Battle Creek

BC Vision LaunchVision and PlanMay 27, 2015

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Battle Creek

BC VisionBattle Creek is a thriving community for people to live, work and play, where there is equitable opportunity for all residents to have the income, education, and resources they need to be successful.

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Battle Creek

Over the last year, thousands of Battle Creek’s residents provided input to the plan

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50 meetings since May 2014

183 participating organizations

811 Participating in at least one

meeting

1,195 Facebook members

2,500 Community survey

participants

8,210 Conversations

30,009 Households

canvassed

Battle Creek

Overall Ranking of Priority Areas

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1 – More Permanent Jobs

2 – Job Training

3 – College and Career Readiness

4 – Kindergarten Readiness

5 – Increase in Civic Pride

Battle Creek

Participant’s Ranking of Indicator of “Economic Progress”

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What residents think is most important to show economic progress:

-- More Jobs: 25%

-- More Businesses: 25%

-- More People Employed: 23%

-- Higher Household Income: 13%

-- Higher High School Graduation: 12%

-- Other: 2%

Battle Creek

Steering Committee Members (1 of 2)B.D. Alexander, Small Business Owner Urban League of Battle Creek

Kara Beer, President Battle Creek Chamber of Commerce

Karen Boyer, Vice President DENSO Manufacturing Michigan

Marie Briganti, President and CEO Battle Creek Unlimited

John Bryant, Chairman and CEO Kellogg Company

Kathy-Sue Dunn, Commissioner Calhoun County

Rebecca Fleury, City Manager City of Battle Creek

Michael Finney, Senior Advisor, Economic Growth

Office of Governor Rick Snyder

John Gallagher, Board Member Battle Creek Unlimited

Jim Hettinger Battle Creek Unlimited

Dr. Linda Hicks, Superintendent Battle Creek Public Schools

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Battle Creek

Steering Committee Members (2 of 2)Brenda Hunt, President and CEO Battle Creek Community Foundation

David Kemp, Youth leader Western Michigan University (alumnus)

Christina Khim, Associate Director Burma Center

Ron Kitchens, CEO Southwest Michigan First

Ivan Lee, Pastor New Harvest Christian Center

Karissa Lee, Youth leader Western Michigan University (student)

La June Montgomery Tabron, President and CEO

W.K. Kellogg Foundation

Mark O’Connell, Interim President Kellogg Community College

Deb Owens, Mayor City of Battle Creek

Dr. Evon Walters, President Miller College

Jorge Zeballos, Executive Director Center for Diversity and Inclusion

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Battle Creek

BC VisionThe Plan

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Battle Creek

BCVision

Three Interconnected Pillars

Increase the number of permanent jobs and the number of Battle Creek residents with the skills

and opportunities for employment

JOBS TALENT

Strengthen civic pride, unity, collaboration, trust and healthy lifestyles in Battle Creek

CULTURE OF VITALITY

Build the talent pipeline

by increasing kindergarten readiness and college and career

readiness

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Battle Creek

Culture of Vitality

Three Pillars and Five Priorities

JobsTalent

Development

Increase the

number of

permanent jobs

Increase the

number of BC

residents connected

to jobs

Increase college

and career

readiness

Increase kindergart

en readiness

Increase the civic pride, unity,

collaboration, and trust among the

residents of Battle Creek

• Business Task Force

• Small Business Task Force

• Workforce Development Task Force

• College and Career Readiness Task Force

• Great Start Collaborative

• Community planning groups

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Battle Creek

BC VisionJobs

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Battle Creek

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Jobs: Large Business

Battle Creek’s large employers will work collaboratively to retain and attract businesses to increase the number of jobs and ensure a strong workforce is connected to these jobs. Ultimately, we want to see jobs for all our residents and strong talent for our employers.

• Increase by at least 25% the number of newly created, better paying jobs in Battle Creek in the next three years vs. the previous average

• Improve qualifications of local workforce and remove barriers that limit ability of everyone to participate in the workforce

Impacts we seek

Goal statement

Battle Creek

• National Defense Opportunities

• Aviation

• Food and Agriculture

• Logistics

• Manufacturing

• Account management system with employers

• Case management with employees

• Create cross-sector partnerships

• Develop government officials engagement strategy

• Create citizen-advocacy strategy

Attract new businesses that leverage Battle

Creek’s core competencies

Develop qualified workforce and

remove barriers to employment

Strengthen community advocacy

capabilities

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Jobs: Large Business

Strategies

Battle Creek

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Jobs: Small Business

Battle Creek will be home to a thriving small business economy characterized by an increasing number of successful small businesses and growth in jobs

•Grow payrolls of small businesses

•Hire more local employees

• Increase number of entrepreneurs with successful new businesses

•Grow number of successful women and minority-owned businesses / reduced gap in the rates of ownership and success among these target populations

• Increase networks, training, and support services

Impacts we seek

Goal statement

Battle Creek

• Create single point of contact and collaborate to streamline regulations

• Implement training in multiple languages

• Explore shared goal with small and large businesses

• Evaluate local procurement incentives

• Provide educational support

Create a single point of contact

in government services to meet business needs

Increase large company procurement from small

businesses

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Jobs: Small Business

Pursue regional, state, and federal programs to accelerate progress

Create public / private partnerships to build an

equitable, cohesive entrepreneurial ecosystem

• Map current ecosystem

• Support partnership development

• Accelerate work of organizations like the Center for Entrepreneurship

• Leverage existing economic development programs and resources

Strategies

Battle Creek

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Jobs: Workforce Development

All Battle Creek residents – regardless of race, gender, or socio-economic background – have equitable opportunities to gain the required skills for permanent jobs that provide both access and visibility into career advancement as well as lead to family economic security

• Increase number of people in the Battle Creek workforce who are qualified for jobs with advancement potential

• Increase employer investment in Battle Creek workforce and employer efforts to remove barriers to employment

• Increase equal access to resources and infrastructure to secure family-sustaining employment for all subpopulations of the Battle Creek workforce

• Increase family economic security

Impacts we seek

Goal statement

Battle Creek

Increase awareness of job openings

Increase access to infrastructure supports

(e.g., transportation, childcare)

Partner with employers to remove barriers to

employment

• Confirm need for single landing page

• Benchmark job search websites

• Conduct targeted outreach

• Identify largest gaps

• Research infrastructure support models

• Support employers to implement models

• Evaluate costs / benefits of shifting hiring practices

• Identify employers to champion effort

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Integrate employment supports within one

physical location

Create formal employer, funder, education and

service provider partnerships

• Engage stakeholders

• Research best practices for wrap-around support model

• Conduct research on current job openings and skill gaps

• Develop shared vision for talent pipeline

• Develop models for cost-sharing and on-going collaboration

Strategies

Jobs: Workforce Development

Battle Creek

BC VisionTalent Development

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Battle Creek

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Talent Development: Kindergarten Readiness

Every child in Calhoun County will have a great start: they will be safe, healthy, prepared, and eager to succeed in school and life

• Increased quality in existing and future early childhood programs and services (including equitable practices & policies and reflective of our diverse community)

• Increased number of early learning and childcare slots that are reflective of our diverse community

• Increased number of effective referrals across sectors

• Increased number of family-focused policies and practices across sectors

• Increased number of children entering kindergarten physically, socially, emotionally & academically ready to succeed

Impacts we seek

Goal statement

Battle Creek

Promote a county-wide, shared definition of

kindergarten readiness

Recognize and adopt early childhood education as workforce development

strategy

Increase quality of early learning experiences

through the coordination, alignment &

implementation of PD/training & coaching

• Research and create readiness definition

• Support community readiness to implement identified strategies

• Implement identified strategies

• Strengthen existing and develop new partnerships with employers

• Share research on importance of early childhood education

• Co-develop and implement cross-sector training for identified shifts in policies and practices

• Identify quality improvement needs

• Develop strategies based on data

• Implement identified strategies

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Increase coordination & alignment of policies,

services & supports that impact families with

children

Increase access to quality and culturally

appropriate early learning & child care

opportunities

• Create partnerships, review and shift policies

• Engage in BC Pulse Action Learning to support data-driven decision making

• Support effective implementation

• Identify gaps in access to 2nd & 3rd shift care

• Gather data, develop data-driven strategies

• Implement identified strategies

Strategies

Talent Development: Kindergarten Readiness

Battle Creek

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Talent Development: College and Career Readiness

All students—regardless of race, gender, or socio-economic background— are successful in pursuing careers and life paths that lead to their economic stability

• Increased high school graduation rates, proficiency on MI Merit Exams, and post-secondary matriculation rates

• Students in Battle Creek have equitable outcomes related to college and career readiness across race, gender, and socio-economic background

• All Battle Creek area students are exposed to college and career opportunities in school; all students have access to programs and curriculum that promote a college and career-bound culture

• All Battle Creek students and families have the necessary counseling and support to understand the cost of education and identify affordable opportunities

Impacts we seek

Goal statement

Battle Creek

• Area school districts to work with post-secondary training programs, higher education, and employers to define and/or develop clear pathways for youth to pursue

• Enhance and align opportunities such as mentorship and internships, training and guidance

• Put in place and/or accelerate a process to rapidly improve student outcomes for our cities most vulnerable students

• Explore the benefits, risks, and costs of a school district merger (e.g., determine if likely to improve student outcomes and achievement, stabilize enrollment , improve efficiency)

Explore a merger between Battle

Creek and Lakeview Public School

Districts

Create an equitable culture of academic and career pathways

for students

Pursue rapid acceleration of transformation efforts in Battle

Creek and Lakeview Public School Districts

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Talent Development: College and Career Readiness

Strategies

Battle Creek

BC VisionCulture of Vitality

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Battle Creek

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Culture of Vitality

Increase the civic pride, unity, collaboration, trust, and healthy lifestyles among the diverse community members that live, work, and play in Battle Creek

• Increased percentage of residents who express civic pride in Battle Creek, reflected through their active engagement with the life of the community and local politics

• Increased reflection of unity in Battle Creek through community leadership that is fully representative of our diversity and decreases in inequity between different groups in our community

• Increased collaboration among community organizations to achieve positive change in Battle Creek

• Increased trust in Battle Creek leadership

Impacts we seek

Goal statement

Battle Creek

• Encourage a positive narrative that gives that “Pure Michigan” campaign feeling to residents

• Promote cultural and historical assets

• Create billboards and storefronts showcasing diversity and school achievements / activities

• Develop family-friendly green spaces

Create a positive media campaign for Battle

Creek

Promote Battle Creek’s cultural and historical

assets

Create visual cues to trigger pride in the

community

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• Plan music nights and events

• Start a youth “hang out” spot downtown

• Neighborhood Planning Councils host more cleanups, projects, picnics, etc.

• Provide conflict resolution resources for residents

• Reach out to volunteer programs, collect information on what they need

• Encourage employers to engage employees in volunteer service

• Conduct research on strategies to incentivize people to live in Battle Creek

• Explore free WiFi for the entire city

Invest in events that bring the

community together and attract visitors

Strengthen volunteer programs which help

those in need

Incentivize “living where you work”

Strategies

Culture of Vitality

Battle Creek

BC VisionThe Way Forward

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Battle Creek

The First 100 Business Days

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Solidify composition of the Steering Committee and Task Forces

Set aspirational metrics to measure progress Develop 1-3 year action plans to implement strategies Identify and report quick wins Identify resources needed (human and financial) Ensure equity is embedded in priority area strategies In October 2015, the community will come together to

assess progress made in the first 100 business days.

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Battle Creek

Call to Action

•Get involved with a working group

•Volunteer in the community

•Make change in a neighborhood to improve jobs, talent or culture of vitality

•Stay informed about BC Vision via Facebook and Twitter

•Be a champion for Battle Creek and for BC Vision by sharing your pride and optimism for change – say something positive about Battle Creek every day!

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Battle Creek

BC VisionClosing

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