Daniel Colantone lives by his watch, his desk clock and his daily planner.
The president and CEO of the region’s largest business association says that after having his personality assessed through a Briggs-Meyers test several years ago, he realized that he needed a rigid schedule. And that was OK.
These days, that rigidity is well-suited to Colantone’s position. As head of the Akron Regional Development Board, he is charged with managing a $2.5 million budget and 26 employees, and fulfilling the lofty mission of the 25-year-old organization: to facilitate economic growth in the region. A membership of 2,000 businesses, and a board of directors that includes company presidents, congressmen and other local chamber presidents, holds him accountable.
With that kind of pressure, he can’t afford to get off schedule.
In January, Colantone was chosen to succeed Dick Erickson, who left the ARDB last fall to head a new regional business coalition.
Prior to his appointment, Colantone served as president and CEO of the Manhattan, Kan., chamber of commerce. His accomplishments there, including boosting membership, developing a public policy agenda and creating a 5-year strategic plan, resulted in the chamber being awarded Number One Chamber in the Nation by the National Association of Membership Development, an affiliate of the American Chamber of Commerce Executive Association.
Colantone has also held marketing positions with the Dayton Area Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Raleigh, N.C., Chamber of Commerce.
He comes to the ARDB at a crucial time. Next month, the board will announce its decision to move its headquarters to a new downtown location. As of now, a recommendation has been approved by the board, but the lease has not been signed. The objectives for the move are to provide better image and visibility for the organization and to provide improved space and better functionality for all of its divisions and partnerships. The larger space will also be set up to accommodate features including a business resource and technology center, more meeting rooms and a training center.
After just 90 days on the job, Colantone spoke to SBN about how he hopes to accomplish the goals laid out before him. We thought our readers should better understand the objectives of the man charged with “facilitating economic and business growth” in the area.
What exactly is the mission of the ARDB and how does it differ from other local chambers of commerce?
The ARDB’s mission is to promote and facilitate economic and business growth and prosperity to benefit the people and businesses of the region by providing a continuing source of business services information and advocacy.
The ARDB is a combined chamber of commerce and economic development organization within one organization. As a chamber of commerce, we’re a business of 26 professionals who support the needs of business; but we’re also an economic development organization whose goal is to foster economic prosperity in the region.
You will find some communities that just have a chamber of commerce and some that have separate chambers of commerce and economic development organizations. You’ll also find communities that are similar to the ARDB that will have both of those organizations within one organization.
What is No. 1 on your priority list today?
My No. 1 priority is to develop a regional economic development marketing strategy for the tri-county region; a marketing strategy that will sell the region to businesses that are already here; and sell to businesses outside the region to relocate here.
Give an example of something you do every day to work toward that goal.
Each and every day there are different tactics that we have in place to meet that objective. Different strategies that we’re working include a retention and expansion program, where we go out and visit companies; an effort to work with our industrial clusters initiative, which works with the core competencies of a community to help determine what their challenges are, what their needs are to not only exist in today’s marketplace, but to position themselves for the new economy.
Looking at the business community in Akron, what is its biggest weakness right now?
I want to consider weaknesses as challenges. Our biggest challenge is to foster the agendas of business, education and government in a cohesive vision to build the community. That’s our biggest challenge.
Has that been done before?
It’s been done, historically. It’s been something that all communities wrestle with. When I look at the Akron region, I look at it as a product. A product that we sell collectively together with our community partners.
That product is the region, and we’re competing in a global marketplace. As a result of that, the biggest challenge we face is that education leaders, government leaders and business leaders — who obviously all have their own missions — work together to create quality of life for all the citizens of the community. I think that’s our biggest challenge — bringing us all together working on one goal.
Where would you rank this collective effort among your top goals for the ARDB?
No. 1, we have to build upon our strengths; we have strong industrial clusters in the community, and we have to create an economic development marketing strategy to build upon our past successes and build jobs in those industry clusters.
No. 2, we need to better build the infrastructure and capacity for small- and medium-sized businesses to be more profitable. We need to provide better business services, information and education to the existing business community to better position themselves to compete in the marketplace.
No. 3 is to foster regional cooperation with business, government and education. We need to build a coalition of those three entities in a cohesive way that will help identify our real priorities building the community of the future.
I could almost give a fourth one, and as the premier advocate for business, we need to be more proactive in advocating the business agenda. We need to not only develop a public policy document, a legislative initiatives document, but we need to develop a tactical plan to articulate our position to government, education and business and encourage them to embrace that agenda.
Looking at those four priorities, how much have you altered them from what existed before you arrived at the ARDB?
Under Dick Erickson’s leadership, I think the organization went through the changes necessary to set the foundation for these four initiatives. Historically, the ARDB has had 25 years of success. Under Dick’s leadership, he set the foundation for us and really helped to position us where we are today. My perspective on it now is to take what’s been done and help foster additional leadership in the community to really focus in on these core strategies.
How do you plan to foster leadership in the community?
I think the network’s already there. I think we have leadership within the organization on our executive committee, on the board of trustees and on committees and task forces. Now as we initiate projects and activities, we need to continue to communicate our message to the other members of the business community: what our priorities are, where the needs are and where they might play a role in being active in helping us to meet those goals.
How are you taking a personal role in accomplishing that?
I believe my job is to do two things. One is to market the organization in the community and to be the spokesperson for the organization in the community on all the reasons why the Akron region is a great place to do business. No. 2 is to be out there developing and cultivating leadership for our organization in the community.
What is your biggest personal strength that helps you fulfill your role?
My No. 1 strength is in sales and marketing.
What is your biggest weakness?
Probably patience. I think taking one day at a time is very important. Success doesn’t happen overnight. Sometimes I need to be a little more patient.
What advice or experience that you picked up along the way do you rely on on a regular basis?
My spiritual journey, my faith and my family. I think what’s important each and every day is that you’re making a difference in other people’s lives, you’re contributing to others. I’ve learned over the years that if you can make others successful and make a difference in their lives, you’re really making a contribution. I think that ties to why I have such passion for this business, because I feel that if I am part of building a community, I’m making a contribution that makes a difference in other people’s lives for years.
If you could ask one thing of the business community to help you with your job, what would that be?
I would ask the business community to re-engage themselves in the Akron Regional Development Board. I would ask the business community to invest in the Akron Regional Development Board either through financial support or by volunteering their time and energy, because we do represent all 20,000 businesses in the region.
I would ask them to re-evaluate the mission and the goals of the organization, because we’re the only organization that represents all businesses in the region and the only organization that’s really marketing the region as the place to do business.
And what can you promise in return?
In general, a much stronger, vibrant, stimulated economy in which to do business. If businesses invest in an organization like the ARDB, they’re going to get dividends back. The big picture is creating a prosperous, vibrant economy, and that’s one in which all businesses can thrive and prosper. By businesses prospering and being more profitable, they’re offering better employment opportunities, and better employment opportunities means that the resources are increased to provide a better quality of life for all citizens.
Whose support do you need in terms of Akron’s leadership?
Obviously, the most important support is from the private sector. The business leadership of all size com
panies in the region needs to be re-engaged. No. 2, the leadership of education at the university level, both at the University of Akron and Kent State University. We also need the leaders of city and county governments and we need our state and federal political leadership to be at the table helping us to build the community.
How important is it for you to have a good relationship with other chambers in Northeast Ohio?
It’s absolutely imperative that we have a strong, passionate relationship with all of the chambers and economic development organizations in Northeast Ohio. Northeast Ohio is a product, so we all have to work together on improving that product. It’s also important on a global perspective for us to have good partnerships with all of the communities in Ohio as we sell against other states, and as we sell against European markets.
Where would you like the ARDB to be in five years?
No. 1, that we have delivered on our promises, and that is to be a stronger advocate for business, to have better quality products and services to offer to more businesses to help them be profitable, and that we’ve been at the table with our community partners and truly have instituted new initiates to better position the region in the new economy.
If I were in five years to look back and say, ‘Boy, we really marketed the organization, we grew the organization, we provided better quality services, we did a better job of being the premier advocate for business and we worked with our community partners to truly foster initiatives that are going to create a much better place to do business and to live,’ I will feel that I have contributed to making a difference.
Connie Swenson ([email protected]) is editor of SBN.