Regional economic development will be getting the attention it deserves if the region’s community stakeholders embrace even parts of a rough draft plan put forth by the Envision 2020 process.

Energy diversification, making use of existing resources and business development strategies are part of the plan. It’s feasible to develop and act on these three priorities in the near future. Feasibility and timeliness remain key to any think tank process. In the area of economic development, Envision 2020 is on the right track.

The idea of energy diversification is certainly crucial and timely in light of expected continual increases in the price of petroleum. The Mankato region, home to several ethanol plants, is perfectly positioned to make use of the energy-rich natural resource more commonly known as corn.

Minnesota State University also has developed an automotive engineering program that has already been studying the combustion engineering associated with alternative fuels. MSU and its students and professors could also supply some of the brainpower needed to research and inventory regional assets such as soils, water and even climate to determine how these could be used to develop an alternative energy industry.

The idea of using MSU fits right in with the priority of optimizing existing resources to bring about more economic development. But Envision’s second priority goes further than that, calling for doing an inventory of existing buildings in the region, and considering a “Renovation, Reuse, Remodel” plan.

The plan also focuses on leveraging existing resources in the health care industry by not only calling together health care providers and discussing gaps in needs and services, but also identifying health care employment opportunities for high school, college and university students.

Finally, the Envision plan calls for getting regional governments to cooperate and collaborate in a category called “Ease of doing business.”

Some of the “action” steps here call for “having a conversation with municipalities” regarding zoning, infrastructure and improving ways to cooperate and serve existing and startup businesses. Of course, this action plan is sometimes easier said than done. Municipalities are all trying to protect and enhance their tax base and it’s a very competitive world for attracting new businesses.

But setting up a meeting with different municipalities will be a good first step toward some kind of regional zoning parameters. The independent and diverse 2020 group is the perfect vehicle for managing that process.

Economic development stands as just one of the many areas the Envision 2020 group aims to address. The group has developed fairly detailed plans involving transportation, livability, education, health and human services and community planning and regional governance. The final report will be presented this fall.

Numerous groups and individuals have contributed to the process that has given birth to a host of good ideas that will help the Mankato region grow. The ideas for economic development should be taken seriously and acted upon.

On the Web: http://www.envision-2020.com