PAINTSVILLE, Ky. (WYMT) — A brand new partnership introduced Tuesday between One East Kentucky and Retail Strategies goals to assist eight Eastern Kentucky counties with new enterprise alternatives.
A spokesperson for One East Kentucky (OEK) stated the partnership was almost one yr within the making and is necessary in guaranteeing Eastern Kentucky’s vitality, high quality of life and economic success for a few years to return.
“We’re at all times making an attempt to get people to work collectively and break down the silos and people county strains,” stated OEK President CEO Chuck Sexton.
Accoridng to a press release from OEK, the undertaking targets eight Eastern Kentucky counties- Breathitt, Floyd, Harlan, Johnson, Lawrence, Magoffin, Perry and Pike- to recruit new retail and business enterprise alternatives, utilizing Retail Strategies’ “proprietary intelligence, actual property and information evaluation” whereas One East Kentucky helps with the development of recruitment methods so the counties will likely be profitable in recruiting new alternatives that counties’ markets can assist.
“As we proceed to achieve success in recruiting new employers to the area, new major and secondary jobs will likely be created,” stated Sexton. “These new jobs will positively affect the underside strains of each present enterprise in our area, spurring small enterprise development and business progress. We are consistently discovering new alternatives to assist our area’s communities and past and our continued recruitment success will necessitate progress in different areas like retail, restaurant, healthcare, residential, and hospitality.”
Retail Strategies was based in 2011 with a mission to assist in giving communities throughout the United States a bonus in attracting companies, by placing to work its actual property experience, information, and retail expertise in business development.
“Through our work with communities now we have seen retail work as a catalyst for economic development,” stated Sarah Beth Thornton, vice chairman of enterprise development for Retail Strategies. “We applaud One East Kentucky for incorporating retail and restaurant recruitment as part of their conventional economic development strategy. Through the schooling of Retail Academy, metropolis and county leaders will likely be armed with the instruments essential to ‘converse retail’ and actually perceive the alternatives that exist inside their markets.”
The undertaking is made potential by One East Kentucky’s Appalachian Regional Commission grant awarded in 2020, which Sexton stated was solely awarded because of the diligent work of his staff, like Director of Regional Development Ivy Stanley.
“Each rural group has their very own particular challenges, however they’re all associated. And what individuals, I’m hoping, are starting to understand, is that the way forward for Kentucky is rural,” Stanley stated. “We are solely as robust as we’re once we stand collectively.”
The retail research tackle areas of development exterior of business recruitment and retention, incorporating webinars, coaching, and different assets to deliver economic development leaders to the desk collectively.
“Everybody has sort of the same path that they’re heading in direction of. They have related targets they need to accomplish. And we need to present all of them with those self same assets,” stated Sexton. “But what we wished to do is be sure that we’re offering them with the instruments that they want as they proceed to attempt to see retail develop, but additionally help small companies and entrepreneurs.”
Working with Retail Strategies, One East Kentucky will research details about the area, equivalent to retail leakage and surplus, retail tendencies, market viability, buyer personas, and the very best and greatest use of probably the most marketable items of business actual property within the area.
The data then is used to check the area’s communities with related communities experiencing success and will likely be packaged for advertising every group to pre-qualified alternatives which have skilled progress and success in comparable markets.
Sexton stated it’s about seeing what works on one entrance porch and incorporating those self same concepts into the remainder of the neighborhood- which is why the undertaking is specializing in a number of the areas with probably the most capital by way of enterprise and economic development progress through the years.
As present entrepreneurs, small companies and retailers are navigating COVID-19 and planning for the post-pandemic future, a digital useful resource instrument equipment will likely be made out there for Eastern Kentucky companies as part of the undertaking, with data like digital advertising tendencies, success methods and social media optimization.
Additionally, an in depth webinar protecting omnichannel retail methods and dialogue relating to present pain-points with a real-time digital query and reply session with retail business consultants will likely be scheduled someday later this yr.
“One Harlan County is wanting ahead to this chance and a brand new partnership with One East Kentucky which is able to bolster our native economic development efforts,” stated Colby Kirk, government director of One Harlan County. “One East Kentucky’s robust imaginative and prescient for the area and their capacity to attach native communities with companies like Retail Strategies will result in optimistic outcomes in Eastern Kentucky. I’m excited for the affect this undertaking will make in Harlan County in serving to our group higher recruit new jobs to the group and supply larger ranges of assist for our present, domestically owned companies.”
An necessary side of the undertaking additionally consists of the Retail Academy — Retail Strategies’ online-based retail recruitment schooling platform for the area’s group leaders.
The platform helps native communities additional perceive retail recruitment intricacies and put personalized strategic plans and techniques to work to assist guarantee a shiny future for the mountains of Kentucky.
One East Kentucky’s not too long ago introduced enterprise retention and enlargement program can also be integral to the undertaking’s success. Kick-off will happen within the subsequent six months, adopted by native communities’ recruitment efforts and dealing with One East Kentucky and Retail Strategies by the subsequent a number of years.
For extra details about this partnership, One East Kentucky or its nine-county area, contact Chuck Sexton at 606-886-7333 or [email protected].
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