Page 74 - FDI Alliance International Magazine. Winter 2020 Digital Interactive Issue.

ࣿ Courtland how important is it to retain, expand and attract new business to Freeport
Texas?
I find that Economic Gardening to expand existing businesses within my community
essential. This allows us to be able to retain our highly valued businesses and hopefully
prevent them from seeking a new location in some other community or State. Many of
our existing businesses think the only way forward for them is to leave for what they think
are greener pastures forgetting that they already have a pasture that they have tilled
and nurtured from the start. Those retail and industrial businesses took a large risk at
the beginning becoming well established in our community. When they are ready for
the next step in growing my team and I provide the necessary answers to their questions
which can include incentives that they think they can only get in some other location or
State. Sometimes that is true but what can be shown is that they now have deep roots
in the community and a well established workforce that can be expanded easier that
starting over someplace else.

The team that I formed go out and meet with various businesses to let them know that we are here to support them. Many times,
our local businesses do not know we are a resource for them nor the support that already exists at their beck and call that can be
provided. The businesses I meet with may not be ready today for growth but they now have the knowledge that we are here to help.

Conversely, in order to retain businesses, I find some that are struggling especially due to our current situation with COVID-19 pandemic
affecting their ability to operate or maintain personnel. In those situations, I have worked with the Brazoria County Hispanic Chamber
of Commerce, Workforce Solutions, SBDC and the SBA. As an example, one of our businesses that employees hundreds of workers
in all of their operations was not successful on multiple occasions of obtaining PPP funding and finally gave up. I was able to contact
the director of the SBA and connect the business owner to the correct contact. Within a week they were funded which avoided this
business owner from laying off staff.

Like all communities we need new outside money coming into our
city in order for it to grow. New money coming into the community
from new or expanded existing businesses will provide added skilled
workforce in order to attract housing and retail. I focus quite a bit
of my efforts on attracting new industry that includes mixed use
retail-office-residential developments as both will attract housing
and expanded retail development. I use many different sources
to assist such as FDI Alliance’s various platforms as well as my
partners in Economic Development. Over the last 20 years as an
Economic Development Professional, I have been very successful.
I do not just focus on one method of attraction but in multiple
overlapping venues of advertising and marketing my community.
This takes a while to gather momentum but eventually it works.

74. FDI ALLIANCE INTERNATIONAL