Allison Ford McKenzie has been named the executive director of the North Santiam Canyon Economic Development Corporation, NSCEDC.
A non-profit corporation, NSCEDC was founded in 1996 to promote the economic, social and educational environment of the North Santiam communities.
Building a diverse local economy through small business development and support is its current area of focus.
Mike Medley, newly elected board chair for NSCEDC and program manager of GROW North Santiam, said hiring McKenzie as executive director is a critical step toward ensuring programs are focused and effective.
At a time when so many people are suffering from the recession, it is more important than ever that organizations like NSCEDC remain strong and healthy, Medley said.
“With Allison’s leadership and the recent expansion of our board of directors, we are confident that we are headed in the right direction and can continue to make a difference in the economic health of our area,” Medley said.
Hiring McKenzie’s also keeps with NSCEDC’s commitment to fine-tune its focus on local small business development and job creation.
McKenzie brings more than 22 years of experience in business development consulting, writing, lecturing and investment sales and management to the position. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Whitman College and a masters in management from Keuka College.
Early this year, Nancy Hendricks of Fresh to You Produce in Stayton, Sue Nichols of Travel Salem, and John McGinn of AllProWebworks in Aumsville joined the NSCEDC board.
“Nancy, Sue and John strengthen our board by bringing more financial and marketing expertise to the organization, as well as experience as small business owners” Medley said. “Adding these members from our expanded service area also helps us improve operations and connect more closely with the people we serve.”
Growing up in Snohomish, Wash., McKenzie isn’t a stranger to small town life or the challenges of building a diverse economy in rural areas.
“When our local mills got into financial trouble when I was growing up, I witnessed first hand the deterioration of my own hometown,” McKenzie said.
Her experiences living in a timber town inspired her graduate research work on communities that have reinvented themselves after years of economic decline.
McKenzie is pleased with the direction the NSCEDC is heading by focusing its efforts on grass roots business development programs, which will create the foundation for renewed prosperity in the area.
“Our programs are centered on local people helping local people, and it is a pleasure to see how these collaborative efforts are bringing optimism and a growing economic vitality to this distressed region,” McKenzie said.
McKenzie and her 50-member resource board, a cross-community think tank that meets once a month to brainstorm for small business owners, have worked with more than 170 clients since GROW North Santiam was launched in October 2008.
GROW is a bottom-up, client-driven free and confidential business consulting service available to entrepreneurs from Aumsville to Idanha who want to open, expand or improve a business.
For information about the NSCEDC or GROW North Santiam, contact McKenzie at 503-871-5188 or at allison@growsantiam.org.
