Otter plans business summit in August 

Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter said he would convene a business summit next month that will produce an “operating manual” to revive Idaho’s economy.

Otter told the Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce July 28 that members of his cabinet would meet with representatives from eight industry groups on Aug. 31 and create an “action plan” to boost business in the state.

The governor said Idaho is still struggling through the recession and noted that the state ended the fiscal year on June 30 with revenues $92.8 million below estimates. He said the state could face a shortfall of as much as $270 million this fiscal year, on top of $380 million in cuts last year.

Still, he repeated his pledge to grow Idaho’s economy from $52.5 billion to $60 billion.

“Yeah, we’ve got problems, and we’ve faced them before,” he said.

He recalled his days as an executive at the J.R. Simplot Co., when the agribusiness giant faced its first-ever year of losses in 1984. He said the company grew its way out of the problem by harvesting a healthier beef product, finding new markets for its potatoes and changing the way it made fertilizer.

“We knew that when all was said and done, the best helping hand was at the end of our sleeve,” he said.

The governor noted that the Idaho Innovation Council, which he created last year, will meet in September for some brainstorming. He said the group represents the next generation of business leaders that is creating advancements in areas like painkillers, computer chips and robotic-operated manufacturing.

Otter also said the state is stepping up efforts to boost international trade through its outposts in Guadalajara, Mexico, and Taipei, Taiwan, and pushing ahead to bring an EB-5 Center to the state to attract wealthy foreign investors, who can “buy” the right to become U.S. citizens by creating new businesses.

He highlighted the reopening of the Osprey Meadows golf course at Tamarack last weekend and vowed that the beleaguered ski resort would reopen.

“We’ve got several projects that are ‘this close,’” he said.

NEW! Online only subscription. 24/7 access to premium online subscriber content for only $79.00 a year!
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP TODAY!

Comments are closed.