Don't be a Keyboard Naysayer!
What is the process of bringing new development to our community?
Based on a statement I heard earlier this week, there may be many who are not actually familiar with the process involved in bringing new business and growth to a community. It’s certainly interesting, somewhat entertaining and a bit frustrating at times to scroll through social media and read the various comments, thoughts, suggestions, and criticism, etc. about why a person’s favorite business establishments have not yet expanded their operations to Toccoa.
Most importantly, it is always the company’s decision as to where they will expand to new locations. It is a business decision. The numbers must make sense for and fit their business model for a company to locate in a new area. It’s not by invitation, or lack thereof, by city or county commissioners. If a new business chooses to come to our community, it is because they have found property which fits their mission and a property owner who has settled on a win-win agreement for both parties. Their competition has no say in whether or not they locate here either, it is strictly a decision made by the company itself.
I am currently in my ninth year at The Chamber and I am grateful for the cooperation of our city and county commissioners as I have consistently seen their willingness to roll out the red carpet to businesses interested in locating in our community. Organizations have their own specific and different needs to help solidify a working agreement with us, and when presented to our commissioners, they have always done all they could to help assist in the process of bringing new business to Stephens County.
For the past six years, our community has had the privilege to partner with Georgia Power and their initiative to help grow our rural communities in Georgia. Georgia Power has generously picked up the tab for much of the cost to employ an independent consulting firm who has worked closely with our community along with many rural towns in Georgia, gathering data for travel patterns, traffic counts, gap reports which indicate what businesses are not here and how close they are in proximity to our community. They track how many people commute to our community for work, medical services, etc. This is all helpful data because we know that shopping is done where people are during the day, so if they’re coming here for services, they’re most likely spending money in our community while they’re in town, if they don’t live here already.
All this collected data is invaluable to the decision-making process and we share it on a regular basis to potential new businesses, considering expanding to the north Georgia area. We have provided this third-party data for industries, restaurants, retail stores, potential housing projects, developers, hospitality organizations and others to help them make the decision that is, there’s alone to make.
Along those lines, our continued communication with these companies is not public knowledge. Everyone involved is held in a high level of confidentiality because it’s not our decision to share, it is the company’s announcement to share when they decide to locate their operations in Toccoa-Stephens County. There have been times when in the process of gathering information, the contact is made either to local contractors, government agencies, and so forth about a potential new business. Then the information shows up on social media as to who is inquiring about bringing their business to our community. You can rest assured that the reason the news has not been publicly shared is not because we don’t know what’s going on, it’s because we respect the company considering locating here and we understand it is their announcement and when they share the news then we will share their press release with the public. Potential deals have been lost in many other communities because information has been leaked. Therefore, our local leadership intentionally exercises strict confidentiality during the process.
The third-party consultants with whom we work, represent our community on a much grander scale, because of their established relationships with national businesses. The same applies to the relationship the local leadership has with the Georgia Department of Economic Development, where industries first reach out when considering locating in Georgia. Having solid relationships is invaluable when it comes to opportunities for growing our community. Our City and County Commissioners, Stephens County Development Authority, Downtown Development Authority, Main Street Program, and your Chamber of Commerce work diligently, every day to develop and grow our relationships with those who have opportunities to point people in our direction. Georgia is the number one State to do business, nine years running, in the country. This means we are most often on industry, retail, restaurant, and developers short list to consider for expansion. When those opportunities arise, we want Stephens County to be the community they look to and encourage inquiring businesses to consider. They are our advocates in arenas we could never reach.
Likewise, everyone reading this column can also be an advocate for growth in our community. I invite you to join Team Toccoa. For example, when you’re enjoying a meal at a restaurant outside our county or shopping at a store you feel would be a great addition to our community, take the initiative to invite them to consider bringing their company to Toccoa. Ask to speak with the manager or owner of the business and invite them to expand to our community, or ask for the appropriate contact information. Your Chamber of Commerce will be more than happy to reach out to share more about why our community would be a good fit for their business. Your Chamber of Commerce is not only a network for our local business community and responsible for our welcome center, tourism and promotion of our community and the quality of life here, but we also are actively involved in recruiting new business for Toccoa, Stephens County and we can all play a part in that effort.
When people post on social media about moving to our community, asking questions about this and that, be the person who speaks positively about Toccoa-Stephens County. It’s sad when people are empowered behind the keyboard to be naysayers about the community, we call home. Be the one who shares the good news because there is so much good going on in our community. And if you don’t see it, then I challenge you to do your research. Every community faces their own challenges, every community. Focus on the positive we have here which many other communities don’t have the privilege of enjoying. Step away from the keyboard and experience, the beautiful natural resources, and the quality of life we are blessed to experience in Toccoa-Stephens County. And if you hear folks talking about their negative views of our town, and the challenges we face in our community, encourage them to be part of the solution. Help them find a way to play a role in the solution and not just sit back and complain. Let’s lock arms, Toccoa-Stephens County and support the efforts of future development so we can grow together.