At the March 7 meeting of the Mayor’s Task Force on Economic Development, Chair Sandy Martin noted a person looking only at statistics could infer Eureka Springs is old and poor with a high crime rate. She insisted the Task Force needed to change that perception.
To that end, Martin guided those present through a draft of a document she developed, the Community Marketing Profile. The 17-page prospectus, which can be viewed from the eurekaspringsliveworkplay.us site, provides extensive data and commentary on reasons folks choose to live and do business in Eureka Springs.
The document gives a glimpse into historical significance while identifying local sites and activities. Martin also drew from a Tapestry Segmentation concept that identifies features beyond demographics, such as socioeconomic traits that provide more perspectives about a community.
She detailed aspects of retirement communities and rural resort dwellers, for example, as well as the advantages of being surrounded by “the great outdoors.” Graphics illustrate the benefits of our creative economic base, which provides “a solid foundation for entrepreneurs, start-ups, organizations and independent contractors. At the heart of the creative economy are the cultural and creative industries that lie at the crossroads of arts, culture, business and technology.”
She said raw data about the town “is screwed up” and incomplete, and it was time to let the world know “we’ve got a story to tell.”
Jay Fusaro of the Good Shepherd Humane Society pointed out Eureka Springs is a safe place, especially compared to large cities. He said visitors could simply look at the local newspapers and see for themselves not many places have what Eureka Springs has to offer. Fusaro also suggested adding the list of local nonprofits to the Profile, and alderman Terry McClung noted that list would give newcomers an idea of where they could volunteer. Mayor Butch Berry suggested adding the long list of local nonprofits.
Martin said she would make the Profile available online so anyone could make use of it.
Main Street Eureka Springs Director Jacqueline Wolven stated there is a difference between promoting the town to prospective businesses and to possible residents, which prompted City Advertising and Promotion Commission Chair Susan Harman to suggest making the Profile into a flexible document so individual pages could be used collectively or separately in any combination.
This idea was well-received, but Dan Hebert pointed out prospective companies would be concerned about quality of life issues as well as the business landscape because they might have to attract employees to move here.
McClung said their message should reinforce the idea that less is more, which Fusaro backed up by reminding the group how difficult it is to drive anywhere in Dallas.
A discussion about available housing and downtown retail space made Eureka Springs seem like an expensive challenge to anyone wanting to move here. Realtor and Planning commissioner Woodie Acord remarked Fayetteville is awash with tract homes and Eureka Springs has custom homes built on hills.
Martin returned to telling the story as best they can, and said they could add testimonial videos to the website with stories from folks who chose to move here. Wolven said the town is not telling its story well, so testimonials would work. She committed to compiling a list of locals who could tell why they moved here and how it has worked out. She urged the Task Force to produce press releases and videos, as “We need to get positive stories out there.”
CAPC Executive Director Mike Maloney pointed out local newspapers do positive stories about locals, but Wolven said she wanted more than just reporting. She was looking for new strategies.
Martin asked the group what stories were out there, and from around the room came example after example of transplants who moved in and succeeded here. Fusaro made note of the variety of narratives they had mentioned so quickly, which indicated there were indeed anecdotes worth hearing. He suggested the liveworkplay site could feature a business of the month with the accompanying backstory. Others advised social media as an avenue for getting the word out.
Martin brought the discussion back to economic development. She said the Profile would be important for educating businesses they would like to recruit to fill in the blanks left by retail leakage, which means loss of tax revenue. One of their goals should be to bring businesses to town.
Some categories that seemed obvious to her included outdoor-related businesses and electronics. She also mentioned helping existing local businesses adapt to become more attractive and profitable.
Berry pointed out locals commute to backwater communities like Metalton and Rudd because there is work there, so it is not necessary for a town to have everything to attract an important employer.
Martin added, “Eureka Springs does not need big major wins to make a huge difference, and the small new ones become our recruiters.” She said it was time to make appointments.
The group agreed to meet every other month, and at the next meeting they will identify specific targets and teams to make the pitch.
Date of the next meeting to be announced.