Aug. 15--Economic development isn't just about industry and incentives any more.

Instead, Eau Claire city officials increasingly are focused on making the city a destination that offers quality-of-life amenities as part of efforts to boost the local economy.

Members of the city Economic Policy Advisory Committee discussed the tie between making Eau Claire an attractive place to live and the city's ability to lure more high-pay jobs during a recent meeting at which the committee began to outline future economic development goals.

"Economic development should really focus on giving Eau Claire a sense of place," committee member Thomas Kemp said. "We need to make investments in public infrastructure in a way that attracts businesses."

That idea has gained traction during the past couple of years as city officials have continued to sell Eau Claire's strong points, ranging from its family friendly atmosphere to its strong education sector, in an effort to boost worker wages that rank low compared with many other similar-size Midwestern cities.

City Council members have noted the importance of investing in projects such as parks and bike trails which make Eau Claire a nicer place to live -- and a more attractive place for businesses to locate employees.

Those efforts appear to have paid off recently. Last month Genesis10, a New York-based technology consulting firm, announced plans to hire 40 high-pay jobs and the company could create as many as 150 employees during the next three years.

RAI Stone Group, a business consulting company, also announced plans to add as many as 50 jobs during that time period. Both companies noted the importance of the amenities that Eau Claire offers in deciding to locate here, city Economic Administrator Mike Schatz said.

Councilman Brandon Buchanan has spoken frequently about the need for the city to expand its view of economic development to include items like the city bus system because it adds to quality of life.

"Things like a strong transit system and nice parks not only make our city a better place to live, but they make us more attractive to companies looking for a place to locate," he said.

Coming up with money for some of those amenities will prove difficult as the city struggles with continued budget woes. The city faces a projected shortfall of at least $1.5 million next year and larger deficits in following years.

But investing in those items must be a priority if the city is to continue to attract businesses and talented employees, Kemp said.

"A lot of people when they think economic development, they think of the old way of doing it. But economic development today is about more than that," he said.

Emerson can be reached at 830-5911 or julian.emerson@ecpc.com.

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