DRISKILL SAYS HIS DEPARTMENT VOWS TO BE `SERVICE-ORIENTED'

After just over eight weeks on the job as director of the Missouri Department of Economic Development, Joe Driskill is pleased with the department's new direction and optimistic it will lead to greater job creation around the state.

"For the past eight or nine weeks I have had a great deal of pleasure getting to know the state again, and putting into words and policies my ideas and those of Gov. Carnahan of what we feel is needed to create jobs in this state," Driskill said Thursday.

Driskill stressed that the way to have stable communities around the state is to insure that businesses located in those towns are able to expand and provide jobs.

Driskill made the comments at a general membership meeting of the Regional Commerce and Growth Association in Cape Girardeau Thursday evening. About 60 members attended the gathering at Ameri-First Bank.

Driskill was accompanied by two members of his department. He said he will try to get people out of the office to work with local officials on economic development as much as possible.

Eventually, Driskill plans to open seven regional offices around Missouri. Legislation approved this year calls for the establishment of those offices, but funding will not be appropriated until fiscal 1995.

In the meantime, Driskill said, "people will be seeing a lot more of this department around the state."

Plans are to have three employees in each office: someone specializing in business development; marketing; and a clerical person.

The idea of regional offices for economic development was one of the key components of Carnahan's JOBS 2000 plan during his campaign.

Prior to accepting the appointment as director of economic development, Driskill was elected to six terms in the Missouri House from a district that included Ripley and Wayne Counties and parts of Butler and Bollinger Counties. His family still resides near Poplar Bluff but will soon move to Jefferson City.

During his time in the legislature, Driskill said, he noted that many employees of the department kept a close watch on the clock and wanted to quit at 5 p.m. He thinks that staffing regional offices will make a big difference in the level of commitment and the ability to take advantage of local ideas and resources.

"I want people to work for my department who have some sense of ownership in the businesses and area they are trying to serve," he said.

Driskill said he is not sure where the seven sites will be located, and will likely leave that decision up to the legislature next year.

"It really doesn't matter where they are located as long as all regions of the state are covered," he stressed.

By this time next year, Driskill said, those offices should be in the process of being filled.

Staffing the offices will cost about $700,000 a year.

Another major focus of the department is to develop a strategic plan for job creation in Missouri - something that does not now exist. A firm will be hired to oversee the plan development and bids will be sought soon with the hope of awarding a contract in July.

Part of the process will require the company to have at least one public hearing in each of the state's nine congressional districts. Input will also be received from the Missouri Business Council, appointed earlier this year by Carnahan.

Driskill said he hopes to have a plan finished by February.

In comments to RCGA members, Driskill said he is striving to change the department's orientation. "The past direction of the department has been to do whatever we could, wherever we could, to bring businesses in from out of state," he observed.

While the department will still seek to draw new businesses to the state, Driskill said the focus will be on helping existing businesses expand.

"We have to make the Department of Economic Development a service organization; one that pays attention to decisions made at the local levels," summed up Driskill.

"I think that you can be looking for good things to be coming from us, because we're trying to do what we can to help you.