ED-Central


In This Issue


- Apply Now to Host Rural Economic & Tourism Development Seminar
- Plan a Tour of Funding Agencies to Promote Your Plans, Secure Support




The Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) established the TARGET program to provide technical assistance to rural and underserved communities in need of support to bolster their economic development initiatives. The program provides a wide range of assistance services, from devising a community economic development strategy to creating a marketing plan or performing a study to assess the market value of a regional airport or similar asset. In this issue of ED-Central, we feature brief reports on four such projects in hopes of inspiring other communities to come forward with their needs. The TARGET program aims to serve Texas, so if your community is in need of assistance, please contact us at info@ed-central.com.

Apply Now to Host Rural Economic & Tourism Development Seminar

The inaugural Rural Economic and Tourism Development Seminar in Van Horn was a resounding success. Participants came away from the event with a new perspective about development opportunities and approaches for their communities and an expanded network of colleagues and experts to help them achieve their goals. As host of the event, Van Horn had the opportunity to showcase some of its development efforts and reach other regional partners to foster partnerships for collaboration.

If your community is a leader in your region’s economic development efforts or if you seek to be, hosting the Rural Economic Development Seminar will be an excellent opportunity to generate momentum for your program and network with peers from throughout your region and experts from across the state. To learn more about hosting the seminar and apply to become a host community, click here to download the application and return it to info@ed-central.com or fax it to 979-845-3559. .

Plan a Tour of Funding Agencies to Promote Your Plans, Secure Support

Few things are more important to a successful economic development strategy than networking – with funding agencies and granting organizations, industry associations and state representatives. State agencies like TEEX and others are charged with supporting local governments and often struggle to identify communities that are ready and qualified to receive funding and generate successes. By making a point to visit these entities and sharing your plan, you’ll open up a broad range of opportunities for funding and other forms of support. One note, before you go, be sure you know what you need from them or have a summary of your economic development plan to share so they can identify ways they can offer assistance. If you don’t have a plan in place, consider partnering with TEEX and the ED-Central team to establish your plan. It’s the first step toward opening doors to resources for your community.

The Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX) established the TARGET program to provide technical assistance to rural and underserved communities in need of support to bolster their economic development initiatives. The program provides a wide range of assistance services, from devising a community economic development strategy to creating a marketing plan or performing a study to assess the market value of a regional airport or similar asset. In this issue of ED-Central, we feature brief reports on four such projects in hopes of inspiring other communities to come forward with their needs. The TARGET program aims to serve Texas, so if your community is in need of assistance, please contact us at info@ed-central.com.

Van Horn – Road Improvements and Beautification Concept Development

As part of its ongoing economic development initiative, Van Horn needed a plan for beautification that would complement the branding strategy and could be implemented throughout the entire community in order to create a strong sense of place. TEEX conducted preliminary research and performed a site assessment to establish realistic and viable streetscape and landscape design improvement concepts in support of Van Horn’s ongoing beautification strategy. Through the course of the project, TEEX representatives conducted site visits, documented the existing settings, interviewed local residents and conferred with agencies such as the Texas Department of Transportation and the Texas Historical Commission and other entities in order to establish a reasonable design strategy for road improvements and beautification within Van Horn.

The project resulted in a presentation to the City Council offering a number of conceptual ideas for streetscapes, signage and plant selection to be encouraged throughout the community. Van Horn received a set of posters and artwork for use in displaying the concepts to the local community and in securing funding to support design and implementation of beautification plan for the community.

Hearne – Market Study of Hearne Municipal Airport

The City of Hearne counts among its resources a municipal airport that may be an asset worth developing in support of the community’s economic development strategy. TEEX conducted a market study of the Hearne Municipal Airport, researching the types of markets that might benefit from use of the facility. TEEX representatives investigated and acquired intelligence on the plans of other communities in the region pertaining to their airports in order to provide information that would help the City of Hearne determine their competitive position in the marketplace. They interviewed knowledgeable industry representatives and area businesses to determine perceptions and market interest in the Hearne Municipal Airport and document best practices for municipal airport operations.

The project resulted in the development and documentation of requirements and attributes necessary for the City of Hearne and the Hearne Municipal Airport to be attractive to potential customers and developers and compete effectively in that market.

Fort Stockton – Marketing Assessment, Promotion Plan and Web Presence

The City of Fort Stockton is enjoying an economic development boom, with industries moving in to take advantage of the community’s rich natural resources and proximity for established transportation corridors. Fort Stockton also enjoys a strong tourism base, being located on the route to two national parks and home to historic Fort Stockton and other heritage tourism attractions as well as host to two major Texas road races. Fort Stockton has a great story to tell but needed to document where they are now related to demographics and industrial base and define a short term strategy for building awareness about the community’s quality of life and tourism and recreational opportunities.

TEEX representatives interviewed local representatives to garner an understanding of existing marketing practices and inventoried and examined the town’s assets and the barriers, challenges related to marketing the community to prospective residents and travelers alike. The project resulted in the documentation of baseline statistics regarding demographic trends and delivery of marketing plan including a recommended architecture and approach to online marketing of the community’s economic development corporation, tourism opportunities and the city as a whole.

Henrietta – Baseline Assessment and Community Development Workshop & Plan

Henrietta has successfully secured and executed a number of community development grants and attracted a national chain hotel but needed assistance to define the best strategies for focusing their limited but growing economic development resources. TEEX conducted a baseline assessment to document the community’s assets and demographic trends. This became the basis for research conducted by TEEX representatives aimed at identifying potential development opportunities. Representatives made a preliminary visit to Henrietta to visit with community representatives and tour the town and surrounding areas. TEEX then conducted a series of workshops with local representatives wherein they were invited to share and rank priorities for development of their community. Finally, TEEX hosted representatives for a best practices tour of venues with attributes similar to what could be developed in Henrietta.

The project will result in the documentation and prioritization of Henrietta’s economic and community development strategy, with prioritized projects and recommendations plan implementation.

About the Author Joan Tatge is the Director of Communications for AdventGX Corporation, an economic and tourism development consulting firm located in College Station, Texas. Joan may be reached via email at joantatge@adventgx.com.