An all-star team whose job is jobs
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 9 years, 5 months AGO
In economic development terms, to say Kootenai Health provides a service is kind of like saying Nike makes a tennis shoe.
Our community-owned hospital might just be the most powerful economic development engine in all of North Idaho. A service? Frankly, that’s insulting.
But the role of Kootenai Health and its 3,000 happy, well-paid, Mayo-partnered, Gallup-recognized employees is no longer fodder for understatement or underappreciation. As the conclusion of our four-part series on Jobs Plus and economic development today shows, the golden road toward a prosperous future is paved with many a brick bearing the KH logo. The health care sector in general, tied in neatly with regional medical advances and the almost certain need for all kinds of IT jobs and cybersecurity personnel in particular, could become the biggest engine that hauls the Kootenai County quality of life train.
That’s just one of the reasons we’re so optimistic about the possibility of having enough good jobs here that our kids and grandchildren won’t have to move to urban areas to enjoy meaningful, rewarding careers. Another is the people whose dedication toward economic development is making a difference now and will almost certainly pay even bigger dividends down the road. The Coeur d’Alene Area Economic Development Corporation/Jobs Plus professionals have a plan packed with promise.
The organization has just three employees — probably half as many as it really needs — but they’re good ones. President Gynii Abracosa Gilliam has a strong right hand in Amber Conklin. Elizabeth Coppess provides cheerful, efficient support.
As with all great organizations, direction comes from the board of directors. In this case, it’s an all-star assortment of business, governmental and educational experts that any community would be proud to boast. Starting with Chair Eve Knudtsen, who is distinguishing herself as an outstanding leader and visionary, we’d like to recognize the board in its entirety:
Vice Chair Patty Shea, Avista Utilities; Treasurer Bruce Cyr, Jacklin Land; Coeur d’Alene Mayor Steve Widmyer and Finance Director Troy Tymesen; Post Falls Mayor Ron Jacobson and Council Member Linda Wilhelm; Hayden Mayor Steve Griffitts and City Administrator Brett Boyer; Rathdrum Mayor Vic Holmes and City Administrator Leon Duce; Kootenai County Commissioner Marc Eberlein;
Brad Hagadone of the Hagadone Corp.; Gary Schneidmiller of Coldwell Banker Schneidmiller Realty; Charles Buck, Ph.D., University of Idaho; Denny Davis, Witherspoon Kelley; Jim Glenn, Titan Spring Company; Chris Meyer, Parkwood Business Properties; Jerry Keane, Post Falls School District; Tim Komberec, Empire Airlines; Brad Marshall, J-U-B Engineers; Danny Klocko, Kootenai Health; David Dean, Columbia Bank; Anne Hagman, Idaho Central Credit Union; Linda Davis, Lariviere CNI; Karen Thurston, Kootenai Perspectives; Wally Jacobson, Panhandle Area Council, and Luke Malek, state representative.
The Press salutes 30 years of job creation and retention by Jobs Plus, and looks forward to the next 30 years with tremendous enthusiasm.