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Needs Assessment for CEO/President
of
Research Valley Partnership
May 2017
Executive Search Consultants
Tupelo, Mississippi
Little Rock, Arkansas
662-397-1955
662-401-1337
www.thepacegroup.com
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Table of Contents
I. Needs Assessment Pages 3-4
II. Job Description Pages 5-8
III. Research Valley Partnership Pages 11-12
IV. Community Page 13-17
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I. Needs Assessment PACE interviewed stakeholders to gain insights on the qualifications and characteristics desired for the
CEO of Research Valley Partnership.
The following is a compilation of the majority of opinions expressed in the interviews.
A. Job experience:
Executive leadership
Business, finance, and law – knowledge of all areas would be a plus
Strategic planning
Budget planning and execution
Economic development implementation from beginning to closing
Evidence of success with a record of accomplishments across industry sectors
Marketing including public relations
Proven ability to network
B. Characteristics and Personality:
Diplomatic
Confidence
Intelligent
Energetic/self-starter/go getter
Possesses integrity/honesty
Team player/motivational
Conversationalist
Listener
Patient
Visionary/excellent planner
Results-oriented and mission focused in a respectable manner
Extrovert
C. Education:
Bachelor’s degree preferred in Business, Public Administration, Economics, Accounting, Law,
or Economic Development
Graduate of Texas A & M or knowledge of Texas A&M
Additional degrees or training would be a plus
D. Keys to Success:
Understand the concept of local, region, and international business
Represent the Partnership in a professional manner
Unification of the Partnership and stakeholders
Communicate with public officials in a positive manner
Create and activate a strategic plan for success
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Create a culture of collaboration among stakeholders
E. Strengths of the Research Valley Partnership:
Texas A & M
Executive management experience of existing programs
Understanding of the importance of economic success for stakeholders
Internationally respected
Central location in Texas
Skillset of professional workforce
Small town collaboration on projects
Knowledge and expertise of board
F. Challenges:
High profile political position
Two cities, a county, and a university to unite
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II. Job Description
The Research Valley Partnership, Inc.
Primary Objectives of Position
The Research Valley Partnership, Inc. is seeking a President/CEO to facilitate primary job creation
economic development with the cities of Bryan and College Station, Brazos County and higher
education to guide economic and community development. The President/CEO is responsible for
developing, implementing, conducting, managing and executing economic development programs with
the goal of business retention, expansion, and attraction of primary job-creating companies in Brazos
County. The President/CEO serves as the key point of contact for businesses locating or expanding in
Brazos County and provides information and guidance about economic development assistance and
incentive programs. Primary areas of focus include attraction/retention of high impact corporate
investment and direct support for local development partners on their efforts to attract new investment
and expand client attraction to the Brazos Valley. This position will work closely with Brazos County,
City of Bryan, City of College Station, Texas A&M University System components, and Blinn College.
Responsibilities include:
Serves as key point of contact to primary job-creating companies considering relocation, growth,
and expansion in the Brazos Valley
Disseminates information on available land, buildings, and expansion and location opportunities
through outreach to interested parties
Recommends and implements strategies, policies, and programs for attracting and retaining
businesses in Brazos Valley
Builds and maintains positive relationships with local businesses through frequent visits,
outreach, and communication
Coordinates marketing and promotional activities to attract new economic development and
investment
Identifies funding opportunities for economic development projects
Develops and maintains positive relationships with Brazos County and the cities of Bryan and
College Station, members of advisory commissions and committees, business owners, property
owners, developers, lending institutions, and related organizations
Disseminates information on available land, buildings, and expansion and location opportunities
through outreach to interested parties
Job Title: CEO/President
Reports to: Board
Hours: Full-time, occasional evening and weekend work required
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Communicates and coordinates with corporate relations and commercialization units with the
TAMUS components in Brazos County
Prepares an annual budget showing the expected receipts and expenditures of the Corporation
Develop and maintain personnel policies and practices for the Corporation as approved by the
Board of Directors. Select, employ, supervise and discharge employees
Supervise the business affairs of the Corporation
Present to the Board of Directors and any entity which appoints Directors to this Corporation,
periodic reports reflecting the services and financial activities of the Corporation and prepare and
submit any special report as may be required by the Board mentioned above and entities
Attend or have a designee from staff at all meetings of the Board of Directors and any meetings
of the City Councils of Bryan and College Station, Brazos County Commissioner’s Court, and
the Bryan-College Station Chamber of Commerce as may be appropriate
Perform all other duties that may be necessary for the best interest of the Corporation
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities
Excellent writing, listening, presentation and verbal communications skills, including public
speaking to a wide variety of audiences and dealing with people of varying backgrounds and
disciplines
Adept and collaborative President/CEO comfortable with multiple projects, audiences, and
timelines with ability to analyze data, exercise sound judgment and ability to arrive at valid
conclusions
Knowledge of relevant marketing and information dissemination techniques as well as economic
development issues and demonstrated track record of delivering results
Driven and action-oriented individual with the ability to work cohesively with all parties/partners
necessary to close deals and ensure effective implementation
Capacity to design and implement long-range development programs and policies designed to
help raise the competitive profile of Brazos County and coordinate these issues at the local, state
and federal level
Expertise in engaging in public-private partnerships and building solid relationships in economic
development
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History of influencing diverse organizations and stakeholders with both unified planning and
tactical delivery of development results
Proficiency to work collaboratively and build consensus around economic development
initiatives
Minimum Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in business, urban policy, public administration, public relations,
communications, finance, economic development, marketing or a related field
At least ten years professional related economic development experience or successful business
background including supervisory experience. An advanced/professional degree may be
substituted for up to 3 years of experience
Possess a high standard of ethics and ability to function without showing favoritism to any
stakeholder, company, local professional or another service provider that would/could bring into
question the existence of a level playing field
Preferred Qualifications/Certification
IEDC Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) or equivalent certification
Experience working with “twin-cities,” multiple jurisdictions or at a regional economic
development corporation
Experience collaborating with higher education on economic development projects
Knowledge of leading performance based management
SPECIAL QUALIFICATIONS
Computer proficiency in MS Word and MS Excel is required. Thorough knowledge of modern theories,
principles, and practices of economic development is essential. A thorough knowledge of all programs,
the community, its needs, growth potential and resources is vital.
TRAVEL REQUIREMENT
Travel is required.
LANGUAGE AND REASONING SKILLS
Ability to understand written or oral instructions for reading, analyzing and interpreting complex
documents, instruction manuals, policies, and procedures is essential. Excellent communication skills
are required to effectively present information in a one-on-one, small and large group setting. Strong
interpersonal skills are essential to maintaining effective working relationships with a wide variety of
people. The ability to work effectively and efficiently, under stressful conditions, to ensure deadlines are
met is essential. Must have demonstrated, through prior work experience, the ability to identify and
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resolve complex issues and problems in a courteous and professional manner while adhering to an
appropriate policy and procedure.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS
This position requires periods of sustained sitting, standing, and walking and the ability to see, speak
and hear. Work requires physical activity, and occasional light lifting is required. This position also
requires the use of hands and fingers to input data into computer and move materials for special events.
WORKING ENVIRONMENT
This position typically performs work in a well-lit, climate controlled, and adequately ventilated office
environment and requires observance of safe work practices, fire regulations, and avoidance of falls,
trips, and similar office work hazards. Occasionally, outdoor work may be required when attending
special events and functions. RVP has invested in new offices with great 7th floor views in the center of
Bryan/College Station, including first class conference rooms.
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FOR MORE INFORMATION
For more information or to express interest in this opportunity, please contact:
John Lovorn 662.397.1955
Wanda Sullivan 662.401.1337
Research Valley Partnership website: http://www.researchvalley.org/
The PACE Group website: www.thepacegroup.com
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II. Research Valley Partnership
Our Mission: Economic Development
Who We Are The Research Valley Partnership, Inc. is an economic development team serving Brazos County, the City of
Bryan, the City of College Station, and our private sector investors through our Invest Research Valley
program.
The Partnership helps companies launch, grow, and locate in Brazos County, Texas. It is a single point of
contact to the network of private sector and local and state government professionals that support a
company’s project activities. The Partnership has three main work activities:
Competitiveness
Small Business Development
Corporate Relations
The Partnership was established in 1989 and is organized as a Texas economic development public-private,
501(c) (6) not-for-profit corporation funded jointly by the three local governments and approximately 30
private sector investors. Services are provided at no cost to the company and with complete confidentiality.
ImpactLife
The Partnership's ethos is ImpactLife, which is the way the Partnership conducts economic development.
ImpactLife helps to crystalize the ethos and provides a contract for crafting the goals, objectives, and actions
for the Partnership. ImpactLife has the following personalities and emotions:
Courageous - authentic, confident and unafraid to take risks with discipline to be true to purpose in
serving the community;
Compassionate - innate ability to sense the needs of others with heart to selflessly pause to care and
turn inspiration into action;
Connected - vast local, national and international alliances to help ideas converge into innovation and
link to opportunities;
Dynamic - catalyst for change and energetic leadership to compel others to take actions and make a
difference;
Faithful - loyalty, tradition, family, faith and country are extremely important to ImpactLife;
Inclusive - appealing to the “everyman,” conducts actions in a transparent way that is comforting and
respectful to diversity;
Innovative - driven to create inventive ways to solve problems that impact the lives of others; and
Integrity - strong sense of honor and integrity, striving for excellence in all actions and never
compromises high moral standards to accomplish goals.
Guiding Principals
1. The Partnership will possess an entrepreneurial spirit with its constant pursuit to be the model for
cutting-edge economic development;
2. The Partnership will be the leader in advancing the community’s economic development future;
3. The Partnership will always be a community beacon for integrity, cooperation, and trust;
4. The Partnership will be focused, strategic and proactive in its efforts; and
5. The Partnership will take calculated risks, as needed.
In addition, we adhere to the highest professional standards when researching and managing your site
selection needs and will maintain strict confidentiality with all project information.
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The Talent Initiative was begun in 2016 to address the needs of career and technical training to secure a
prepared workforce for current and future growth and employment needs of Brazos County. This
initiative included the gathering of data related to current offerings in the County and how to create
effective and efficient collaborative and coordinated training for students in Brazos County. The goal is
to rapidly increase the career and workforce training in Brazos County. The Committee has
commissioned several data collection efforts to document the current and projected needs for both
sustainable programs and corporate training to enhance the economic development recruiting, retaining,
and expansion needs within Brazos County.
(www.BrazosTalentInitiative.org)
Services
Confidential project management assistance
Technical presentations tailored to your company’s specific location requirements
Information on financial incentives offered by the city, county and state governments
Real estate searches for office and industrial space, as well as development sites
Personalized community tours and site visits
Utility, telecommunication and transportation services and rates
Pertinent information on zoning, permitting and governmental process
Demographics, labor market, and wage information
Access to area training providers and information about available programs
Introduction to established business and industry management
Introduction to banks, law firms, employment agencies, accounting firms and all other business services
Business Retention Expansion (BRE) Services for existing local companies
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III. Community
A. Location Located in the center of the Texas Triangle that is Dallas – Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio, The
Research Valley is a 21st century community that provides access to a highly educated workforce, a low
cost of business environment and a quality of life that makes the Research Valley one of the best places
to launch, grow or locate your business.
The region is an international leader in engineering, agriculture and biomedical innovations through the
presence of world-class infrastructure and expertise within the Texas A&M System, Texas A&M
University and several key state research agencies – all headquartered in the Research Valley, Texas.
Today and in large part because of the region’s urbanization and internationalization, the Research
Valley boasts a quality of place that celebrates the arts and culture, education, commerce, and the
outdoors. The Research Valley is home to two of the best public school districts in the State of Texas,
churches of every faith, world-class restaurants, and commercial districts, and a wonderful parks system.
According to Sperling’s 2010 Best Places Cost of Living, The Research Valley is overall 19% under the
national average within the food, housing, utilities, healthcare, and transportation costs. The Research
Valley is known for its award-winning schools, excellent medical facilities, beautiful neighborhoods,
and an abundance of outdoor activities.
B. Education
1. K-12
The School districts in the Research Valley have earned a reputation for academic excellence and are
gaining a national reputation.
College Station Independent School District
Success each day, each life… each hour.
College Station ISD is one of the fastest-growing districts in Texas. It’s mission, in partnership with the
community, is to provide a quality education that prepares each student to reach their full potential. The
district’s award-winning schools have produced 118 National Merit Semifinalists in the last ten years.
CSISD strives to provide choice within its system, allowing students to focus on career paths relevant to
them, while also equipping them with the necessary skills to succeed at a university, a college, a trade
school, in the military or the workforce.
Bryan Independent School District
Children First, Always – The Bryan Way.
Established in 1880, Bryan ISD has a rich legacy of providing a quality education to its students. BISD
offers one of the largest Advanced Placement programs in Texas, providing an advanced level of
instruction in a challenging setting. Students also have the opportunity to participate in dual enrollment
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courses with Blinn College, acquiring high school and college credit simultaneously. The International
Baccalaureate program offers additional college credit opportunities in a rigorous academic setting. An
Early College High School campus provides students the opportunity to earn up to 60 credits tuition-free
by the time they graduate from high school.
Private Schools
In addition to public school offerings, the Research Valley has numerous private schools options
2. Higher Education The Research Valley is home to Texas A&M University and Blinn College. Together, they fill
employers’ skill needs from technicians to PhDs, and continuously renew the region’s supply of talent.
Texas A&M University System
Headquartered in the Research Valley, the Texas A&M University System is one of the largest systems
of higher education in the nation, with a statewide network of 11 universities, seven state agencies and a
comprehensive health science center. The Texas A&M System educates more than 140,000 students and
makes more than 22 million additional educational contacts through service and outreach programs each
year. System-wide, research and development expenditures exceeded $946 million and are a major
driver of the state’s economy.
Texas A&M University
One of The Research Valleys greatest assets is its world-class learning institution, Texas A&M
University. The University not only ranks among the top ten research institutions in the nation but also
maintains one of the largest student bodies. Texas A&M University was the state’s first public
institution of higher education, and it hasn’t settled for second best. Its 58,000 students are enrolled in
more than 150 courses of study.
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Blinn College
Blinn’s Bryan campus also provides a unique joint collaborative effort with Texas A&M University.
The TEAM program allows students to take courses at both campuses and then transition into full-time
students at A&M. The college offers certificates and associate degrees, but success is also measured by
the number of students who transfer to a four-year institution, which most do before earning their
associates degree. Workforce & Technical Education Programs are available, offering degrees and
certificates in a wide range of areas including nursing, physical therapist assistant, business, information
management, dental hygiene, and fire science – just to name a few.
Community Links
Brazos County http://www.brazoscountytx.gov/
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City of Bryan https://www.bryantx.gov/
City of College Station http://www.cstx.gov/index.aspx?page=1
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BCS Chamber of Commerce http://www.bcschamber.org/
Bryan-College Station Convention and Visitors Bureau https://www.experiencebcs.com/
FOR MORE INFORMATION
For more information or to express interest in this opportunity, please contact:
John Lovorn 662.397.1955
Wanda Sullivan 662.401.1337
Research Valley Partnership website: http://www.researchvalley.org/
The PACE Group website: www.thepacegroup.com
