Partnerships Open Doors to Phelps County

Now that Phelps County has a 134-acre business and industry park, volunteers and staff have amped up marketing efforts to recruit businesses looking to expand or relocate.

In addition to staff and volunteer legwork, PCDC has partnered with two companies to help market the county’s business potential to the world.

The Community Venture Network partnership matches businesses looking to grow with economic development professionals seeking to attract companies to their communities. They do this by arranging “shark tank” style meetings between business owners and economic development professionals.

In August, PCDC Executive Director Monica Boyken attended the first “shark-tank” with the Community Venture Network, where she heard presentations from eight business owners.

Among the eight were a company that makes portable solar-energy units, a company looking for a site to offer mechanic training for vehicles operated by alternative fuels and a company that manufactures a self-driving tractor without the use of GPS.

Boyken said two of the eight companies weren’t a good fit for Phelps County, but she has reached out to the other six companies to offer more information.

Another PCDC collaboration is with the Site Location Partnership, which focuses on marketing communities and business sites for economic development organizations around the country.

The Site Location Partnership displays PCDC’s information at trade shows around the country and is working on developing a data base of companies that match Phelps County’s target industries.

Boyken said that one difference between when she started seven years ago and today is that most companies who are looking for a new location do their own research on the internet instead of seeking requests for proposals.

PCDC launched an industry recruitment web site in the summer of 2014 for just that purpose. The site (www.phelpscountyne.com) offers information specifically tailored to business owners and entrepreneurs.

Working with the Community Venture Network and Site Location Partnership encourages businesses to consider and discover more about Phelps County.

“It’s a way we can attract businesses without having to rely on them seeking us out,” she said.

Written by Kristine Jacobson for PCDC