I, Steve Cowper, Governor of the State of Alaska, have determined that the best interests of the people of Alaska are served by coordination of business and economic development information services available from State government's various departments and agencies.

State agencies receive inquiries from potential investors and businesses contemplating operations in Alaska on a daily basis. Unfortunately, these calls do not go to a central information source, and, depending upon the nature and extent of the inquiry, callers are too often shuffled from one agency to another in an attempt to get answers that satisfy corporate boardrooms. This telephone shuffle is a source of great frustration and expense to businesses, and can be a reason for losing potentially good employers to other states. In developing a typical business proposal, the planner must have reliable demographic, economic, and statistical information on which to base any site selection determination. Such information can be readily accessible and disseminated if a coordinated, "one-stop" information network is organized, advertised and endowed with the single goal of coordinating all state economic development information flow. The State of Alaska must act to provide a strategy for utilizing its human and data resources in the most efficient manner possible to improve intra- and interstate development information flow.

I conclude that it is in the best interests of the State of Alaska to create a central location to receive business development information inquiries and to present a coordinated State response to all such inquiries. Such a program will minimize conflicting information, response time, and duplication of staff effort in this era of limited, competing resources.

THEREFORE, under the authority vested in me by Article III, Sections 1 and 24 of the Alaska Constitution and in accordance with AS 44.19.145(c) and AS 33.020(13), (19), and (20), IT IS ORDERED:

(1) There is established a central "Business Development Information Network" for coordination of all inquiries regarding business development in Alaska.

(2) The purpose of the network is to present a coordinated State response to all inquiries for business information or development assistance, minimize intra- and interagency transfer of information requests, assist the Telecommunications Information Council to coordinate the development of State-funded data bases and programs used for economic development information dissemination, and provide a single point of contact for use in responding to economic development inquiries.

(3) Following contact by the network coordinator, all State agencies shall designate a department information officer or appropriate individual, who shall respond in a timely manner to requests for data by the coordinator. When considered necessary by the coordinator, agency representatives shall meet to discuss major projects requiring multiagency discussion prior to response.

(4) In order to reduce the amount of staff time being spent throughout the state responding to general information inquiries, departments should, to the extent practical, refer all nonagency-specific information requests to the coordinator. If, in the opinion of the agency, a particular project would benefit from being tied into the information network, that agency should contact the coordinator as soon as possible following the initial contact.

(5) The network coordinator shall develop and maintain a data base to track the status of all inquiries for business development information, network activity and State responses to such inquires, and shall submit progress reports to my office on a quarterly basis. In addition, the coordinator will execute appropriate Memoranda of Agreement with other State agencies and State-funded regional and university programs currently operating or proposing to operate business or industrial development information programs

(6) To the extent practical, this program is to be initiated at no additional cost to the State. Costs associated with coordination of electronic data transfer systems shall be requested through normal administrative channels.

(7) The commissioner of the Department of Commerce and Economic Development is given administrative responsibility for the coordination of the statewide "Business Development Information Network" and shall report to me at regular intervals regarding implementation and operation of the network.

This order takes effect immediately.

DATED at Juneau, Alaska, this 29 day of November, l989.

By: S/S Steve Cowper            
Steve Cowper                    
Governor of the State of Alaska