2015.11.04 EDC Packet Combined - Laserfiche WebLink

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OPEN TO BUSINESS A New Approach in Scott County In 2013 a group of merchants in downtown New Prague got together to form their own organization - Shops on Main. During their early months, SOM members met informally to discuss promotional ideas and other opportunities for joint activities. September 2014 P�s SHO NEW In February of this year, they contacted Open to Business and asked if they could get staff support for their group as a whole. Christine Pigsley, Scott County's OTB Advisor readily agreed. "I thought that sounded like a great opportunity to create economies of scale with our program resources and to leverage collective action for better economic development outcomes," Christine said. Now, the Scott County group meets with Christine every other month to work on a collective marketing plan and other issues that affect the group as whole, like social media and data privacy. "We are moving ahead," she adds. "I think Shops on Main is making a real difference in New Prague. " Spreading the word in Inver Grove Heights Tom Link looks back at last year's roll out of Open to Business in Inver Grove Heights, and remembers early on that the city's new Program was not having much of an impact. "We were just not getting the response that we wanted," recalls Link, the city's Community Development Director. In order to spread the word about the new business support effort, Link brought together some colleagues to brain storm about ways to give Open to Business more visibility in Inver Grove Heights_ The group included the Riverview Chamber's Jennifer Gale and OTB's Dakota County Advisor Laurie Crow.