ABOUT US


In October 2005, area officials came together to undertake a comprehensive planning effort that allowed citizens, elected leaders and business owners to identify key issues to address so that continued improvements could be made in the Wiregrass area. The final result was The ENVISION Community Strategic Plan, bringing together the Wiregrass Foundation, Dothan Area Chamber Foundation, City of Dothan, Houston County and the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce as significant partners.

 

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The Wiregrass Foundation, responding to a request from the Chamber Foundation, retained the services of Market Street Service Inc., a nationally recognized, Atlanta-based economic, community and workforce development firm, to conduct the Strategic Plan. Market Street developed the plan through:

  1. Competitive Assessment – Extensive quantitative and qualitative analyses was conducted to access the Wiregrass region in four primary components of business climate:  education and workforce development, infrastructure, business costs and quality of life. The Wiregrass region was compared to three benchmark communities; and

  2. Community Input - Feedback was received via an online and paper survey, focus groups and interviews to identify key issues of local concern.
Once completed, the Strategic Plan identified the key issues to address and outlined specific, detailed goals, objectives and action steps for the community to take in order to achieve its ideal future.

An ENVISION Steering Committee was assembled to play the role of overseer. And as a contributor, the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce agreed to serve as the implementation facility for the ENVISION initiative by providing office and staff support for the project.

With the Community Strategic Plan in place, the ENVISION Steering Committee and its volunteers were excited to begin the implementation phase of ENVISION. In May 2006, Dr. Thomas Harrison joined the Chamber as the executive director and also to serve as the coordinator for the ENVISION Strategic Plan. The next step was to take the four goals identified in the plan and establish coordinating task forces, and identify chairs to lead those forces:
    1.
    P-16+ Education Task Force
    Chair - Robert Boyle, Michelin North America, Inc.
     
    GOAL:    		  

    D    evelop a quality, seamless P-16+ education structure for the Dothan City School System, Wallace Community College, Enterprise-Ozark Community College and Troy University Dothan that reflects special attention to workforce development.

     

    2. Grow the Economy Task Force
    Chair - Dr. Barbara Alford, In Sight Solutions, LLC
     
    GOAL:    		  
    Grow the economy of Dothan and the Wiregrass region (City of Dothan, Houston, Geneva, Henry, Dale and Coffee counties).

     

    3. Effective Regionalism Task Force
    Chair – Michael D. Schmitz, Mike Schmitz Automotive Group
     
    GOAL:    		  
    Pursue effective regionalism (Wiregrass region, Southwest Georgia and Northwest Florida).

     

    4. Quality of Life Task Force
    Chair – Dr. Joseph L. Johnson, Evergreen Presbyterian Church

    GOAL:    		  

    Enhance Dothan and the Wiregrass region’s quality of life (City of Dothan, Houston, Geneva, Henry, Dale and Coffee counties).

    How does ENVISION affect YOU? As the economic and cultural center of Southeast Alabama and parts of Georgia and Florida, the Wiregrass region is a growing community. With an economic history in agriculture and peanut farming, the Wiregrass region has since become a hub for retail, healthcare and other business activity. With growth and change comes the task of managing and preparing for these changes. YOU are needed to ensure that the region’s economy continues to prosper and that our community continues to flourish.

    As a stakeholder, YOU must also stay abreast of the changes and the action steps being taken to ensure that the Wiregrass region continues to be a special place for all of us. There are several avenues that YOU can take to stay informed of the progress: (1) this ENVISION web site; (2) the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce’s monthly newsletter, Chamber Connections, at www.dothan.com; and (3) most importantly, is YOUR involvement as a community volunteer.

    Take some time to browse the ENVISION web site and visit often for up-to-date information. If you would like additional information on the ENVISION Community Strategic Plan or how you can become involved, visit the Contact Us section or contact the ENVISION staff at (334) 792-5138.

    Together as a team, we can ensure the growth of our economy and community. Welcome to ENVISION! Join us in creating meaningful change in our community.

     
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