For those of you who are at least 40 years old, you may remember "The Muppet Show." Between Winchester ("I see you have no idea what your limitation may be") and Lotstodo telling me I went to an unremarkable but adequate technical school (I got my Master's at Southern Polytechnic), I feel like Kermit the Frog having to hear Statler and Waldorf find every flaw in the show! However, I am running for a public office, so I am fair game.
I am too ignorant and too optimistic as well as too driven to not try. I have 24 years of experience marketing and launching products and services, and what I have not seen here or heard here, is any type of basic market research and subsequent Stagegating process. I will explain in the moment.
Why high tech? That is where the growth is in this county, and the future lies with it. A majority of it can be done anywhere. I can go into great detail, but as I posted earlier, there are many areas of high tech:
-Aerospace
-Artificial Intelligence
-Biotechnology
-Computer science
-Information technology
-Nanotechnology
-Nuclear Physics
-Photonics
-Robotics
-Semiconductors
-Telecommunications
I would start off with conducting an anonymous survey via online or direct mail to 50 of each of these companies, and probably more like 50 of each subset to these companies (such as Biotech having Pharmaceuticals, Online Health, Implantable Devices, Over the Counter, Surgical Robotics, etc.), to determine where growth is, who is considering relocating, expanding, looking to develop new divisions, as well as survey new young high tech companies with recent patent applications. I will tell you this....you always learn a lot with market research, and I can guarantee you something will come up that does make Paulding special for a select set of companies or specialty industry.
I would then develop a StageGate process. It is the methodology used for conceiving, developing, and launching new products and services, and is an extension of Project Management and Critical Plan Method/Program Evaluation and Review (CPM-PERT). Once I know the where and what to concentrate on and what messages resonate with a select industry or industries, I develop the StageGate plan:
Stage 1 - Discovery - ideas are generated from the market research and brought forth to the Commissioners, Mayors, and through Town Hall Meetings
Stage 2 - Scoping - Once a set of ideas are narrowed down and discussed, detail what it will take to launch these ideas into plans
Stage 3 - Build the Business Case - This is where develop is done to not only what the real market potential is, but the cost of it as well as the realistic return on investment. I would also present this to the Commissioners, Mayors, and through Town Hall meetings, as well as a detailed result for all to view and critique
Stage 4 - Development - this is setting up all the programs that were agreed upon and also designing all the marketing material and marketing plan to recruit businesses as well as prepare our area for the influx of business long term. Again, this is shown to the commissioners, Mayors and through Town Hall Meetings
Stage 5 - Final testing - a limited test to perhaps one subset of the industry is done, to determine initial reaction as well as where improvements can be made, and capitalize one what was done right. After presenting to all the parties, I would want to actually put this to a vote to the citizenry, as they should have both a knowledge and the right to accept or reject such a plan.
Stage 6 - Full Launch - this is the full readiness for marketing, campaigning, and having all the infrastructure ready or ready to implement, as well as having all the detailed information a CFO and attorneys, as well as the CEO of a company is going to want to see.
I don't exactly know what business to recruit here, but I know how to find out and how to make sure whatever we do is successful.
I don't believe in limitations, and I have not achieved enough cynicism to give up and say it won't happen. I am innovative, and optimistic.
If you want to see my capabilities, look at my patent I obtained on May 2, 1995 on something I invented: U.S. Patent Number 5,411,147.
Or you can vote for the status quo.
