THE RURBAN FRINGE

Tips ‘o the Economic Development Trade

Posted on | March 19, 2010 | No Comments

Dennis Twomey, City of Camrose Economic Development Officer, has probably forgotten more about economic development than I’ll ever know … and he generously shared some of his ‘tricks of the trade’ with local business owners during a regional Chamber of Commerce luncheon I was able to attend this past week.

Most importantly, he stressed, was growth. 

“While statistics show that 80% of your community’s growth comes from within, that only applies if your community is growing.“ 

Get to know your realtors; they know the community better than anyone else.  Have them feed you their commercial listings on a regular basis.  Make every business achievement (from opening a new location to repainting a building) a cause for local celebration and support.  Build on your existing industries.  Take out ads in strategically located community newspapers, encouraging outsiders to visit … and potentially relocate to your town.  And last, but not least, develop a thick skin.

He mentions ‘thick skin’ with a wry smile as part of his early strategy was to simply get information on businesses he (and other citizens) would like to see in Camrose, and then call them to ask what they’d need to do to have that company consider Camrose.  He got a lot of no’s, he grins, but also some yes’s … which then led to getting others on board for development.

Over the 25 years he’s been around, Dennis has seen Camrose transform from a small rural community to a thriving regional trading centre.  Camrose is now a city of approximately 16,000 with a primary trading population of 140,000+.

He made it seem easy.  And for communities wanting to step up their economic development efforts, it can be … with focus, determination and a bit of ‘thick skin.’

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