Our Mission
– By #MillerSD
At our most recent Strategic Planning event, On Hand Development took a deeper dive into our mission statement. The mission of On Hand Development Corporation is to maintain and assist in the expansion of existing businesses and support the growth of new businesses while striving to improve the economy of the Miller area. On Hand Development Corporation was created in 1987 by a group of citizens to help keep the Hand County area vital and growing. We have been "on hand" and working toward that goal ever since. We also haven’t changed one word in our mission statement in 34 years.
A mission statement is a short statement of why an organization exists, what its overall goal is, identifying the goal of its operations: what kind of product or service it provides, its primary customers or market, and its geographical region of operation. It may include a short statement of such fundamental matters as the organization's values or philosophies, a business's main competitive advantages, or a desired future state—the "vision.”
In our work, everything we do refers back to our mission statement. When someone brings us an idea or a project, the first thing we do is make sure it meets our vision and values. We don’t take on projects or ideas to benefit one person, one business, or even our own organization. We take on projects that maintain and assist in the expansion of existing businesses and support the growth of new businesses while striving to improve the economy of the Miller area.
This last week, we had our monthly board meeting. One of the agenda items was our mission statement. We started by reading ours and looking at changing a word or two. The board then decided to table the discussion so that they could really put sometime into the words for our mission. This made me so proud. For volunteers to take the time to think about a mission statement is a big deal. This showed me that they truly take their responsibility of being a board member seriously.
There has been a lot of coffee talk over the years about On Hand and what we do and why we do it. A lot of people don’t take the time to visit with our board or staff about what we do but instead chat at coffee about what they think we do. I encourage everyone that is wondering, take a look at our mission statement and give us a call. Put the time into a conversation with facts before just assuming. Our volunteer board puts in the time to do the work, so you should put the time into the facts. You will be surprised in what you learn.
Our mission statement hasn’t changed in 34 years but economic development sure has. We need a mission statement to match the good work that we do every day. I am so proud of the great work that my board is behind, the great work that the past board members have done, and the great work that is yet to come. Stay tuned for a new mission statement for On Hand. We hope you take the time to read it so that you can better understand what we do and why we do it.
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