City of Grand Rapids issued the following announcement on Jan. 27.
The Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce (GRACC), City of Grand Rapids (City) and Downtown Grand Rapids Inc. (DGRI) today announced progress made through their retention and attraction initiative to cultivate business growth and strengthen the Grand Rapids retail market. Multiple staff enhancements made by the partners will help attract regional and national retailers to Grand Rapids and assist current retailers with growing and strengthening their businesses.
Developing a vibrant retail environment is a critical component of both downtown and neighborhood business economic development strategies shared by the three partners. This strategy aligns with various aspects of the GR Forward plan coordinated by DGRI, the City and Grand Rapids Public Schools. It also aligns with objectives 1 and 2 of the economic prosperity and affordability strategic priority in the City’s strategic plan:
- Support a resilient business environment by optimizing processes and regulations for property development and business-related permitting and approval processes and regulations
- Support the creation, retention and growth of businesses
This morning during a press conference, Grand Rapids Chamber president & CEO Rick Baker announced that Richard App would fill that role. Baker also introduced the Chamber’s new business services coordinator.
Chamber retail, retention and attraction specialist
Richard App has been hired as the retail, retention and attraction specialist who will work to cultivate the retail, retention and attraction plan supported by the City, DGRI and the Chamber. In this role, App will assist current retailers with strengthening their businesses and help attract regional and national retailers to Grand Rapids.
Additionally, App will engage in the following areas:
- Lead a retail market study that will measure the needs and opportunities for Grand Rapids retail
- Pursue, educate and encourage local, regional, national, entrepreneurial and independent retail businesses to locate to downtown Grand Rapids and surrounding neighborhoods
Trinity Clemens has been hired as the business services coordinator at the Grand Rapids Chamber. In this role, Clemens is focused on supporting minority businesses in Grand Rapids through Chamber capacity-building programs. These include ELEVATE Minority Business, ELEVATE Pipeline, West Michigan Minority Contractors and the Equitable Contractor Connect.
Clemens also works to support recruitment for minority programming and collaboration with the Grand Rapids business community.
“We are pleased to be partnering with the City of Grand Rapids and DGRI to bring focus to an important segment of our economy,” Baker said. “Having a member of our team focused on building out a strategy to retain and attract local, regional and national retailers to our commercial neighborhoods is essential to Grand Rapids’ continued growth.”
Grand Rapids City Manager Mark Washington expressed his appreciation for the partnership and detailed how the City also boosted its commitment to serving small, medium and large businesses.
“Business organizations, our customer advisory council and individual customers agree that our development services are easy to access for repeat customers,” Washington said. “We’re now taking the next step to ensure our services are seamless and accessible for new customers, homeowners and businesses of all sizes. We’ve dedicated a great deal of new resources and expertise in these new hires to ensure that our services extend to those trying to do business with us in an equitable way all across the City.”
He then formally announced four City positions dedicated to elevating service.
City customer ombudsperson
Darrell Singleton has filled the newly created position at the City’s Development Center. As customer ombudsperson, Singleton helps elevate the customer service experience for residents and small business owners in Grand Rapids. He serves as a liaison for those seeking City permitting, plan review and inspection services. The position builds on the Development Center’s commitment to excellent customer service by:
- Helping customers identify permitting and application requirements for proposed projects
- Ensuring projects move through the permit and plan review process in a timely manner
- Educating and advising customers on steps they can take to resolve issues and expedite the process
- Identifying opportunities for issue resolution and process improvement
- Assisting small business owners in identifying permitting and licensing requirements
- Working collaboratively with the City’s Economic Development Department to connect customers with available incentives
City business developer
Alvin Hills IV serves as the City’s business developer in the Office of Equity and Engagement – formerly the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
In this role, Hills recruits, directs and assists micro-local business enterprises (MLBE), minority business enterprises (MBE), women-owned business enterprises (WBE), veteran-owned small businesses (VOSB) and small local businesses with obtaining supplier opportunities with the City. These supplier opportunities range from construction, goods and services and professional services. Hills serves as one of the first contacts for businesses to navigate City services in a seamless fashion.
The City’s strategic plan prioritizes increased City spending with MLBEs, MBEs and WBEs. Hill’s work also prioritizes the following strategic outcomes:
- Increase the number of certified MLBEs
- Increase the number of MBEs, WBEs and MWBEs as registered vendors in the City’s purchasing system
- Connect MLBEs to Purchasing, Engineering and other department buyers
- Promote City initiatives designed to increase MLBE spending, such as medical marijuana and Grand River restoration project
- Serve as a liaison for small, minority-, veteran- and women-owned businesses, organizations and community groups
Ciarra Adkins serves as an equity analyst in the Office of Equity and Engagement. Adkins works with City staff and external partners to embed equity into City requests for proposals, contract deliverables, outreach, support services and communications as a strategy to address the problem of inequitable wealth access and creation.
She creates pathways for small, minority and women business owners to engage in sustainable business opportunities for wealth creation as a result of City development. This includes the Equitable Grand River Restoration Initiative.
Adkins’ responsibilities include:
- Leading with equity and applying an equity lens to all river restoration-related projects
- Enhancing existing City services to more explicitly advance equity in bidding, contracting, MLBE utilization and hiring through practice and policy change efforts
- Supporting entrepreneurs and women-owned businesses and business owners of color to access business development support and financial resources
- Creating a power analysis of river restoration dollars spent to determine how much wealth is generated for small businesses, women-owned businesses and business owners of color
- Leveraging dollars for entrepreneurs and businesses owners of color to operate river businesses
- Engaging residents from neighborhoods of focus – 17 census tracts that have concentrated poverty and unemployment – to secure workforce training preparation and employment with contractors for river restoration jobs
Jessica Solis serves as the City’s liaison to provide administrative support for six corridor improvement authorities and one business improvement district. These seven entities, established by the City over the past decade, have each created plans to preserve and enhance the character and physical infrastructure of the City’s neighborhood business districts. Their plans describe specific projects they will undertake that will promote and stimulate economic growth and encourage investment within their districts.
In addition to the staff support, the authorities are provided with revenues from taxes or special assessments paid by property owners to implement their plans. Solis provides guidance and support within City Hall to advance the work of the local stakeholders, who are primarily small business owners.
The work of the boards, supported by the City, has included:
- Infrastructure projects to support mobility
- Streetscape improvements that include public benches, street planters and trees and public art
- Marketing and branding initiatives that include district-branded bike racks and trash cans, holiday decorations and events, and website development
- Neighborhood business directories
- Business training events for local small business owners
- Facade improvement programs
- Activating and supporting business associations
DGRI President & CEO Tim Kelly said the retention and attraction partnership would further business growth and strengthen the local retail market both in downtown and throughout the city.
“Having a strong retail environment is an important goal for downtown,” Kelly said. “In addition to the support DGRI provides through its retail innovation grant program and development incentives, this initiative will help further that goal. We look forward to working together with the City and Chamber to continue supporting businesses.”
DGRI economic development manager
Kyama Kitavi serves as economic development manager for DGRI. In this role, Kitavi works to organize and build effective partnerships and initiatives that ensure the continued growth and vitality of the downtown economy. This work is accomplished by:
- Maintaining and building relationships with downtown property and business owners
- Nurturing strategic alliances with peer economic development agencies
- Honing downtown economic development tools and approaches
- Providing the information and insight necessary for strategic and effective decision-making
“We believe having current market data and a dedicated liaison will help cultivate the retail environment the community desires for downtown,” Kelly said.
Original source can be found here.
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