Stockton Missouri

Elmwood Response?

Utica Il

I will continue and explore each of these priorities, although some of the implementation strategies may overlap within the five priorities I will try not be repetitive.

A Business Development Strategy

to Revitalize the Downtown Business District

I welcome your input, which I will publish here, if you want to email me.

I will probably be revising this over the next couple of days, it seems I have to reword, correct spelling, and clarify anything I write over several days. I do hope my edits lead to better writing; sometimes it seems the end result still makes the concept of better writing a debatable issue.

Five top priorities of a successful economic plan

1) Increasing profitability of Elmwood businesses

2) Twenty-first century business recruitment

3) Tri-generational sustainable development

4) Synergy in multiple economic enterprises

5) Raising Elmwood's standard of living

Business Recruitment

An aggressive campaign of business recruitment must be pursued if Elmwood's economic model is to change. If Elmwood's economic model does not change, then Elmwood will enter a slow lingering death as an economic center. There are any number of businesses that could thrive in Elmwood. Elmwood has many advantages to offer potential businesses. We need to offer ways to manage costs as outlined in the profitability segment. We will appear as a low cost location to some businesses if they have been operating in urban centers or regions where real estate prices are high.

Send Your Elmwood Recovery Ideas

Study Other Recovered Communities

Greensburg KS

Parkersburg IA

Utica Il

Elmwood is a location of higher productivity for many businesses than where they currently operate. Life hassles are lower; a work force can be focused on business problems not life issues. Healthier lifestyles and more family time can add to any enterprise's overall satisfaction and sense of achievement. After all in the end, it what you accomplish, not where you live that makes a successful business.

In the survey results report one of my ideas came out as ipod repair. It was not that I thought Elmwood was a haven of broken ipods. It was an example of the ideal type of business we need to recruit. The business model is that people ship them broken ipods and after the ipods are fixed they are shipped back. The Internet is the main way to interact with this business, so could they operate in Elmwood? The answer is clearly, yes. Are they a retail enterprise, not really. Should Elmwood be knocking on their door? Yes, of course, and we need a group, committee, or representative that does this. Elmwood should have been doing this starting June 6th.

Businesses that are creative or collaborative groups whose storefront is the Internet are ideal firms to recruit to Elmwood. We are close to the Peoria Airport, Amtrak in Galesburg, and not far from I-74. A business might demand Elmwood have a shuttle service to the airport or train station, if they are to locate here. If that will get a business to relocate, then we should start one. We need to listen to the needs of businesses we recruit, and offer creative solutions to meet their needs. Elmwood is relatively close to the Illinois River, but no one thinks of the rivers as a method of travel. This was not true when Elmwood began. So when looking for 21st Century businesses or planning what will be vital to Elmwood in 2110; it is good to remember how much can change in one hundred years. A segue to tri-generational sustainable development which is my next topic.