Forward Cody reaches for the stars

Time alone will be the judge of how successful Forward Cody has been under the leadership of James Klessens.

Economic development is crucial to the well-being of every community, and Klessens has been the lead in Cody’s economic development for the last 17 years.

If a city isn’t growing and providing new jobs, that city is dying. A city needs new investments, new industries, new businesses and new jobs to ensure its economy and population thrive. The prime example is Detroit, where the unemployment rate, while improving slightly, is still more than twice the national average at 10.7% and one can still purchase homes for less than $10,000.

As cities age, the industries that have provided the jobs and income that allow municipalities to provide infrastructure and community services tend to fade away for various reasons or relocate and the employment they provided leaves a gap that must be filled for cities to endure.

As economic development organizations recruit new industries and new jobs for their communities, the battle can become quite competitive. Businesses looking to relocate or start up are often offered amenities such as a building or zero taxes for a number of years or relocation expenses paid or the provision of free utilities and other benefits.

It has been said about legislation that you don’t want to watch sausage being made. In many instances, you don’t want to know how some economic development organizations incentivize businesses to locate in their communities.

However, at the very least, citizens deserve to know if tax money is involved.

Forward Cody with Klessens at the helm has done a remarkable job of encouraging and developing both large and small businesses while maintaining the integrity of the organization.

And business has grown in Cody ... despite several disadvantages such as transportation issues and a limited workforce.

In several instances through no fault of his own, Klessens and Forward Cody have been criticized for several of the not-so-successful economic projects they promoted such as Eleutian Technology and Cody Labs.

You don’t win them all.

Last week’s announcement that a 75-year lease has been signed for the location of the State Shooting Complex just south of Cody may just be the highlight of Forward Cody’s last 17 years.

It will be interesting to look back in a decade and see how successful the framework developed by Forward Cody during this time has been.

Leo Burnett of advertising agency fame operated under the slogan, “When you reach for the stars you may not quite get one, but you won’t come up with a handful of mud either.”

Klessens directed Forward Cody to reach for the stars.

We urge his successor and the Forward Cody organization as a whole to keep reaching for the stars.