Just how important is it to bring everything you’ve got to the game of economic development, a game at least partly built on the notion that those who schmooze the best win?
To hear Paul Dennis tell it, every move, every statement, every detail counts.
Inside his second-floor office on Main Street in downtown Washougal, Dennis, the former mayor of Camas and now president and CEO of the Camas-Washougal Economic Development Association (CWEDA), recently recalled the story of the mid-1990s battle between Portland and Austin, Texas, over which of the two metro areas would become home to a new Samsung Electronics fabrication plant.
Austin rolled out the red carpet.
Portland didn’t.
Portland lost. The consequences still reverberate: This summer, Samsung announced it would expand its Austin plant with a $3.6 billion investment and 500 additional jobs.
These days, Dennis is focused on bringing economic victories to east Clark County. That means getting out of the office a lot to visit employers and paying attention to the details, including understanding the maze of municipal regulations so he can guide companies to building permits.