Digital growth a priority for SCCDC

There has been a shift of innovation as the world’s economy continuously moves toward a more digital direction, leading to a number of untapped opportunities for rural communities. Reimagining traditional boundaries within local businesses and organizations while continuing to create connections between opportunity and people is part of the mission for Ray Brown, executive director of Sanders County Community Development Corporation (SCCDC). In doing so, he has set out in his endeavor to create a digital economy that he says will lead to higher paying jobs within the county.

Brown describes a digital economy as a different avenue to create wealth, which can be in the form of working from home or even a collaboration from an office space. “There are ample opportunities for people to earn a living here,” Brown said. He delved into research on what other rural communities have done to build their own digital economies.

While there are opportunities here, Brown says those opportunities are generally in the trades. “What can we do to create opportunities for people who live here, who don’t want to work in the trades? What kind of opportunities are there for the people right now,” he asked. “That’s the premise of all of this.”

Brown says all roads led to the Center on Rural Innovation (CORI), an organization that works to advance the economic future of a community by creating a thriving digital economy. After a discussion with Leah Taylor, head of Digital Economic Development for CORI, Brown was told the scope of what the organization does was too vast for the small town of Thompson Falls.

Because of his commitment to the community, a conversation allowed Brown to discuss the beauty of the area, the current opportunities and resources in the county and his background in information technology. The organization took Brown’s dedication to his work and hopped on board, saying they knew they had a champion that would help Sanders County create a digital economy. Part of CORI’s agreement to help a rural community succeed in moving their economy forward digitally is knowing they will have a local representative who believes in the process and will see it through.

Along with the support of SCCDC board members, Brown said he is also looking for support from community members and businesses in Sanders County. “Part of the conversation is getting people in the room who have an interest in this kind of economy,” he said. “We can get a feel for what is lacking and what they would like to see change.”

The SCCDC board has agreed to commit to phase one of CORI’s three phase process in determining the next steps in creating a digital economy for the Sanders County community. Phase one, Brown says, is the assessment phase. “In creating the assessment, you identify what you have, what you can do and what the potential results could be,” he said.

Brown said the idea to build a digital economy all started when Blackfoot Communications began installing fiber optics in the area. Access to broadband is a necessity to move forward, he said. Brown expressed that not only does SCCDC want to encourage and facilitate a thriving economy, but they also want to have the ability to diversify the types of economy available to their constituents.

Brown also said these opportunities that will be created from a digital economy are for those in the county and this will not create an environment for outsiders to come in. “We’re not looking to change the landscape of the community and we’re not trying to create imports for digital nomads or short-term residents,” he stated. “We want to create opportunities for those who are here and create better opportunities for the people who want to stay here. Especially for students who are graduating and want to stay here.”

While the project is still in the early stages of development, Brown is focusing his efforts on creating a bigger outreach for interested stakeholders who want to be part of the conversation. To help take part in creating a digital economy for Sanders County, email Brown at [email protected].