Bristol Virginia Council Receives Update on Visioning Process

By David McGee, Bristol Herald Courier

BRISTOL, Va. - City leaders received an update on the new Bristol 2040 visioning process unveiled last month by the Bristol Chamber of Commerce.

Alex Pearlstein, vice president of projects for Market Street Services, the Atlanta-based consulting firm managing the project, described the group’s initial steps in developing a long-term vision for both the Twin City and its adjoining counties of Sullivan in Tennessee and Washington in Virginia.

To read the full article click here or email Alexia Eanes.

Bristol-focused economic initiative launches

By Leif Greiss | Bristol Herald Courier

BRISTOL, Tenn. — The Bristol Chamber of Commerce announced an initiative Monday to create a 25-year vision and action plan for the economic and community development of the Twin City.

The Bristol Chamber of Commerce and the Bristol2040 Steering Committee will embark on an eight-month process to create a long-term blueprint for what Bristol and surrounding Sullivan County, Tennessee, and Washington County, Virginia, can and should look a quarter of a century from now. The effort will be in consultation with Market Street Services, an Atlanta-based firm specializing in community and economic development.

To read the full article click here or email Alexia Eanes.

County kicks off community strategic planning effort

Special to The Gazette

How does Halifax County become a more prosperous, successful and vibrant place to live and work? Citizens are invited to help answer that question as Halifax County kicks off a community strategic planning effort today.

Public, private and non-profit leaders in Halifax County have come together to develop a community strategic plan that will provide a roadmap to help the county address challenges, increase prosperity and improve quality of life for current and future residents. The plan will address the full range of competitive factors that influence a community’s attractiveness, including talent, education and training resources, infrastructure, business climate and quality of life and place.

To read the entire article click here or email Alexia Eanes.

BVEDC looks to consulting firm to help with regional development

By Briana Nipper

COLLEGE STATION, Texas -- The Brazos Valley Economic Development Corporation is partnering with an Atlanta-based consulting firm to help focus its regional development efforts.

BVEDC announced its partnership with Market Street Services during the 2018 Brazos Valley Business Forum held Thursday at the newly opened Texas A&M Hotel and Conference Center.

BVEDC unveiled a roughly eight month plan to create an economic development strategy.

The plan, which began in August, is split into five phases...

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The Mystery of Amazon HQ2 Has Finalists Seeing Clues Everywhere

By Karen Weise

Over Labor Day weekend, a club promoter who goes by the name Purple posted a photo on Instagram from the LIV nightclub in Miami. In front of a wall graffitied with names and a single “Life Is Beautiful” sticker, Purple’s arm was casually draped over the shoulders of Jeff Bezos, the Amazon chief executive, whose pants matched the host’s name.

“It’s not every day you get to hang with the richest guy in the world,” Purple wrote on Instagram. “What a pleasure.”

But when The Miami Herald covered the celebrity spotting, its cares turned toward the practical: “Could this be good news for Miami’s HQ2 bid?”

Friday marks one year since Amazon announced its search for a second headquarters, a project called HQ2, which the company says will bring $5 billion in investment and 50,000 high-paying jobs to the area it chooses. With no city crowned yet, news outlets, politicians and communities around the country are left reading between the Instagram lines.

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WF Chamber of Commerce implementing community strategic plan

By Alex Achten, Reporter

WICHITA FALLS, Tx (RNN Texoma) -

After over a year developing a community strategic plan, the Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce is now implementing it in hopes of growing the city's talent pool.

Consultant Market Street Services was hired to help develop the strategy and identified seven areas to focus on.

"At some point, if we don't do something to address these issues, the city will begin to shrink," C.E.O. of the Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce, Henry Florsheim said.

The areas include improving the city's talent partnerships, aging schools, an economic development program, a thriving Sheppard Air Force Base, an entrepreneurial maker hub, a revitalized downtown, and a bicycle-friendly community.

Now the Chamber is developing action teams for each of those areas to make them happen...

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Power of ‘and’: Wichita Falls economic plan enters implementation stage

By Claire Kowalick

Last summer, a cross-section of representatives began a process to allow the city of Wichita Falls to grow and thrive.

One year later, that group is set to begin the fifth, and final phase of a comprehensive economic strategy plan.

Steering committee chairman and Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Henry Florsheim said the Chamber has a contractual relationship with the city’s 4A board for economic development in the city.

“Over the past three years, we really started to look at strategy. Who are we really targeting? What are the big issues?” Florsheim said.

When the Chamber started looking at what their targets were, they recognized the task was larger than the Chamber, or any one entity could complete on their own...

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