Question #4: How did Pierre beat Madison in recuriting Eagle Creek Software, and what can Madison do to not lose the next similar opportunity?

I brought along my list of questions. After discussing the list with my wife, I decided the question that most needed answering was this one:

Ken Behrendt of Eagle Creek Software said his company was looking for "a dynamic community that is ready and willing to embrace change." He also said that "the college graduates coming out of South Dakota can compete worldwide." And so, looking to hire 21- to 25-year-old college graduates, Eagle Creek sited its new 200-person software facility in Pierre. How did Madison lose those 200 jobs to Pierre?

It defies logic that a software company looking for 200 young employees in South Dakota would not consider coming to the home of Dakota State University, the most computer-savvy school in the state. I figured that even if the candidates didn't know about Eagle Creek, this question would pry into their thinking about how to enhance and sell this community's advantages to potential employers. How did the candidates rise to that challenge?

1. Karen Lembcke: Did Eagle Creek even try to come to Madison? This kind of recruitment is all through the LAIC. I'm on the LAIC board, and I don't remember hearing that name. I can ask if you like [Cory nods in audience and eagerly awaits Karen's call back on what she finds out]. There is always something that these companies want.
2. Nick Abraham: That's a "very valid question." I read that question online last night. If another company like that comes along, perhaps we shold offer a second tax increment finance district, look for REDI fund loans, do whatever we can to get them.
3. Myron Downs: I read about Eagle Creek in the newspaper. [LAIC exec] Dwaine Chapel's job is to go out and go after these companies. But when we do go after these companies, the discussions need to stay in the room. We can't leak these discussions to the press, because then we lose the businesses.
4. Mike McGowan: "It sounds like somebody's asleep at the switch."

Scores:

• 4 points (max!) for Abraham: one of only two home-run answers in the whole forum, and yes, I'm giving him full marks in part for the fact that he mentioned reading the Madville Times! That's not just my ego; that tells me Abraham is paying attention to the new media. He understands that a whole new generation of Madison residents -- the generation places like Eagle Creek could provide good jobs for -- get their information from new sources. Abraham was also the only one who enunciated a clear willingness to go hard after any such opportunities in the future.
• 1 point for Downs and McGowan: Both men at least suggest the problem may lie with an LAIC not working hard enough to bring high-paying jobs to Madison. McGowan doesn't offer any clear vision of how to capitalize on future recruiting opportunities. Downs seems to grasp the process better but loses points for openly endorsing more backroom secret dealing, which holds Madison back more than it helps it.
• 0 points for Lembcke: typical LAIC coover-your-backside response. How could the LAIC not have gotten wind of a software company looking to make that big of an expansion? And even if Eagle Creek never considered Madison, then the question becomes, "What happened to all that money the LAIC is spending on marketing the community?" And she still fails to look forward and talk about what the LAIC can do better.