Economic Development Director Reynolds to helm IBA

Paulding Economic Development Executive Director Robert Reynolds will helm the Industrial Building Authority (IBA) for the foreseeable future, as voted by its board in their February meeting. Funding for a full-time person in the position is not currently an option available to the IBA, according to Post 2 Commissioner Todd Pownall.
Since first IBA Director Blake Swafford left last year the position has remained unfilled. Reynolds was chosen to be acting director and Robert Crouse chair and Hiram Mayor Teresa Philyaw vice chair. Georgia’s General Assembly established the Paulding County Industrial Building Authority in the early 60s and has since worked with the Chamber of Commerce for over four decades to market and recruit new industries. The IBA owns two industrial parks and a motion picture soundstage, which is up for sale.
In his part-time role Reynolds is hoping to marshal the disparate elements that exist within the county and achieve a unified voice and approach that is moving in the same direction.
Paulding’s EDO was established five years ago and is funded by the Chamber, the county and the city of Dallas. Reynolds was hired to replace first EDO Executive Director Jamie Gilbert, who resigned his position in November of 2014. Reynolds took over as of July 2015. His background with Paulding County began from working in Douglas County from 1997 through 2010 as director of the Development Authority and helped to bring a Google Data Center and an American Red Cross regional distribution center.
In February Bob Gray, chairman/CEO of the Strategic Planning Group, Inc. (SPG) spoke to Paulding business leaders about the results of a recent Economic Development study and part of the process of updating Paulding County’s Comprehensive Plan along with the cities of Dallas, Hiram and Braswell.
The theme of the 2017-27 plan update is “Charting a Course” as the SPG plan seeks to ensure that future development is handled in a way compatible with the best interests of the community. The SPG study looks at numerous factors including workforce, median income, education level, and other demographics and compares Paulding to surrounding counties.
Strongest factors indicated by the study are five ‘strategic themes’ including business climate, positioning the county for economic development, development of the product, redevelopment and community development.
According to the study, an Economic Development Strategic Plan (EDSP) is necessary “...to the process of improving the economic health of a city, region, county, or state by bringing together its assets, resources and political action into a strategy to bring wealth and prosperity to that area.”
Paulding commissioners will review and approve an overall comprehensive plan later this year. But Gray also stressed during his remarks the need for a unified approach and a decision regarding who will actually implement Paulding’s EDSP plan over the next several years, and warned against having ‘too many chiefs and not enough Indians.’
“...Objectives and strategies and the responsibility for the objectives/strategies will involve a host of public and private stakeholders. Key to implementation is the commitment to making the plan a reality,” Gray said.
And Reynolds is in agreement. He feels as did Gray that that has been a key ingredient missing in building Paulding’s economic future up to now. “It’s something we have to do and something that has to be accomplished,” Reynolds said.

Economic Development Organization offices in downtown Dallas. Paulding’s EDO was established five years ago and is funded by the Chamber, the county and the city of Dallas. (Photo: R. Grant)