.
You can find the updated 2010-2015 Kauai CEDS Plan at KEDB’s website at www.kedb.com. Now ready for another update, KEDB and OED will spend the next several months convening Kauai’s leaders from the public and private sectors to revisit and revise this strategic economic roadmap for economic development.
The key industry clusters outlined in the Kauai CEDS include: Food and Agriculture, Science and Technology, Renewable Energy, Health and Wellness, Arts and Culture, and Sports and Recreation.
Why use a cluster approach? Clusters are typically defined as geogra- phic concentrations of interconnected companies, specialized suppliers, service providers, and associated institutions in a particular field that are present in a nation or region. Clusters arise because they increase the productivity with which companies can compete.”
EDA supports the use of industry cluster analysis in regional economic analysis as a way to understand the dynamics and changes within a regional economy, the industries that drive it, the occupations that staff those industries and the educati- onal programs that supply those occupations.
He CEDS, She CEDS
Our very own Senate President Ron Kouchi and State Reps. Derek Kawa- kami, Jimmy Tokioka and Dee Morikawa have all supported our county’s CEDS throughout the years. They and Mayor Bernard Carvalho, many of our County Councilmembers and various congressional members have promoted projects that arose from the CEDS. Many local businesses, nonprofits and organizations have also supported CEDS-based initiatives.
There is a lot of aloha and respect on Kauai among these groups who work together to create new businesses, strengt- hen existing businesses, increase the number of good-paying jobs, keep money circulating in our local economy and promote economic wealth and health for our residents and communities.
Here are a few highlights of programs and initiatives related to the CEDS Plan. Thanks to the amazing collaborations and partnerships of key organizations, these projects were able to come to fruition: feasibility and business plan for a modular multi-species processing and slaughter facility; Kauai Made and Kauai Grown marketing and branding programs; agricultural business plan competition; feasibility study for the arts and culture industry cluster on Kauai; STEM support programs in robotics, rocketry, digital media, film production, and other science programs at local schools; development of the Keiki to Career integrated school system pathway; an upcoming food production and education center.
Most recently, you may have already seen althe coverage about KEDB’s Kauai Creative Technology Center, the latest exciting economic development project to emerge from the CEDS.
Stay tuned for developments on the Kauai CEDS 2015-2020 Plan. KEDB and OED will be sure to provide more updates, but if you have any questions, contact KEDB at info@kedb.com.
•••
Susan Tai Kaneko is president and CEO of Kauai Economic Development Board. Founded in 1984, Kauai Economic Development Board is a nonprofit, member-based organization. Its mission is to improve the quality of life on Kauai by developing partnerships to diversify the economy, supporting industry clusters, and educating Kauai’s youth and workforce to succeed in the global economy.
