Objective: Consolidate, intensify and simplify firm's ability to access regional economic development efforts.

Focus: A One-Stop Shop will be established to provide an innovative, supportive and cooperative information source offering quality assistance to existing businesses throughout the region on their formation and expansion plans, in addition to supporting business attraction.

Activities: Establish a single information source to handle all inquiries and challenges of businesses formation, expansion and attraction across the region.

• Achieve Recognition and Public Presence: This service should be recognized by all governmental bodies, economic development agencies and private organizations in this region as the central source for information concerning the region and industry retention, expansion and attraction. Establish a central presence, though one physical location is not necessarily the ultimate objective. Enlist government and private enterprises in promoting the Center.
• Power to Negotiate: This service should have the authority on behalf of all governmental sub-units across the community to negotiate incentives, zoning and permitting issues.
• Eliminate Cross-Region Inconsistencies: A priority of this service should be to manage and administer development of a uniform or harmonized permitting process and incentive program, effective in all locations of the region. There are currently 25 jurisdictions within Kalamazoo County alone with their own permitting requirements.
• Create Feedback System: The One-Stop Shop must, by its very nature, continually evolve to fit the needs of the region. Establish an efficient mechanism for providing communication between the center and the local business firms to which it should ultimately answer.
• Cooperate with "Training/Retaining Qualified Employees" Flagship: Through an ongoing relationship with the employee development initiative, the One-Stop Shop can help reverse the current decline of qualified workers.
• Obtain Funding, Staffing, and Regional Representation: This organization's activities should be funded with a mix of public and private funds, staffed with qualified individuals, and involve representation from public institutions and the private sector throughout the region. It can coordinate and leverage financial resources and programs from across the region and state as appropriate.
• Research and Analyze One-Stop Shop Models: The development of this One-Stop Shop should be based on an assessment of the practice and experience of similar organizations from several other communities in the nation. The results will determine whether a formal cross-regional organization is required in contrast to a more "virtual" network that coordinates and manages services of others.