Jobs Plus (Kootenai County, Idaho economic development agency) again in hunt for new president

Rick Carr surprises agency’s board by leaving after less than a year

Jobs Plus board members will meet this morning to discuss hiring an interim president until they can fill the position permanently.

Becky Kramer
Staff writer

Coeur d’Alene _ Rick Carr is resigning as president of Jobs Plus, after less than a year at the helm of the Kootenai County economic development agency.

Carr’s letter of resignation caught the board of directors by surprise last week, but both sides described the split as amicable.

Carr will remain at Jobs Plus through Aug. 31. He said he doesn’t have another job lined up, but will look into business opportunities in the area.

"I have very much more of an entrepreneurial spirit. I’m used to making most decisions on my own," Carr said in an interview Monday. "When you are managing an organization like Jobs Plus, you are working with a board of (18) community members."

"I think he was a good fit for the job," said Paul Anderson, chairman of the Jobs Plus board, which hired Carr in October 2002. "In order to do that job really effectively, you have to be a salesman, an administrator, finance person, politician and extremely skilled in personal relationships.

"Some of the skills were different than what he had used in the past as a very successful salesperson. I can understand if you were used to turning sales quickly, you might be a little less than thrilled with the timeline … In economic development, a three-year sales cycle is not unusual."

Jobs Plus board members will meet this morning to discuss hiring an interim president until they can fill the position permanently.

"We’ve been through this process recently, and it does take a while to advertise, interview candidates and winnow down the list," Anderson said. The position will be advertised with a salary of $80,000 or more.

Anderson didn’t rule out the possibility of the board asking former president Bob Potter to return on a temporary basis. Potter, a former AT&T executive, was president of Jobs Plus for 15 years until his retirement last year.

Anderson said finding an interim president is critical. Jobs Plus has a number of large projects in the works, including two prospective clients that could bring 120 to 150 new jobs to Kootenai County. Carr would not disclose the companies’ names, but said Jobs Plus expects to make an announcement in the next 30 to 60 days.

Jobs Plus is also working with a local employer to keep it in Kootenai County.

"Retention is every bit as important as recruiting new companies," Anderson said. "We’re seeing some real shrinkage in existing companies. We have a lot on our plate."

During 2003, Carr said Jobs Plus has brought 97 new jobs to the county. He also listed upgrading the office’s technology as one of his achievements during his time on the job. "The systems we were working with were paper-based," he said.

Carr spent 20 years as a salesman in the computer software and high-tech industries before taking the Jobs Plus position. His wife, Jan, owns a clothing boutique on Sherman Avenue in Coeur d’Alene called "One More Thing."

Jobs Plus is a nonprofit organization with an annual budget of about $300,000. The economic development agency receives money from local businesses, cities and Kootenai County.

• Becky Kramer can be reached at (208) 765-7122 or by e-mail at [email protected].

http://www.spokesmanreview.com/news-story.asp?date=080503&ID=s1391082&cat=section.business