Some of the brightest young minds in business will be taking a hard look at North Bay to determine if it’s on the right path to prosperity.
Kevin Hutchison, a North Bay financial advisor and Baylor University MBA graduate, successfully pitched to his Texas alma mater, and its highly-accredited business school, that his hometown should be the subject of a research project to identify strategic priorities for economic development.
Hutchison and his brother Timothy both participated in Baylor’s Focus Firm program that gives MBA students some eye-opening real-world consulting experience working with major Fortune 500 companies.
This is the first time Baylor has chosen a municipality for the program. As many as 30 Baylor students and their faculty advisors will be involved in the project, which began in early September.
“It’s a real feather in our cap,” said Hutchison, who will be the point man on the North Bay project.
Baylor students have started gathering data on the city and launched an online survey to invite North Bay residents to have their say if the city is missing the mark on key opportunities.
“It gives everybody a voice,” Hutchison said, “anybody who wants to share their opinion on how the city should look, feel and act.”
A small group of students were scheduled to arrive in North Bay later in the month to interview more than 100 individuals from large corporations, not-for-profits, educational institutions, and First Nations.
Baylor is picking up the tab for the eight-month study, although the city will likely contribute some incidental expenses for the students.
“It’s virtually negligible for what I think is a seven-figure plus project,” said Hutchison.
In their final presentation next spring, they’ll pinpoint what industries the city should be active in, where investment dollars should flow, what industries they should be trying to attract, and address the larger questions of: “Who do we want to be? What is our image and identity, and what firms do we want to attract?”
“I’m confident they’ll be able to raise a few eyebrows with the insight that they bring.”
