Port authority close to finalizing strategic plan, hiring permanent director

By Ed Runyan

runyan@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

The Western Reserve Port Authority has made some revisions to its new strategic plan, which was written by a Columbus consulting company, and awaits input from the county commissioners in Mahoning and Trumbull counties and others.

Port Authority Chairman Ron Klingle said Wednesday the authority’s board of directors may approve the 19-page document at next month’s meeting, as it begins the process of hiring a permanent executive director.

Noting that the port authority committed to conducting a “thorough search” for a permanent director at the time John Moliterno was hired as interim executive director in September, Klingle said the authority probably will carry out a national search and hopes to have a selection made within 90 days. Moliterno is expected to be among the candidates.

The timing of the search is not coincidental; the board felt it was appropriate to begin the search only after its strategic plan was in place so that it could guide the process, Klingle said.

The port authority hired the Council of Development Finance Agencies in November 2013 at a cost of up to $39,450 to write the plan, which is designed to help the port authority identify its mission, finances, expansion and partnership development.

Among the recommended expansions are to the economic-development staff, now consisting of Sarah Lown with help from Moliterno and others. “The workload of the [authority’s] current economic development staff is currently overcapacity,” the report says.

That staff handles grant management, brownfield activities and tries to help companies with future business enterprises. “The organization needs to hire additional staff soon” so it has the resources to develop new projects, the plan says.

The port authority has the ability to offer various financing options to companies wanting to expand or relocate in the Mahoning Valley, but staff with “specific expertise in financing tools” will be needed, the plan says.

The plan talks about mission statements and offers suggestions for one, but it does not contain a new or revised one, instead leaving that to the port authority to formulate on its own.

Klingle said the authority’s strategic planning committee, which has worked on the plan during several meetings over the past month or so, will continue to work on the plan in the coming months, including a finalized mission statement and review of the bylaws.

The plan suggests the establishment of a policy that identifies the executive director as the person who speaks to the news media, “although this authority may be delegated to other senior staff or board members at certain times. This policy may need to include a clear reference to penalties for infractions.”

The plan was developed after interviews were conducted about a year ago among board members and officials in government, business and nonprofit organizations, the report says.

“Through the implementation of this plan, the [authority] will ensure a stronger and more diverse economy for Mahoning and Trumbull counties,” it says.