Wasilla gets new planner

Sept. 17, 2006

By MARY AMES

Frontiersman

WASILLA - Casey Reynolds has been on the job as Wasilla's new economic development planner almost two weeks, and he's glad to be back in Alaska.

Reynolds' first challenge is to attract white-collar jobs from Anchorage to Wasilla, he said.

While there are plenty of retail jobs, encouraging computer consulting and engineering firms to move to Wasilla would add jobs that pay more.

&#8220Some firms don't need to be in Anchorage, just in the area,” Reynolds said. &#8220Retail is good, but we'd like to quickly start attracting firms that pay higher wages.”

The lower property taxes in Wasilla might help firms attract and retain employees, he said.

Reynolds received his degrees in political science and economics from the University of Alaska Anchorage, where he completed internships with the Anchorage Economic Development Corporation and the World Trade Center Alaska, according to a press release from the city of Wasilla.

After graduation, Reynolds worked for the Legislature as a policy aide in the Office of International Trade. From there, he spent two years with the AmeriCorps VISTA program in Kenai.

As the economic development director for the city of Kenai, Reynolds helped redevelop an old fish cannery into the Kenai Landing tourist destination and business promenade, and created a business attraction partnership between the city and its Chamber of Commerce, according to the release.

During his second year, Reynolds served as an economic development specialist for the Kenai Peninsula Economic Development District, completed 11 community economic development plans, held an areawide economic development conference and helped locate new businesses in the EDD's business incubator, he said.

&#8220VISTA was obviously a good way to get a foot in the door,” he said. &#8220It's also an excellent way to get a career started, to get that second job after college.”

Before moving to Wasilla, Reynolds spent two years in southern Illinois, working as the business development manager for the city of Centralia. It was a very different environment than Reynolds was used to.

&#8220I missed uneven ground,” he said.

&#8220It was so flat there, you could see the curvature of the Earth. I felt the opposite of claustrophobia.”

Reynolds said the attitude toward economic development there was very different than what he's seen in Wasilla.

&#8220The overall atmosphere of economic development was very cutthroat between neighboring communities,” he said.

&#8220They'd go to the edge of ethics because they were old industrial communities competing for a decreased piece of the pie. Back here, it's much more centered.”

Reynolds hadn't seen Wasilla for at least a couple of years before he took on his new job, but he wasn't surprised at the growth of the city.

&#8220Everybody in the state knows about it,” he said. &#8220It's interesting to see. I'm excited to work here.”

Another pleasant surprise for Reynolds was how engaged the city council is in economic development from a policy standpoint.

The council understands the idea of crafting the community's economy in the long term, he said.

Contact Mary Ames at

352-2284 or mary.ames@

frontiersman.com.