The Brownwood City Council unanimously agreed on Tuesday to partner with the Brownwood Economic Development Corporation and the Brownwood Area Chamber of Commerce to hire the retail consulting firm, The Retail Coach. The Chamber board approved their participation in the partnership on Monday while the BEDC gave its approval last week.
This approval means that each entity will contribute $15,000 to hire The Retail Coach to conduct a retail market analysis to help recruit new retail to the area and to offer support to existing retailers.
“I personally contacted five cities and counties that have used The Retail Coach and all of them spoke very highly of their capabilities and abilities,” stated City Manager Bobby Rountree. “They said that they had a good working relationship with them, they mentioned Aaron Farmer and Kelly Cofer specifically and the work that they did. They did come with good references.”
More than half of the cost to the city will be taken from a 1980s housing rehabilitation program (that is no longer in existence) which has a balance of $9,900 in unspent funds. The remaining $5100 of the City’s portion will come from reserves and a budget amendment will be presented to the council at the end of the year.
Both Mayor Stephen Haynes and Rountree addressed concerns of the current budget shortfalls noting the importance of bringing more retail business to the city.
“The only way to expand our city budget is to grow revenue,” stated Haynes.
“If we don’t try to create more retail and add more sales tax, we will be in the same spot next year,” stated Rountree.
The City’s Retail Advisory Committee (RAC) was formed by the City in October of 2010 with the mission to study what other communities are doing successfully and make a recommendation to the City Council on what cost-effective measures may be employed by the City to encourage and promote retail growth.
The committee has researched the benefits, costs, and success rates of hiring a retail consultant for the City. After meeting with and/or researching several consulting firms, the committee voted to recommend the hiring of The Retail Coach as a retail consulting firm for Brownwood at a cost of $45,000. The committee recommended that this cost be split three ways by the City, Chamber, and BEDC.
Officials said that Chamber board members had a lengthy and detailed discussion about this process at their meeting on Monday.
“After careful research, review, and reflection; the Brownwood Chamber board voted unanimously to contribute $15,000 to help fund a collaborative effort by the City, BEDC and Chamber to support and grow local retailers and to recruit new retailers to Brownwood,” said Chamber Board President Dr. Don Bostic in a statement. “I was really impressed with the board members’ diligence in making this decision through this inclusive and collaborative process.”
Representatives from the Retail Advisory Committee stated that The Retail Coach offered a more well rounded and proactive service above the other firms researched. The Retail Coach will help the City not only actively recruit retail, but will offer support services to existing small businesses in Brownwood and conduct a downtown analysis and a Howard Payne University student spending survey.
With this approval, Mayor Stephen Haynes was authorized to sign the agreement with the retail consulting firm which will last for an 18 month term.
