On February 19, 2021 we heard from Angie Muhleisen and Ava Thomas, co-chairs of the Mayor’s Economic Recovery Taskforce. They told us about the 1% More Pledge. Use this website: https://app.lincoln.ne.gov/city/covid19/business-resources.htm and scroll down to the section titled Mayor's Economic Recovery Task Force.
When Angie and Ava first met as members of the Mayor’s Economic Recovery Taskforce, they agreed that the first goal was to get something done - not just end up with a laundry list of goals and ideas that sit on a shelf.
What was the question? Goal: how do we support Lincoln’s economic recovery and resiliency given the impacts of COVID-19? And the Mission: Develop strategies for supporting local businesses and employment while fostering public health, inclusion and resilience.
They created a task force that consisted of members representing the entire community, a diverse group of individuals and business owners. There were 18 members of the task force but they also used some additional advisers. They worked over the entire Summer of 2020.
The task force had three subcommittees:
- Local Business Strategies - to develop strategies for supporting local businesses in adapting their business models and retaining and supporting their workforce through the crisis; Chair: Jasmine Kingsley - Senior Vice President of Legal & People at Hudl
- Local Workforce Strategies - to develop strategies for supporting local workforce development in light of the employment-related impacts of COVID-19; Chair: Cori Sampson Vokoun - Vice President of Sampson Construction Company
- Local Sectors Strategies - to develop strategies to support sectors of the economy and community that have been negatively impacted by the pandemic; Chair: Maribel Cruz, Ph.D. I Director of Leadership Consulting with Talent Plus, Inc. & President-Elect of The Angels Theatre Company Board of Directors
The task forced looked at recommendations that not only looked good - looked like they would help the economy - but that backed by data. The core principles that guided their work included:
- Focus on strategies that were timely and implementable - with the evolving nature of the crisis needed to implement sooner rather than later
- Inclusive - we all have a role to play in Lincoln's economy - so call upon residents, employers, and all public and private sector leaders
- Data Driven but also locally relevant - consider data that is available, but consider if it is relevant to Lincoln; they looked at strategies that not only seem relevant, but are backed by data
They conducted a business survey which was important to the development of strategies. One of the items mentioned multiple times was peer to peer support. Businesses wanted to help each other. They recognized that some have resources that others need, and some of their business friends and employees may need mental health support. There have been three Town Hall Meetings so far:
- Leveraging Technology and Social Media
- Supporting Employee Mental Health and Social Connectedness
- Procurement 101: How Your Business Can Do Business with the City/County - many companies may not know how to navigate the system to submit bids for services to governments
During these town hall sessions there were some valuable take-aways. Most businesses (over 75%) indicate that they would benefit from direct business-to-business support - financial input from doing business with each other. There was more information needed for getting financial support and navigating the procurement systems (the City pledged to provide training and also review and revise the procurement process).
From the power point: Small-scale, locally owned businesses create communities that are more prosperous, entrepreneurial, connected, and generally better off across a wide range of metrics.
So a key strategy was to implement programs that would encourage Spend Local. Residents were encouraged to support locally-owned businesses through the shoplocal campaign. And to get businesses to support businesses, the task force developed the Spend 1% more program.
The multiplying factor - recirculation of revenue - is how purchasing impacts the local economy. We learned how important the restaurant industry is in Nebraska from Zoe last week. So these statistics are very important to us. Data shows that the impact of purchasing from independent businesses is 4X that of purchases at National chains.
Data showed (based on data available from Salt Lake City, Utah):
- Recirculation of Revenue
- 13.6% purchases at National Chains - Overall
- 52.0% purchases at Independent Businesses - Overall
- Recirculation of Revenue - Restaurants
- 30.4% purchases at National Chains - Restaurants\
- 78.6% purchases at Independent Businesses - Restaurants
Based on this information, a shift of only 1% of purchases to independent business would result in an additional $50million in local economy each year.
In order for our economy to turn around, we all need to be involved.
- Consumers need to pledge to buy local. Click here for a list of local businesses.
- Businesses need to pledge to spend 1% more locally (where they may be purchasing outside of Lincoln - see if there is an option in Lincoln).
Business Leaders can encourage employees to use local services (see list above). Angie shared that Union Bank and Trust challenged the employee to shop local, Their sales receipts (from local companies) were entered in a drawing and the winners won gift cards - to locally owned businesses.
ANGIE MUHLEISEN BIO:
Angie serves as President and CEO of Union Bank and Trust Company. She is responsible for the company’s growth, financial performance, bank-wide succession planning and bank culture. Union Bank is a privately-owned Nebraska bank that offers complete banking, lending, investment and trust services. The bank has thirty-eight full service and loan production offices in Nebraska and Kansas. In addition to Lincoln and Omaha, branches are located in twenty-one Nebraska communities and in the Kansas City metro area. The combined bank and trust assets are $33 billion.
A native Nebraskan, Angie earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Avila University in Kansas City, MO. Muhleisen serves on many charitable and civic boards including Assurity Life Insurance Company, Compensation and Investment/Finance Committee, Bryan College of Health Sciences Board, Lied Center Advisory Board and the University of Nebraska Foundation Board.
AVA THOMAS BIO:
Ava Thomas is the President and Publisher of the Lincoln Journal Star and has over 25 years of experience in the industry. Ms. Thomas began her career with the Journal Star in 1995, while attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Over the next 20 years, she worked her way up from a classified ad-taker to the president of the company. Along with her duties in Lincoln, Thomas is also a regional group publisher for Lee Enterprises, the Journal Star’s parent company. She oversees 11 other newspapers and websites in Nebraska as well as Agricultural publications and sites in 12 other States.
Thomas is a founder of the Inspire Women’s Leadership Awards and 100’s of Women Who Care Lincoln. She is also co-chair of the Mayor’s Economic Recovery Task Force and a member of the board of directors for RISE, the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, Lincoln Partnership for Economic Development, United Way of Lincoln and Lancaster County and the Lincoln Community Foundation.
EXCERPTS FROM THE LINCOLN JOURNAL STAR MAY 27, 2021:
Lincoln Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird announced the creation of a task force to help guide the city's economic rebound from the pandemic.
While the city has focused on addressing the immediate public health crisis and economic challenges, the task force will help guide a public-private effort to forge
Lincoln's economic recovery, Gaylor Baird said.
To lead this effort, Gaylor Baird appointed Union Bank and Trust President and CEO Angie Muhleisen and Journal Star President and Publisher Ava Thomas to spearhead the group, which she's calling the Mayor's Economic Recovery Task Force.
The task force will develop strategies that are intentional, based on data and locally informed, she said.
For example, the task force may examine the best retraining strategies for workers who are laid off, Muhleisen said.
In its work, the task force will also keep in mind the disparate effects of the pandemic on the community's minority and elderly populations and find ways to increase the city's resiliency, Thomas said.
Recommendations could include ways to help residents better access mental health services or help employers expand telecommuting capabilities, Thomas said.