InspiringEngagementofPrivateSectorPartners

Smart Columbus has a hypothesis that we can influence the way our community moves by influencing the way our community gets to work. We’re working to increase electric vehicle (EV) adoption in the seven-county region by nearly 5X and also to decrease single occupant vehicle (SOV) commutes to major workplaces by 10 percent. The Smart Columbus Acceleration Partners Program is a forum for engaging the local private sector to help Smart Columbus achieve these goals. It also serves as a platform for the private sector to support smart mobility projects where they have expertise or particular relevance.

The following materials were shared in a kickoff meeting with more than 30 private sector organizations that first enrolled in the Acceleration Partners program. The program sought to provide insight on where the future in mobility is heading, introduce partners to the goals of Smart Columbus and provide insight on how to engage employees to drive electric and drive less, to support those goals. 

We found the format for the meeting provided a balance of inspiration and empowerment. Topics and speakers included:

• A visionary: Someone who could fire up and inspire people to think about the long term social and business benefits of partnering with our organization. Smart Columbus picked author and journalist Greg Lindsay, a well-known champion of globalization, innovation and the future of mobility. 
• Practitioners in the field: We tapped Ben Prochazka, director of strategic initiatives for the Electrification Coalition, to talk specifics about the benefits of electric vehicles and successful EV adoption programs from across the country. Sohier Hall, CEO of Luum, discussed tools organizations can use to measure efforts to reduce single occupant vehicle commutes.
• Time for a comprehensive overview: Smart Columbus staff were on hand to walk our partners through the goals and commitments involved with the Acceleration Partners program. 

Featured here are the materials given to partners during the program’s kickoff retreat.

Kick-Off Agenda

Kickoff Presentation
The conversation about the Acceleration Partners Program Kickoff included discussion of:

• Smart Columbus’ goals for the future
• Changes Smart Columbus is working to inspire
• Engagement from the private sector
• Acceleration Partner goals and expectations

Partner Profile
This template profile provided an easy way for Acceleration Partners to keep track of the goals and expectations involved with their commitment to the Acceleration Partners program. The profile helped Smart Columbus begin capturing baseline data and contact information about companies participating in the program.