A panel of experts brought a message of teamwork, positivity and perspective in economic-development efforts to a community forum Thursday night, and the audience seemed to like what it heard.

In hopes of creating a more public dialogue, Greater Jobs Inc. held a forum at Riverland Community College with panelists from both the city and the state who answered questions on economic growth.

&uot;Economic development is a very hot topic here in Albert Lea right now. Our goal here is to create an open discussion in the community about just that,&uot; said Brad Arends, president of Greater Jobs. He emphasized the importance of public involvement in economic development as he introduced the discussion.

Arends proposed a unified community effort, saying, &uot;Tonight we must band together as ‘Team Albert Lea.’&uot;

The meeting was loosely focused on the failed Ford Motor Company bid.

An audience of almost 100 was asked to give input, ask questions and make comments on the issues of economic development that the city has faced and will face in the future.

The panel consisted of Mayor Bob Haukoos; City Manager Paul Sparks; Executive Vice President of Economic Development for Greater Jobs Pam Bishop; Rep. Dan Dorman, R-Albert Lea; Mark Lofthus, the director of marketing and business development for the Minnesota Department of Trade and Economic Development (DTED); and Dentley Haugesag, the regional representative for the DTED for Southeastern Minnesota.

Many members of the audience showed appreciation for the efforts of the city, Greater Jobs and others in the presentation and proposal given to Ford.

There was much discussion about the need for better recruitment tools such as lower taxes, greater economic incentives and quality-of-life improvements.

One thing many audience members wanted to know more about was the possibilities for tax-increment financing (TIF) districts.

Dorman said he’d work on making border zones with more competitive taxes that would include Albert Lea, so the city can better compete with Iowa.

Sparks answered by saying that the city is limited in what it can do for economic development. While it can provide help with TIF districts, sites, buildings and loans, it can’t actually give money for a business. It is limited to capital improvements.

Sparks, along with Lofthus and Haugesag, emphasized that the most important economic growth is &uot;organic,&uot; or local.

&uot;If your whole economic development is based on (outside companies coming in) it’s like waiting for lightning to strike,&uot; Haugesag said, emphasizing that 80 to 90 percent of economic development happens &uot;organically.&uot;

Pam Bishop emphasized that Greater Jobs has focused on &uot;organic&uot; growth in its 60-year history. She pointed to the relatively new job incubator that is home to three fledgling companies.

The issue of venture capital was also brought up. Some said it is important for a community to have that option for up and coming companies, but Haugesag warned that having a group of investors does not always guarantee an outside business will be interested in coming to your town.

Instead he said that making efforts for local growth should be the most important thing, and getting input from local business owners on how they might grow is very important for that, he said.

The biggest emphasis for the night was put on making the community positive.

Don Sorenson, owner of two &uot;Don’L&uot; restaurants, said that the town of Albert Lea isn’t always positive about itself.

&uot;This is one hell of a negative town,&uot; Sorenson said. &uot;We’ve got to do something about changing the attitude of the community.&uot;

Sorenson said he has seen many investors and representatives of companies interested in Albert Lea come through his restaurants and they ask his customers and staff what they think of the town. He said with the generally negative attitude of many citizens, that many companies probably get turned off before the city knows it.

Haugesag said many CEOs and other company representatives can be turned away from a city from just small conversations with community people, which have seemingly little to do with their project.

Mayor-elect Jean Eaton said she would like to start a communications task force which would focus on positivity for Albert Lea.

The crowd reacted to the panel positively and applauded on occasion for the efforts of the city, Greater Jobs and the community.

Jim Davis, a relatively new member of the Albert Lea community, said he thinks the city has a lot to offer, but feels they might be too shy about their assets.

&uot;I went to the Chamber of Commerce banquet right when I moved into town,&uot; he said. &uot;When they started bragging about all their successes through the year, the tone almost became apologetic. I don’t think anyone should be apologizing for their success.&uot;

Davis said the community should be unabashedly proud of the city and its assets because it has a lot of great things to offer.

Ralph Olson, former President of Greater Jobs, closed the discussion.

&uot;I have a lot of pride in this community,&uot; he said. &uot;It’s important we speak well of it because we never know who is listening. I’d encourage all of you to get involved in the discussions in and about the community.&uot;

Olson also asked that disagreements end at the time of their settlement. &uot;When an organization or a person makes a decision, when the community comes to some sort of consensus, it is important that people accept those decisions. There is nothing positive about holding grudges; if you lose you lose. Let’s move forward from these things as a community.&uot;