CLAREMORE — One year ago, economic development specialist Mickey Thompson was hired as the new executive director for Rogers County Industrial Development Authority. With the economy spiraling downward and massive funding cuts to his budget, it looked to be a bleak year indeed. Then, as part of the package of responsibilities, Thompson also took the helm of the Claremore Industrial Economic Development Authority.

While both entities have maintained separate governing boards and projects, a partnership was born of the two administrative offices merging. CRC Partnership headed by Thompson does the day-to-day management for both entities, a great cost saver designed to stretch tightening budgets of Claremore and Rogers County.

That partnership is certainly one of Thompson’s best accomplishments and, considering the economic climate, if that’s all he had to boast about, many would say restructuring those entities is enough for a first year on the job.

But Thompson isn’t one to be satisfied with “just enough.”

One thing he wants to make clear, however, is that neither RCIDA or CIEDA or even Mickey Thompson creates jobs.

“Companies create jobs,” he said.

“We try to better position the community that we represent to compete for retention of jobs and to attract the addition of jobs,” said Thompson. “Everything we do is more about positioning than anything else.”

Building the CRC partnership has meant a time to regroup and refocus. Between the two entities, RCIDA and CIEDA had seven employees. Now, both are administered by four employees, Thompson, Cary Jester,  Rachel Hilton-Merriott, and Debbie Ward.

“We have half the staff,” he said.

The budgets have been streamlined with RCIDA probably taking the greatest hit. Anything ancillary such as Rogers County Young Entrepreneurs had to be eliminated due to the budget crunch.

“Regrettably, we’ve had to eliminate a lot of things that were sacred to the organization,” said Thompson. “We had to eliminate the entrepreneurial programs. That’s needed in our society today, but there’s simply no funds available.”

Anything not directly related to the performance of economic development was cut in order to save dollars and focus shrinking funds toward the most elemental and primary components. RCIDA still maintains incubator buildings and industrial parks, as does CIEDA. In addition, CIEDA operates the Claremore Regional Airport.

In addition to the CRC Partnership, Thompson has worked with Oologah and Claremore to study the possibility of forming TIF districts, a means of funding that is growing in popularity due to the ability to make projects pay for themselves over time.

Thompson and his team also work with local business on quality programs and incentives.

“We like to inform companies about incentives and other government assistance that is available to them,” said Thompson. “There is very little we can do for a new company coming into the county that we can’t do for the existing companies doing the same thing.”

If a company is bringing jobs, CRC can help find available assistance and incentives even if that is an existing rather than a new business. Part of the mission of economic development, is knowing the bureaucratic hoops to jump through in order to qualify for those incentives.

Thompson sees himself as a big picture guy who depends a lot on his staff to help him do all the legwork involved in making those ideas come to fruition. He credits his staff’s hard work and dedication as well as other members of the local business and economic community for the amount of progress CRC has made this year. There were over 600 new jobs announced this year in Rogers County.

“Economic development is a team function,” said Thompson. “The position I play is the least important one. On a good day, I’m a pretty good salesman. On my best day, I get to coach a little bit.”

Accomplishments this year include work on Summerlin Industrial Park, which is coming to existence in Inola along the Highway 412 corridor with easy access to the McClellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System. And there was Alliance Application, a new business in Rogers County that does powder coating and is bringing in 34 jobs.

“I hope that we have helped a few companies,” said Thompson. “I hope we have made some progress toward helping our communities become better places for business to be.”

Thompson said local policymakers are an important part of economic development.

“The critical positions (of the economic development team) are played by all of those who interpret our community vision, set the strategies and those who make public policy,” said Thompson. “Those who make the community a better place to live.”

A community’s values, the public safety and health and culture, are all factors that serve as an aide to economic development and growth, he said.

Thompson’s team is remarketing the Chelsea Industrial Park and has worked hard to develop economic and market profiles that will help communities compete at regional and national levels.

There are a number of inquiries coming in these days, and that’s encouraging, said Thompson.

His team responds to them all, knowing they won’t all come to Rogers County, but seeing the rainbow slowly emerge as the nation struggles to shrug off the rains of the recession.

Thompson would have liked to have seen more progress his  first year here, but he is not one to duck a challenge, and he knows that better times are ahead. Considering everything, it has not been a bad year.

“I’m very pleased with the integrity and determination with which the RCIDA and CIEDA boards have gone about reshaping our efforts and setting us on a new course to accomplish economic development,” said Thompson.

“It’s clear to me that there is great opportunity for economic development in this area because the value-added economics that we offer can be the generator of stability and growth in our economy and afford us the quality of life that we dare to want.”

Thompson thinks the second largest challenge beyond the economy is a need to find a shared vision that includes Claremore and all of Rogers County.

“If we can shove some of our egos back from the table enough to make room to invite some others to the table, we can improve our levels of cooperation, coordination and collaboration,” he said. “I believe that would make us a friendlier place and a better community.”

Cooperation is even more important now that revenue streams are slowed. RCIDA, which once had a dedicated revenue source through county use tax, now has no consistent funding except what Roger County commissioners can spare once the new courthouse project is funded.

Lately, those dollars just have not been there.

“The new Claremore City Council has already funded CIEDA at the $300,000 level,” said Thompson. “That’s less than in the past, but more than in the recent past. I believe that the county commissioners, on behalf of the smaller municipalities if nothing else, will end up funding RCIDA at about that level. I hope that over time, both the council and the commission will become better partners with us and with one another.”