Network takes a look at the future

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A large group of ROC USA® Network affiliate staff and ROC USA staff came together recently to learn from one another, share experiences and plan for the future of ROC USA.

The group, which typically meets twice a year, shared innovations from the field, strategies and successes to help one another improve their work in resident-owned communities across the country.

The Providence, R.I., meeting came on the heels of the I’M HOME convening – a three-day gathering of experts in all areas of the manufactured housing sector. That event opened with tours of two ROCs in Taunton, Mass.: Oak Hill and Colonial Estates.  

Photo of large group of people walking through ROC in Taunton, Mass.
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A few of the dozens of manufactured housing sector professionals tour Oak Hill, a resident-owned community in Taunton, Mass., on Oct. 2, 2017, as part of the I’M HOME convening.

Each ROC USA Network affiliate and ROC USA itself opened the Network gathering with an update on their organization – from new personnel to the implementation of new strategies and techniques.

“I think this is always my favorite part,” said ROC USA Network Director Mary O’Hara. “Hearing what’s working in one part of the country, and more importantly delivering the tools so it can be reproduced anywhere almost immediately, really speaks to the heart of a strong network. I know there are affiliates already putting into action ideas they learned last week in Providence from their peers in other organizations.”

The staffs also dedicated a day to planning for ROC USA’s next strategic plan, due out in 2018. Having already worked with an outside consultant, they spent a day in Providence prioritizing goals and working out details face to face.

“The input from our affiliates is critical to shaping ROC USA’s mission and strategy as a whole,” said ROC USA® President Paul Bradley. “They spend a great deal of time in ROCs, and are able to effectively bring residents’ needs and concerns to our planning.”

Bradley said the same consultant would work with a group of more than 40 ROC leaders next week at the Community Leadership Institute with the same goal in mind: Gathering direct input from those on whose behalf ROC USA and its affiliates are working.

“This was a huge success in our last strategic planning process three years ago. In the end, four of our eight strategic goals came directly from ROC leaders,” Bradley said.