Perry County gets new economic development manager

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- That Scott Sattler already knows the players puts Perry County ahead in the economic development game, according to Perryville Mayor Debbie Gahan.

After spending years as manager of business and industry for the Workforce Investment Board of Southeast Missouri, Sattler has been selected as Perry County's chief economic development officer.

"He's already established a network of people throughout economic development in the state. It's a huge plus," Gahan said.

Sattler spent more than 17 years in the U.S. Navy and helped veterans find jobs through his work at the Missouri Career Center. He later managed career centers in Cape Girardeau, Bollinger and Perry counties.

"I have a passion for trying to help bring businesses in and retain our businesses," Sattler said.

He replaces Larry Tucker, who left the position in February to work as marketing and business development manager for the city of Wentzville, Mo.

Following Tucker's departure, Perry County and Perryville officials reorganized their primary economic development entity, said Kim Moore, president of the reorganized Perry County Economic Development Authority and chief counsel at Bank of Missouri.

The new board consists of two elected officials from both the board of aldermen and county commission, as well as two representatives from the previous Economic Development Authority board and two representatives from the not-for-profit industrial development group known as the Perryville Development Corp. A representative from the SEMO Regional Planning and Economic Development Commission and Perryville city manager Brent Buerck serve as advisers and participate as nonvoting members of the new board.

"It made sense to put all the stakeholders at the table to help develop a policy that's integrated and coordinated among all those different stakeholders and to have a common approach to economic development," Moore said.

Late this summer, after the reorganization was completed, the newly formed board began its search for a new executive director.

Sattler, who is working on relocating from Dexter, Mo., to Perryville, was selected from a pool of 35 applicants from all over the U.S., Moore said.

In recent years, Perry County has seen some of the lowest unemployment rates in the state, thanks to its strong industrial base with companies like Gilster-Mary Lee, TG Missouri and Sabreliner.

In August, its unemployment rate was 6.2, lower than Cape Girardeau County at 7.4 percent, Bollinger County at 8.9 percent and Ste. Genevieve County at 8.1 percent. The statewide unemployment rate was 8.8 percent during August.

Recent industrial expansion has kept Perry County's unemployment low, but it also leaves companies considering locating there wondering where its workers would come from.

"We need to grow our population and grow the kind of jobs that will provide a different tier of employment," Gahan said. "We've got people making things, we need people designing things. If we can get businesses more attuned to folks using their minds, as opposed to their hands it will broaden our demographic as well. We want to be textured in our demographic."

Sattler's experience developing and training workforces in 13 Southeast Missouri counties while with the Workforce Investment Board set him apart from other candidates, Moore said.

Sattler is the president-elect of the Missouri Association for Workforce Development and past state director of the National Association of Workforce professionals.

"He has a good understanding of how employees fit into the workforce and how that resource can be developed, improved and made available for employers," Moore said.

While many communities strive for unemployment rates as low as Perry County's, Moore said the area's low unemployment rate can be an obstacle when recruiting new industry.

"If they see a low unemployment rate, their first question is 'Where am I going to get my workers?' We've struggled with that question throughout our industrial development career here in Perryville and it's always been a difficult hurdle to get over," he said. "With his background, he gave us some ideas we hadn't thought of even in the interview process."

Sattler said he will take a three-prong approach to economic development in Perry County: supporting existing businesses, recruiting new national companies and encouraging entrepreneurship.

"Retaining businesses is your biggest goal. They're going to support your community now and you don't want to forget them," Sattler said.

He intends to work with the Perryville Chamber of Commerce and Small Business Administration to develop a support system for local entrepreneurs.

"We want to be able to grow companies right here that start here and can prosper here," Sattler said. "When you look at statistics new jobs come from small businesses. Small businesses drive the economy."

mmiller@semissourian.com

388-3646

Pertinent address:

112 W. Saint Maries St., Perryville, MO