“Those who are ready, win.”
It’s been a longstanding motto in this field. Sometimes it doesn’t fully land until opportunity knocks – and you either grab it by the tail or let it pass.
Those who are ready grab it by the tail.
And they win.
In recent months, our team has invested heavily in planning, project development, and grant writing. We’ve taken solid shots and celebrated wins across housing, workforce, rural grocery, The Reyleck, and a range of community development efforts.
As we look toward the 2027 legislative session – and beyond – we’re asking: What does being “ready” actually look like?
What Readiness Looks Like
Vet ideas locally and build support.
What does your community need, want, and dream about – and what will it truly get behind? Identify a core team and roles. Seek consensus where possible. Stay open and flexible as ideas emerge and evolve.
Learn from those who’ve done it.
Public projects come with generous storytellers. How did they approach their project, build support, assemble partners, and pay for it? What hurdles and lessons stand out? Consider site visits with a learning agenda.
Turn ideas into plans.
Define the project. That may mean engaging an engineer or architect, obtaining cost estimates, or identifying a site and ownership model. Sketch a funding plan but don’t let funding stall momentum. Strong ideas with clear plans tend to attract investment. Keep asking, “How might we?”
Plan for operations, not just construction.
Building can be the easy part. Who will operate the project, under what governance, and with which revenue streams to sustain it long-term?
Engage the public early and often.
For largescale projects, consistent and transparent communication builds trust. Use social media, websites, public meetings, and written updates. Identify a project spokesperson a clear, friendly, credible “go-to” for media inquiries, public questions, and social posts. This advocate keeps messaging accurate and responsive throughout the project.
Have a plan on the shelf.
As Dennis Markusen, Vice Chair of the Walsh County JDA and former County Highway Director, says: “Always have a bridge on the shelf.” Keep one or two projects ready to move. Sometimes the phone rings with an unexpected opportunity or dollars become available – being shovel-ready matters.
Identify the partners.
Who needs to be at the table – locally and beyond? Who can contribute expertise, resources, funding, or visibility? Each partner adds networks and experience, including lessons learned from similar projects.
Find the money.
Investment often starts local. Those dollars leverage external funds. Many projects braid multiple sources – grants, debt, taxes, philanthropy – each with its own requirements. Each approval builds momentum and signals credibility to the next funder.
Determine a realistic timeline.
What’s the ideal path? Does the project benefit from phasing? Where can you build flexibility? For building projects, remember the short construction season.
Fortitude – the final element of readiness.
Public projects require fortitude. Even strong, well-vetted plans face public doubt, regulatory hurdles, cost shifts, and longer-than-hoped timelines. Readiness isn’t only a plan—it’s the resolve to stay the course. Fortitude means listening and adapting without losing sight of the vision, communicating clearly when questions arise, and continuing forward when progress feels slow. Communities that succeed aren’t the ones without obstacles; they’re the ones with the determination to work through them.
No matter the project, ideas tend to follow this path.
And that brings us back to where we started.
Readiness is built through planning, partnerships, and preparation – and it’s sustained through fortitude. When opportunity knocks, those who are truly ready don’t hesitate or retreat when it gets hard. They persist. They adapt. They grab opportunity by the tail.
Those who are ready – and have the fortitude to see it through – win.
Call to Action
Are you ready? If your community has an idea worth pursuing – or a project that needs to move to the next stage – connect with us. Let’s build readiness, identify opportunities, and position your project to succeed when the time comes.
