June 2024
Idaho Department of Commerce Update
From Jake Reynolds the Business Development and Operations Administrator at the
Department of Commerce.
It’s been a crazy year at Commerce, and we’ve had 3 retirements and several other key
employees poached from different agencies and businesses. That is the hard part about our job
is we’ve been lucky to attract good talent, but that talent is easy to steal! With change always
comes opportunity, and I wish all those that have left the best in their new roles, but it was time
we looked at ways we could be more efficient in our offerings. We looked at the mission and
vision of both our Business Retention and Expansion team, as well as our International
Business team, and found there to be some duplication of efforts and silos. The goals for both
teams was really to help businesses grow and expand, and sometimes we were sending 2-3
different team members out to meet with a business. We’ve actually thrown around this idea for
about 5 years now, and it was just time look into making some changes. With this structure we
can accomplish more and help more businesses and communities. While our Business
Development team is focused primarily on business and industries, we are also creating a Rural
Services team to continue to support all of our rural efforts, including incorporating the Idaho
Rural Partnership into Commerce, which we succeeded at doing this last legislative session.
Our Business Attraction, Development, and Rural Services teams are really the backbone of our
Business Development team, and with more of a coordinated effort we feel like we can be more
strategic and aligned to do more.
In regards to focusing by Industry, we still plan on being a resource and a tool for all Idaho
businesses, but unless you have a focus the mission can sometimes get lost. We’ve actually
spoken to lots of other states on how they are structured, and by focusing on areas that can
have the most immediate impact, we are able to move the dial in the most efficient manner.
We’ve been throwing around the idea of focused industries since 2017, and we just never
figured out how. It’s important to note that industries we focus on can change year by year. The
most important part our job really is to create relationships within these industries, and once
those relationships are established that’s when we can actually step in and help. It should be
our industries and our businesses telling us how to help, not the state saying they need this or
that. We want to listen and be proactive. We might focus on one area for several years and
then pivot to a new industry that we haven’t tapped yet.
Jason Barnes is heading up our Business Attraction team, and we’ve selected Tina Salisbury to
lead our Business Development team, and we are actively recruiting for a Rural Services
Manager. Jason has been with Commerce for almost 6 years and Tina has been with the
Department almost 10.
The Department of Commerce is currently recruiting for a Business Attraction Specialist and a
Rural Services Manager. We recently filled a Management Assistant role on the Business
Development Team. Commerce will likely will plan on hiring several more positions over the
course of this year.
One of our biggest challenges at the Department right now is change. Like I’ve said, we’ve
been fortunate enough to have such great employees who are hard working and care about our
mission. Losing people is always hard, and we are trying to focus on the next chapter for our
agency. Its really exciting and scary at the same time, but we are all vested in making this
happen and we all see the value this can bring. It will be tough at first and I relate where we are
right now as more of an entrepreneurial start up than an agency that has been doing the same
thing for the last 20 years. We are looking at doing a full remodel of our office, and will be doing
a branding refresh this summer on what changes or new ideas we can implement. I’m excited
to see where this will take us over the next year, and we are ready to take this challenge head
on and see it as a real opportunity.
Idaho Department of Commerce Update
From Jake Reynolds the Business Development and Operations Administrator at the
Department of Commerce.
It’s been a crazy year at Commerce, and we’ve had 3 retirements and several other key
employees poached from different agencies and businesses. That is the hard part about our job
is we’ve been lucky to attract good talent, but that talent is easy to steal! With change always
comes opportunity, and I wish all those that have left the best in their new roles, but it was time
we looked at ways we could be more efficient in our offerings. We looked at the mission and
vision of both our Business Retention and Expansion team, as well as our International
Business team, and found there to be some duplication of efforts and silos. The goals for both
teams was really to help businesses grow and expand, and sometimes we were sending 2-3
different team members out to meet with a business. We’ve actually thrown around this idea for
about 5 years now, and it was just time look into making some changes. With this structure we
can accomplish more and help more businesses and communities. While our Business
Development team is focused primarily on business and industries, we are also creating a Rural
Services team to continue to support all of our rural efforts, including incorporating the Idaho
Rural Partnership into Commerce, which we succeeded at doing this last legislative session.
Our Business Attraction, Development, and Rural Services teams are really the backbone of our
Business Development team, and with more of a coordinated effort we feel like we can be more
strategic and aligned to do more.
In regards to focusing by Industry, we still plan on being a resource and a tool for all Idaho
businesses, but unless you have a focus the mission can sometimes get lost. We’ve actually
spoken to lots of other states on how they are structured, and by focusing on areas that can
have the most immediate impact, we are able to move the dial in the most efficient manner.
We’ve been throwing around the idea of focused industries since 2017, and we just never
figured out how. It’s important to note that industries we focus on can change year by year. The
most important part our job really is to create relationships within these industries, and once
those relationships are established that’s when we can actually step in and help. It should be
our industries and our businesses telling us how to help, not the state saying they need this or
that. We want to listen and be proactive. We might focus on one area for several years and
then pivot to a new industry that we haven’t tapped yet.
Jason Barnes is heading up our Business Attraction team, and we’ve selected Tina Salisbury to
lead our Business Development team, and we are actively recruiting for a Rural Services
Manager. Jason has been with Commerce for almost 6 years and Tina has been with the
Department almost 10.
The Department of Commerce is currently recruiting for a Business Attraction Specialist and a
Rural Services Manager. We recently filled a Management Assistant role on the Business
Development Team. Commerce will likely will plan on hiring several more positions over the
course of this year.
One of our biggest challenges at the Department right now is change. Like I’ve said, we’ve
been fortunate enough to have such great employees who are hard working and care about our
mission. Losing people is always hard, and we are trying to focus on the next chapter for our
agency. Its really exciting and scary at the same time, but we are all vested in making this
happen and we all see the value this can bring. It will be tough at first and I relate where we are
right now as more of an entrepreneurial start up than an agency that has been doing the same
thing for the last 20 years. We are looking at doing a full remodel of our office, and will be doing
a branding refresh this summer on what changes or new ideas we can implement. I’m excited
to see where this will take us over the next year, and we are ready to take this challenge head
on and see it as a real opportunity.