The County of Ventura partnered with The Natelson Dale Group, Inc. (TNDG) to create the Economic Vitality Strategic Plan. Four Summit Meetings were held as a part of the planning process and involved approximately 60 participants representing relevant County departments/agencies, incorporated cities, and other local government entities; nonprofit economic development and community service organizations; and key businesses/industries. These Summit Meetings were sponsored by the Economic Development Collaborative Ventura County, the Ventura Council of Governments, and the Ventura County Economic Development Association.
The first Summit Meeting was held on November 18th, 2016 and accomplished two primary tasks:
- Provided stakeholders with an introduction to the Summit Process;
- Identified the key issues, challenges and opportunities to be addressed by the research process and the remaining Summit sessions.
The second Summit Meeting was held on January 20th, 2017 and accomplished two primary tasks:
- Provided stakeholders with a summary of key findings from the background reports and an overview of the preliminary strategy elements;
- Conducted a voting/polling process to assist in prioritizing preliminary strategic elements as part of the EVSP.
The third Summit Meeting was held on February 24th, 2017 and accomplished three primary tasks:
- Presented the first draft of the EVSP;
- Conducted discussion on potential implementation partnerships;
- Provided the opportunity to refine individual action items included in the EVSP.
The fourth Summit Meeting was held on May 4th, 2017 and accomplished two primary tasks:
- Facilitated a discussion on barriers to housing development;
- Determined how to address housing barriers within the EVSP.