Business Development: Who’s Job?

I shared the following ideas with one chief city administrator. I even prepared an email to go to three neighboring towns and their mayors and managers. I’ll let you read through my proposal and discuss the results with you afterward ~~

Business Development Ideas

(Some thoughts and possibilities)

Current Practices:

1. Hospitality Committee: Warrenville: Hotels and Restaurants; working together to build business volumes
2. Warrenville Tourism and Arts Commission: city funding grants to organizations that program events that will attract tourism to town; also development of artistic outlets among town residents
3. DuPage Convention and Visitor’s Bureau Membership; Warrenville pays annual dues of approximately $40,000 to pool city events, features and hospitality resources so DCVB can attract regional and out of state attendees to the community
4. Choose DuPage program from County; Warrenville works to woo new businesses to locate both to the county and Warrenville from other regions
5. Brilliance in Business Awards: West Chicago working with Chamber of Commerce to recognize successful businesses, unique ideas in business, excellence, etc.
6. SCORE business development seminars and workshops sponsored through collaboration with West Chicago Library
7. Western DuPage Chamber of Commerce: Warrenville, West Chicago, and Winfield: business promotion, marketing assistance and training seminars for member organizations; business exhibits and conferences sponsored
8. Other?

Potential Programs:

1. Each of the three communities cooperate as one entity to help develop businesses in the 3-town region
2. Duplicate all of the programs to each of the 3 communities
3. Develop tri-town Job Fair:
1. Help employers find good job candidates
2. Help job seekers connect with employers
3. Develop career counseling and development program for people needing to transition to a new career from one which has become obsolete
4. Develop local transportation system for local 3-town commuters
4. Boost town center success
1. West Chicago downtown exists; improve image, business diversity and sales in existing area; attract new construction and rehabilitation of existing structures
2. Winfield village center development; relocate Village Hall and Fire Station to add commercial space to area; expand shopping district to vacant lumber yard and adjacent land surrounding commuter station; develop other economic zones to diversify local economy
3. Construct and develop dynamic town center for Warrenville in TIF 3 area; consolidate some businesses to new town center; redistribute commercial enterprises to other areas of community and build their identities  accordingly (Old Town area, auto repair zone, etc.); diversify housing opportunities for diverse family units including elders; locate in walking distance to new town center.
4. Other?
5. Develop successful sub area planning zones:
1. Warrenville: Route 59 corridor
2. Warrenville: Route 56 sites
3. Winfield: Roosevelt Road sites
4. Winfield: High Lake Road sites
5. Winfield: Geneva/Winfield Roads area
6. West Chicago: North Avenue sites
7. West Chicago: Route 59 corridor
8. West Chicago: western industrial zone
9. West Chicago: Roosevelt Road sites
10. Other?
6. Attract Specific industries to the three communities:
1. Auto sales, dealers: new and used
2. Art gallery, education, and supplies
3. Art performance venues: musical concerts, dance, theater, etc.
4. Home Improvement themed commercial space: remodeling, refurbishing, maintenance centers: services, goods, design, etc. Include décor and equipment/appliance sales
5. Other?

Note: Rather than competing with each other the three communities should seek ways to collaborate and bring unique opportunities to each town. Land mass availability varies for each town making some developments inappropriate for one town but more suitable for another. Character of communities will also encourage or limit some forms of development. Traffic accessibility is another concern. Projects developed together should share revenue streams in appropriate ways (common investment develops common forms of return on investment).

Suggested Methodologies:

1. Tri-lateral Commission (all three communities)
2. Electronic media corralled for maximum effect (websites, Facebook, Constant Contact, Twitter, etc.)
3. Coordinate with existing programs in county, state and federal agencies
4. Research and development partnered with regional universities (UIC, DePaul, ITT, NIU, etc.)
5. Celebrate diverse cultures in the communities
6. Think big, outside the box
7. Invent, adapt and emerge new models to build our uniqueness

George Safford, Managing Editor

Village Chronicles

July 4, 2014

The results were disappointing. I received a thank you for my thoughtfulness and thinking outside the box and for long term benefits for all three communities. That having been said, however, I was disabused of my notions of potential success. I was told this would not work because the three communities would not share their strengths with others as that would weaken the strong.

Now do you see why the Middle East and relations between Russia and America are so difficult to manage? Even small towns and villages living side by side have doubts about the advantages of working together.

This is not about a polite meet and greet. It is about building a strong future…together.  Why must that be so difficult?

August 18, 2014