Baylor University students have put the wraps on a socio-economic study of the City of North Bay.
The April 22 presentation to the community marked the conclusion of the Baylor Focus Firm Partnership Project.
Over the fall and winter, graduate students from the Texas university interviewed local leaders and interpreted responses from 4,585 North Bay residents through an online survey to formulate the city’s prospects for growth and improvement.
“Baylor delivered a substantial gift today to the citizens of North Bay,” said Baylor alums and project leads Kevin and Timothy Hutchison in a City of North Bay press release. “The insightful and intelligent recommendations serve as a road map to a brighter and more prosperous future.”
Baylor recommends that the City of North Bay create a municipal strategy and vision, build infrastructure for entrepreneurial business, and find ways to generate a two-way dialogue between city hall and residents.
“Baylor University and the MBA students have now completed their study of North Bay and have provided recommendations for charting an improved economic course,” said Invest North Bay Development Corporation Chair Paul Goulet. “It is now up to Invest North Bay, working with council and the public, to thoroughly digest and then action these recommendations in order for all of us to have the vibrant economy and economic quality of life that we all know is possible for North Bay.”
“Although this information is as new to us as it is to the general public, one thing has remained constant,” said North Bay Mayor Al McDonald. “We already know that North Bay already has much of what we need to succeed. We just need to bring it together.”
Laurie Wilson, Baylor’s director of graduate business degree programs, said the project’s scope was invaluable to the MBA students.
“The opportunity to work with a municipality has been an incredible experience for the MBA students at Baylor University. This experience enabled students to see how business and public policy are integrally connected. We hope the City of North Bay finds useful discoveries within the students’ research.”
Last September, the city announced a research partnership with Baylor University to formulate the basis for a long-term economic development plan for the city.
The university engaged in an eight-month study to gauge the municipality’s competitive outlook with insight from the community, and propose solutions for long-term success.
