The two highlighted a busy schedule at the 16th annual conference Wednesday, Oct. 28, at Delaware Technical & Community College in Georgetown.

When Levin took office, he said, there was one person devoted to tourism on a full-time basis. Now there are six full-time people working on tourism. “This one is low-hanging fruit,” he said. “We have got to sell ourselves.”

He said for years, everything at the state level was tilted north. “We have to balance the state,” he said.

O’Mara said it’s time to get back to basics at DNREC – to protect the air, water and land and provide the best recreational opportunities possible. “The challenge is that DNREC is scattered and overlapped. We are not clear about expectations in all divisions.”
O’Mara, a native of Syracuse, N.Y., came to the state from San Jose, Calif., where he was the city’s clean-tech strategist.

He said there hasn’t been a facelift at DNREC since it was formed in 1971.

He used Peanuts to describe the agency. He said DNREC is Lucy pulling the football away from people at the last minute when they thought everything was in order. “We can do a better job,” he said.

He is a strong proponent of one-stop permitting at the local and state level.

“My job is to set the bar and hold those accountable for achieving it,” he said. “There is a mind-set shift based on performance standards.”

O’Mara said it’s possible to have economic growth and protect the environment at the same time in the age of green technology.

“The vision I share with you is one of the largest drivers in the economy is the environment,” he said.

He said the green economy needs to spread throughout the entire economy to help companies reduce energy costs and become more competitive. “Attracting new companies is only part of the equation,” he said.

He talked about companies in Sussex County like Flexera and Miller Metals that are on the cutting edge of green technology. “If we are smart, there are opportunities,” he said. “Delaware is in a unique position to be a leader in this area.”

Levin, former president and CEO of the Happy Harry’s drugstore chain, said business, not the government, would lead the economic recovery. He said one of the main goals of DEDO is to support existing businesses. “If we take care of our own and make the state strong, it will be more attractive to new businesses,” he said.

Levin cited two Sussex County businesses, Miller Metals in Bridgeville and Miken Builders in Millville, as recent examples of businesses taking advantage of DEDO training grants.

Levin said removing barriers for businesses is another of his goals. “The most efficient role government plays in economic development is where business thrives, not just survives,” he said.

He would also like to see local contractors get state bids when legally possible.

“Those who pay in should get first treatment,” he said, drawing scattered applause.

“We have to look forward, not backward,” he said. “It’s better today than yesterday, but we still have miles to go. We have to work together. It’s not you. We have got to get our house in order first,” Levin said.

Other conference speakers included Patti Grimes, vice president of the Freeman Foundation and chairwoman of the Sussex Economic Development Action Team; Julie Wheatley, county economic development director; Ed Simon, of the Delaware Economic Development Office; Rodger Levenson, executive vice president of WSFS; and Michael Cummings, president of Miken Builders Inc.