The City of Perryville is open for business.
During the latest Perryville Board of Aldermen meeting, Perry County Economic Development Authority Executive Director Crystal Jones presented the board with a strategy for continued growth in the community.
Jones would partner with Retail Strategies to recruit retail businesses in the future. The proposal is a three year non-binding commitment (the city can cancel after each year). The first year the city will pay $50,000 in the first year as a cost share with Perry County to recruit larger retail business to the area.
“In year one they would provide us with a lot of data,” Jones said. “What businesses are people going out-of-town to visit because we don’t have those types of businesses in Perryville? This is an effort to keep those dollars local rather than a person driving to Cape for a suit or a tie. The business would also meet with landowners to find out what needs to go where. They would then go to franchise businesses and get them to come here.”
Jones said such a partnership would take more than one year to get a business to come to Perryville.
“To temper expectations, we can’t really expect them to land someone like Marshalls for us,” Jones said. “It takes some time to do these things. That’s why they want the three-year commitment. About the third year is when they started to see some progress.”
Jones said she will work with the firm to make sure they don’t suggest a business that would compete with a local business.
“They will not go after a business that we don’t want,” Jones said. “We don’t need grocery stores or something like that. They will go after someone that we feel like we need.”
Jones mentioned that a sit-down restaurant on the interstate or a clothing store would be of interest.
Some aldermen voiced opinions that Perryville “sells itself.”
“I’m not sure we need to spend that type of money to have someone go find business for us,” Aldermen Tom Guth said. “I understand that if we get one, then the tax pays for itself. I’m just skeptical.”
The board approved the project after the presentation.
“I like it as long we have some control,” Rice said.
