By BRIAN LEAHY
of The Gazette
Mark Hilliker is the community resource development agent for the Portage County University of Wisconsin-Extension office. He serves as head of the department, which is housed in the second floor of the Courthouse Annex, 1462 Strongs Ave., Stevens Point.
As community resource development agent, Hilliker assists a wide variety of community organizations in their strategic planning efforts. His work has ranged from solid waste and recycling issues to helping form a county wide lake friends group.
Hilliker also coordinates the public participation process for Portage County's comprehensive planning process. He has facilitated several of the public input sessions for that effort.
Hilliker was born in Black River Falls and raised in Madison, before returning to Black River Falls, where he graduated from high school. He and his wife, Colleen, have been married for 15 years and have two children, Grant, 7, and Anna, 4.
He sat down with The Gazette recently to discuss a few topics.
Gazette: What have people involved with the comprehensive planning process learned about Portage County since the process started?
Hilliker: "A number of things. First of all, a lot about what people think are important issues in the county through the survey that went out last year and the Hopes and Concerns Workshops this spring."
"Beyond that we were able to learn what people want the county to look like in the future, what they value … and what they really hold close. And I think we really have a clear understanding of what people want."
"We also learned there are a lot of people who want to be actively involved in processes like this that shape the county and are willing to share their time and expertise."
Gazette: What are the next steps in the comprehensive planning process?
Hilliker: "Now that we have the visions adopted for the future, it's trying to chart our ways to reach those visions - goals, objectives and policies."
One item people involved in the comprehensive planning process would like is a graphic way, such as charts or maps, to show what the different alternatives are for the county to look like in the future, he said.
"It's nice having goals, objectives and policies. What it's going to look like on the landscape is something people are interested in seeing. If we can do that, it's really powerful."
Another step is getting the public to react to different scenarios based on the work of the element working groups and take that reaction back to the steering committees, he said.
Gazette: What is your role during the comprehensive planning process?
Hilliker: "I coordinate the citizen participation effort, working closely with the county Planning and Zoning Department.
"I do some facilitating, because I'm perceived as neutral and unbiased."
Gazette: Besides the comprehensive planning process, what other county issues are you involved in?
Hilliker: "I'm involved with the Partners in Education Program though the Portage County Business Council. I co-chair that committee…. The program helps people reach their goals to get into a particular occupation."
"I also work with local governments and not-for-profits doing strategic planning. I've worked with about 20 agencies over the past four years, doing things like board training."
"For natural resourcing I'm involved with the Friends of Portage County Lakes Group, helping them with their Lakes Fest and training."
"Over the last several months I've been assisting the Portage County Solid Waste Management Department and Solid Waste Management Board to assess different decisions they need to make regarding solid waste management in Portage County … It's difficult because environmentally it's a tough issue."
Gazette: You've worked with several different organizations. In your opinion, what makes a successful organization?
Hilliker: "A successful organization is an organization that's willing to take a critical look at itself in the way it does business and look at the way it meets the needs of its stakeholders. (A successful organization) is really driven by its mission and core purpose. They look at their external environment and how it affects them. It continually monitors what it is doing and prioritizes its efforts."
"It's an organization that's very proactive and aggressive in making sure it's addressing the issues that are most important to its future vitality."
Gazette: On the flip side, what makes an organization unsuccessful?
Hilliker: "There are some organizations who have had problems because they haven't paid attention to their stakeholders and to their external environment - so there's a lot of surprises and things that pop up and are a barrier to their success. They also do things that aren't strategic. They develop 'seemingly excellent solutions to the wrong problem.' That's not uncommon."
Gazette: What do you for recreation?
Hilliker: "I'm an avid golfer. I like most outdoor activities."
Gazette: What types of services can people get from the county University of Wisconsin-Extension office?
Hilliker: "We offer a broad number of services here that are really all aimed at helping people make better decisions."
The office has a 4-H youth development agent; agriculture agent; family living agent who educates on family-related issues like parenting, financial management, retirement and divorce; the Healthy Beginnings Program which provides parenting and education to mainly first-time families in Portage County with low to moderate income, he said. The office also provides nutrition education services at meal sites and assists with a Hmong cooking club.
"Related to the ag agent, we also answer a lot of horticulture questions during the growing season. We have over 1,000 contacts in the summer related to different disease and insect problems."
Anyone wanting more information on the services offered should call the office at 346-1316.
"We provide information and education and really empower folks to make better decisions."