Chamber gets $15K from city for study

Bryan Richardson 

The Mercury


The Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce is working on a community vision and economic development analysis.

To help with that plan, the Manhattan City Commission approved a $15,000 request Tuesday for funding toward the study, which is being done with Market Street Services.

The Atlanta-based firm does economic, community and workforce development consulting.

The nine-month study will mostly be funded through the Advantage Manhattan “Power our Potential” initiative, a chamber fundraising program. The study is estimated to cost $171,000.

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North Central West Virginia Economic Outlook event expanded, scheduled for Oct. 18

Press Release

WVUtoday

A regional economic forecast from researchers at West Virginia Universityand a look at the U.S. economy by a senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond will anchor the North Central West Virginia Economic Outlook Conference Oct. 18 in Morgantown.

This year’s event will also include a presentation by a nationally renowned economic development strategy organization, sessions on local government and education, and a panel discussion on economic and community development. The conference will begin at 8:30 a.m. at the Waterfront Place Hotel.

[. . .]

Alex Pearlstein, vice president of Market Street Services in Atlanta, will serve as the keynote speaker. Market Street is a provider of community, workforce and economic development strategic planning services recognized for its work throughout the U.S.

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It's time to leverage our past for a bright future

Rob Bradham, President and CEO, Great Dalton Chamber of Commerce
Dalton Daily Citizen


I am rapidly approaching the end of my first year as president and CEO of the chamber as well as my first year in Dalton. I spent a great deal of time over the last year learning everything I can about this community. I read books, I read news articles, I drove around, I toured businesses and I listened to literally hundreds of opinions about Dalton and Whitfield County.

[. . .] Today, I'm very pleased the Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce is taking the lead in building a plan for the next chapter in our community. The chamber's Executive Board has contracted with Market Street Services, an Atlanta-based community and economic development firm, to assist the community in just such a planning process.

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New report highlights data, challenges in Topeka, Shawnee County

Morgan Chilson
Topeka Capital-Journal


A 64-page community assessment of Topeka and Shawnee County released Thursday is bursting with data, comparisons to other cities and, most importantly, six primary issues that tell the capital city’s story.

Those six, identified in the Market Street Services Inc. report, are:

■ A critical need to improve community pride.

■ Threats to a strong workforce go beyond population growth.

■ Quality of place enhancements are needed to change outlooks.

■ Homegrown talent: a need to connect the local and regional talent pipeline.

■ Enhancing economic opportunities through existing strengths.

■ Prosperity and well-being lag behind.

“It’s not all rosy, is it?” said Matt Pivarnik, CEO and president of the Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce and GO Topeka. “We have our work cut out for us. I think that this actually confirms a lot of what our gut was already telling us. It puts some data behind it.”

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Dalton business groups come together to develop plan to grow local economy

Mike Pare

Times Free Press

When Rob Bradham came to Dalton, Ga., late last year, he kept hearing about the city's heydays in the '70s, '80s and '90s when the carpet business was blazing.

"The [Great Recession] took a heavy toll," said Bradham, the Greater Dalton Chamber of Commerce's chief executive, adding that leaders in the area believe they need to start thinking about what's next.

The business group has launched a community and economic development strategic planning effort for Whitfield County. The initiative will look at crafting a long-term vision for industrial recruiting, downtown revitalization, and economic and workforce development, the Chamber CEO said.

The end product will have specific recommended projects, including a price tag, and goals to achieve, said Bradham, who came to Dalton after serving as the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce's vice president of public strategies.

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South Shore Chamber: Water, sewer service, roads crucial for region's future

Lane Lambert
The Patriot Ledger

A new South Shore Chamber of Commerce report outlines hundreds of millions of dollars in highway improvements, as part of long-range plans to spur development and attract more workers and families to the region.

But the Chamber’s president and CEO Peter Forman says a less-noticed issue could be equally crucial for growth in the coming decades – water and sewer service.

“A lot of people assume transportation is the biggest obstacle to growth,” Forman told The Patriot Ledger. “But it may turn out that water and sewer access to areas ripe for development could be a bigger obstacle.”

He made those comments as the chamber publicized a follow-up to “South Shore 2030 – Choosing Our Future,” an overall look at the region’s challenges that Market Street Services of Atlanta prepared in 2015 and presented to the Chamber in January of this year.

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Economic development consultant says ‘damage is cascading’ in NC

Erik Spanberg

Charlotte Business Journal

Mac Holladay understands economic development in the South and the Southeast as well as anyone. Starting in 1972, Holladay has led recruiting in three states – Mississippi, South Carolina and Georgia – after earlier stints with chambers of commerce in Memphis and Charleston.

He founded consultant Market Street Services in 1997 and remains its CEO. The Atlanta-based firm works with cities and regions to foster growth, improve worker training and recruit companies and industries.

Throughout his career, Holladay has competed with and done business in North Carolina, where he returned last week. Holladay was in Chapel Hill to speak at the basic economic development course held at the UNC School of Government.

[. . .]

As part of his presentation, Holladay discussed House Bill 2, the state law passed in March to override a Charlotte ordinance that would have allowed public restroom use in government buildings based on gender identity while also mandating non-discrimination protection for gay and transgender people. Holladay believes HB2 is hurting North Carolina – and likely to cause more damage unless it is significantly changed or repealed.

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Phillips: Austin chamber effort focuses on helping businesses, people

Alberta Phillips
Austin American-Statesman


Sometimes we think of chambers of commerce as cheerleaders for business and industry with narrowly focused interests that aim to expand the profits and economic vitality of companies they represent.

If that is true for some chambers, it’s certainly not the sum and total of the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce. Like many other chambers, it does promote and lobby for policies and practices aimed at helping businesses in Austin and the region flourish, be that publicly financed incentives or regulatory reform. But the Austin chamber’s reach is broader, touching on such things as reducing Austin’s poverty rate, increasing the number of students going to college and addressing the city’s mobility challenges.

It’s an approach that recognizes the connection between education, jobs and poverty.

One can argue about whether that focus is driven by a social or economic agenda. Either way, the chamber’s initiative, called Opportunity Austin, is doing positive things that benefit businesses as well as families. And while it’s been around for about 12 years, Opportunity Austin is not widely known outside of elite corporate and educational circles.

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City, county economic groups eye merge

Conor Griffith
The Dominion Post

Several Monongalia County business and nonprofit organizations are considering the possibility of forming a common coalition.

The Morgantown Area Chamber of Commerce and Your Community Foundation (YCF) recently received of a $75,000 grant from the Pittsburgh-based Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation to study the feasibility of merging the county’s economic development activities under a single umbrella organization.

“It’s something those of us who have been involved in these various organizations for the common goal of economic development have seen a need for,” said Kelly Kimble, chair of the Chamber’s board of directors.

The chamber and its partners have engaged Atlanta-based Market Street Services to conduct the feasibility study using the grant money.

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Spartanburg leaders search for “entrepreneurial ecosystem”

Trevor Anderson
Upstate Business Journal


Spartanburg County’s business landscape is dotted with high-profile projects.

Companies like BMW, Milliken, Michelin, Adidas, Toray, Rite Aid, Amazon and others have pumped billions of dollars of investment into the county and created thousands of jobs.

Spartanburg’s small business sector, however, has not fared so well.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of small ventures, or businesses with one to four employees, decreased almost 10 percent in the county between 2008 and 2013.

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Morgantown Chamber of Commerce Receives Benedum Foundation Grant

West Virginia Executive


The Morgantown Area Chamber of Commerce and Your Community Foundation, Inc. jointly announced today receipt of a $75,000 grant from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation to examine the feasibility of merging economic development activities in Monongalia County under a single umbrella organization.

[. . .] Following a competitive search, the Chamber, along with its partners, has engaged Market Street Services, a nationally-recognized firm based in Atlanta, Georgia that specializes in community economic development research. Founded in 1997, Market Street is a trusted partner in facilitating community, workforce, and economic development strategies, helping communities proactively shape their own future. Market Street was also the consultant throughout the development of the Charleston Area Alliance in Kanawha County.

Kimble indicated that the feasibility study will begin during summer 2016 with the final report available by the end of 2016.


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On Vision. One Spartanburg Initiative Moves Forward

Charleston Regional Business Journal

Members of the Spartanburg community received an update on a plan geared at enhancing the area’s economic competitiveness.

As part of the One Vision. One Spartanburg initiative, Atlanta-based Market Street Services delivered its community assessment at a meeting June 14. Market Street Services is a consulting firm that has done similar studies in Austin, Texas, and Nashville, Tenn., according to a statement detailing the presentation.

The firm has already conducted four of the six steps in the evaluation process: Stakeholder input, target business analysis, community assessment and a community marketing review. According to the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce, the process began in February and the research garnered more than 3,100 resident responses.

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Report highlights strengths, weaknesses in Spartanburg

Bob Montgomery
GoUpstate.com

Spartanburg is looking at ways to address economic imbalances in the community to improve the quality of life for all residents.

It's part of a nine-month-long project designed to make "Spartanburg County a more successful and prosperous place."

“Bold actions are required to secure the community's desired future,” according to Atlanta-based Market Street Services, a consulting firm hired by the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber launched the Spartanburg Vision Plan in February and this week the project reached its halfway point.

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Columbus: Seeing the Big Picture

K.K. Snyder
Georgia Trend

Just because things are going great doesn’t mean they can’t get better. With every sector of the community dialed in to the recently adopted Regional Prosperity Initiative, ‘up’ is the only direction Columbus and Muscogee County leaders will consider.

For more than a decade, there has existed a need to define the identity of this city that morphed from a mill town floated on a textile economy to a center for financial data services and advanced manufacturing.

“Columbus has been a city in transformation for a while, some deliberate, some by nature of outside forces,” says Brian Anderson, president and CEO of the Greater Columbus Georgia Chamber of Commerce.

Led by the chamber and strategic planning group Market Street Services, local public, private and nonprofit leaders crafted what they’ve deemed “a holistic community and economic development strategy,” which boils down to three guiding principles: a reduction of poverty, increasing prosperity for all, and improving the overall quality of life in the region.

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Join the effort to plan Spartanburg's future

Todd Horne
Spartanburg Herald Journal

Spartanburg is at a pivotal moment. Our community is rapidly changing, and everything we do today will influence what we will be tomorrow. We cannot leave our future to chance. We must instead methodically plan our change. This is exactly why 52 community leaders have set out to create a Comprehensive Community and Economic Development Strategy that will guide our actions for the next five years.

This process began in January and, with the assistance of Market Street Services, a national community and economic development firm, the guidance of an engaged steering committee, and input from all across our community, four of the six phases of this critical process are now complete. The findings to this point have been both sobering and encouraging.

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Campaign brings in $15.5M for economic development

Patrick Anderson
Argus Leader

Business leaders in Sioux Falls raised $15.5 million as part of an ongoing effort to bolster and invest in the local economy.

Organizers behind the most recent Forward Sioux Falls campaign announced the fundraising total Tuesday, promising to spend some of the money on workforce development.

“Those dollars will be used to fund any number of economic development, quality-of-life initiatives,” said Dave Rozenboom, who co-chaired the campaign.

[. . .] Hoping to understand the education and training needs of the city's future workforce, the group brought in the consulting firm Market Street Services in January 2015 to conduct a six-month analysis. The company’s work helped coordinators pick a list of priorities for the next five years.

“What they provided was independent, third-party assessment,” said Rozenboom, president of First Premier Bank. “They also do this across the country, so we benefit from their intellectual experience and perspectives.”

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Magazine’s ‘Big Picture’ view of Columbus

Ledger-Enquirer

Not for the first time, and we’re confident that it’s not for the last, others around the state and region have taken notice of this city’s transformation.

In the June issue of Georgia Trend magazine, an article by K.K. Snyder titled “Columbus: Seeing the Big Picture” takes a pretty detailed look at what has happened here since the old patterns and realities of the city, virtually unchanged for decades, began crumbling and being rebuilt.

[. . .] The article attributes much of the city’s current progress to efforts that fall under the umbrella of the Regional Prosperity Initiative, whose strategy, Snyder writes, “boils down to three guiding principles: a reduction of poverty, increasing prosperity for all, and improving the overall quality of life in the region.”

To read the full article click here. If it has been removed, please email Alexia Eanes for a copy of the entire article.

Ledger-Enquirer







Not for the first time, and we’re confident that it’s not for the last, others around the state and region have taken notice of this city’s transformation.

In the June issue of Georgia Trend magazine, an article by K.K. Snyder titled “Columbus: Seeing the Big Picture” takes a pretty detailed look at what has happened here since the old patterns and realities of the city, virtually unchanged for decades, began crumbling and being rebuilt.

[. . .] The article attributes much of the city’s current progress to efforts that fall under the umbrella of the Regional Prosperity Initiative, whose strategy, Snyder writes, “boils down to three guiding principles: a reduction of poverty, increasing prosperity for all, and improving the overall quality of life in the region.”







To read the full article click here. If it has been removed, please email Alexia Eanes for a copy of the entire article.

Ledger-Enquirer







Not for the first time, and we’re confident that it’s not for the last, others around the state and region have taken notice of this city’s transformation.

In the June issue of Georgia Trend magazine, an article by K.K. Snyder titled “Columbus: Seeing the Big Picture” takes a pretty detailed look at what has happened here since the old patterns and realities of the city, virtually unchanged for decades, began crumbling and being rebuilt.

[. . .] The article attributes much of the city’s current progress to efforts that fall under the umbrella of the Regional Prosperity Initiative, whose strategy, Snyder writes, “boils down to three guiding principles: a reduction of poverty, increasing prosperity for all, and improving the overall quality of life in the region.”







To read the full article click here. If it has been removed, please email Alexia Eanes for a copy of the entire article.
Read more here: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/opinion/article81656157.html#storylink=cpyRead more here: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/opinion/article81656157.html#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/opinion/article81656157.html#storylink=cpy

Relocating a highway can potentially refresh a downtown

Evan Robertson, Senior Project Associate, Market Street Services

Atlanta Journal-Constitution

At any given moment, communities across metro Atlanta spend substantial sums on transportation infrastructure. Projects vary in size and scope, and include building and repairing roads and bridges, adding entrance and exit ramps, or updating and adding traffic lights.

For the vast majority of people, these investments go by relatively unnoticed. After a year or two, we only remember the inconvenience it caused during our morning or evening commute. We judge their success by how safe we feel on the road and how much less we sit in traffic.

Outside of improving the flow of cars and trucks, we metro Atlantans usually don’t ask more from these investments. There is little expectation that they will result in the wholesale transformation of our community. But every now and again, an infrastructure project comes along that presents local residents with the opportunity to change course and position their community for future success.

In Douglas County and the city of Douglasville, community stakeholders are hoping to seize the relocation of Georgia Highway 92 as such an opportunity. When the project is complete, Highway 92 will brush along the eastern outskirts of downtown Douglasville rather than running directly through it. While highway relocations have typically had damaging effects on downtowns across Georgia – the impact on Douglasville can be different.

At present, many traveling along this stretch of the highway corridor are simply trying to get home, or go to work. They are driving through Douglasville’s downtown, and not driving to it. Once the relocation project is complete, downtown Douglasville, unburdened by commuter traffic, can reassert itself as the soul of Douglas County and establish itself as a regional destination.

The task at hand for our GeorgiaForward Young Gamechangers team, aptly named “Destination Downtown,” was to develop a way forward for, and position downtown Douglasville for, success. It was clear that this process would require the hearts and minds of Douglasville and Douglas County residents to be persuaded that transformation is possible.

We believe the public and private space in downtown Douglasville is anything but inflexible. Our recommendations include engaging in a tactical campaign to spark an open and honest conversation of what its downtown could become both short-term and well into the future.

Our team came up with an encompassing set of big ideas to cement downtown Douglasville as a destination for residents and visitors alike. Our ideas range in scope from creating an inviting gateway corridor that will connect Highway 92 with the core commercial district, to engaging in a community-wide branding campaign culminating in a “grand reopening” event. Finally, catalyst developments promoting a live-work-play lifestyle in downtown Douglasville can help solidify its revitalization.

Metro Atlanta’s transportation investments don’t need to solely impact our mobility. Whatever the investment may be, infrastructure projects allow us to view our built environment in new light and afford us the opportunity to make our communities and the broader region a better place to live. For one metro Atlanta area community, the relocation of a highway has given it the chance to rejuvenate its heart.

Evan Robertson, a Roswell native, is a Senior Project Associate at Market Street Services, a national community, economic, and workforce development consulting firm.

To read the article on myajc.com click here. 

Spartanburg Chamber reaches milestone in Vision Plan with Chattanooga trip

Trevor Anderson
Upstate Business Journal

The vision for building a foundation for a long-term community development strategy in Spartanburg County has taken another step forward.

According to the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce, a group of 28 delegates from the county, including representatives from the Spartanburg Chamber, city of Spartanburg and other groups, recently visited Chattanooga, Tenn.

The trip, which occurred May 19-21, was part of the research and planning of the Spartanburg Vision Plan being led by Atlanta-based Market Street Services, a consulting firm that has helped cities like Nashville, Austin and Tulsa chart a path to prosperity.

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Committee visits Chattanooga to plan economic development

GoUpstate.com

The Spartanburg Steering Committee recently went to Chattanooga, Tenn., to plan the community's path for economic development.

The committee, made up of 28 delegates from groups like the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce and the Spartanburg Economic Futures Group, spent three days in Chattanooga based on that city's similarities to Spartanburg.

Market Street Services, an Atlanta-based consulting firm, is leading the Spartanburg Vision Plan effort.

The six-phase process began in February and will last approximately nine months.

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Capital Crossroads 2.0 kicks off with survey launch

Perry Beeman, Senior Staff Writer
Business Record


Atlanta-based consultant Market Street Services is back in town. Leaders are signing on to guide work on the 10 capitals. And Capital Crossroads 2.0, the area's latest visioning process, officially launches today.

You can fill out a related survey through June 20 to help guide the next five years of advancements in Central Iowa, within a 50-mile radius of Des Moines. There also will be focus groups and comprehensive discussions of how to make the area a better place for development, outdoor recreation, efficient government, and diverse cultural attractions.

Market Street will be interviewing leaders and performing quantitative research, said Bethany Wilcoxon, Capital Crossroads director. These are the folks who helped with the original Capital Crossroads effort and plans for the Walnut Street makeover.

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County’s new economic development plan

David Crowder
El Paso Inc.

El Paso County has a new economic development plan that sets five goals, the most controversial of which will likely be deciding what to do with the 75-year-old County Coliseum.

County Judge Veronica Escobar thinks the plan, prepared by consulting firm Market Street Services of Atlanta, may be the county’s first professionally prepared economic development plan.

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Commissioners move forward with separate economic development plan

Andrew J. Polk
kvia (abc affiliate)


El Paso County is looking to put a greater focus on economic development. County commissioners don't want to leave the economic development partnership with the city, but are looking to pursue additional goals, like rural development and heritage tourism.

"We're actually embarking on bigger things now, which is very exciting," said County Judge Veronica Escobar. "One of those things is economic development."

[...] El Paso County commissioners held a special meeting Monday focusing on a more detailed plan for economic development within county lines.

The meeting was one of the county's first efforts to work on its own economic development priorities. The meeting included Market Street Services, a firm that was hired by the county last year on a $25,000 contract to help with a plan.


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Commissioners to vote on economic development plan

Andrew J. Polk
kvia (abc affiliate)


El Paso County Commissioners have been increasing their focus on economic development around the county lately, part of a re-focused set of priorities. So far, it can be seen in recent public-private partnerships, activity around the Tornillo port of entry, and the recently approved downtown historic building survey.

[. . .] In line with that, county commissioners will hold a special meeting Monday morning to with the agenda set to "receive a presentation from Market Street Services regarding the development of an economic development strategic plan and policy for the County of El Paso."


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Loris Community Easter Egg Hunt set for March 20

By Samantha Norris

myhorrynews.com

Have you ever thought about joining the Loris Chamber of Commerce? According to a research study by The Shapiro Group, Inc. and Market Street Services, when consumers know that a small business is a member of their local chamber of commerce, they are 44 percent more likely to think favorably of it and 63 percent more likely to purchase goods or services from the company in the future.

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Columbus Net Zero Job Growth Addressed with Regional Prosperity Initiative

MercerWRBL

You’ve probably heard in recent weeks about Columbus having net zero job growth in the past thirty years. Mayor Teresa Tomlinson mentioned this issue in her state of the city address. So what is the city doing about it?

A good work force **is** the focus. In 2015 they entered in a relationship with Columbus State to create a new cyber security program to ensure a highly qualified workforce. When you talk about a thriving Columbus business – TSYS is always a part of the conversation. And like TSYS- city leaders want to focus on the people coming to Columbus. Bill Murphy with the Columbus Chamber says, “While there is a lot of good things going on – we saw opportunities to realign and refocus our energies so we’re firing on all cylinders.”

It’s called the Regional Prosperity Initiative. Chamber and community leaders will work together to find ways to counter the zero net job growth.


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Community Foundation rolls out new Q2030 Grants

By Jennifer DeWitt

Quad City Times

The Community Foundation of the Great River Bend has launched a new grant program for area nonprofits whose programs contribute to the regional movement to make the Quad-Cities a cool, creative, connected and prosperous place.

Inspired by the Quad-Cities Q2030 Regional Action Plan, the new Q2030 Grants are designed to help nonprofits across eastern Iowa and western Illinois fund projects and programming that will help advance the regional vision.

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How America’s Dullest City Got Cool

By Colin Woodward
Politico.com
 

The capital of Iowa has long had a reputation as one of the least hip, least interesting and least dynamic cities in the Western world, a dull insurance town set amid the unending corn fields of flyover country, a place Minneapolis looks down on and the young and ambitious flee as soon as they graduate. “Usually you are born here or marry into here or get transferred here,” says local entrepreneur Mike Draper. “Not many people come to chase their dreams. If they did, you’d be like, ‘What, you want to be an actuary?’”

But unbeknownst to many outside the Midwest, over the past 15 years Des Moines has transformed into one of the richest, most vibrant, and, yes, hip cities in the country, where the local arts scene, entrepreneurial startups and established corporate employers are all thriving.


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