Columbia Seeks New Business at Midwest Trade Show

The City of Columbia participated in Kansas City this week in a trade show sponsored by the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), the global trade association for the retail industry.  The Heartland States Idea Exchange, which migrates each year between Omaha, Kansas City and St. Louis, offers one of the Midwest's best opportunities to learn about trends in retailing and to meet national and regional retailers who may be looking to expand into new locations.

Paul Ellis, Columbia's Director of Community & Economic Development, attended the event for the second year running.  This year, he was prepared with display materials and virtual magazines (on attractive mini-CDs) offering economic and community information. About 250 businesspeople attended the event--roughly 20% retailers, 60% brokers (some of whom were representing retailers), and 20% representatives from cities like Columbia and Grain Valley, MO. The event included workshops, roundtable discussions and an afternoon deal-making session with about 60 exhibitors.

Columbia's results from the Kansas City event include leads from a number of restaurants, sporting goods stores, discount merchandisers and even a national bookstore.  Ellis will now be working with local real estate professionals and building owners to turn these leads into tenants.

Small Town Guru Jack Schultz to Visit Columbia February 8th

Jack Schultz, nationally acclaimed author of Boomtown USA: The 7 ½ Keys to Big Success in Small Towns, will be the keynote speaker at a special forum for the Monroe County Economic Development Council (MCEDC) on Monday, February 8th at The Falls Reception and Conference Center in Columbia.

The forum is sponsored by Midland States Bank. Doors will open at 7:00 a.m. and the event will conclude around 9:00 a.m.

Schultz, founder and CEO of Agracel, Inc., an industrial development firm specializing in rural America, is a top economic development authority on small towns just like those in Monroe County. His book has already inspired many communities to find their own vision.

The Boomtown USA project took more than three years of research beginning with 15,800 small towns across the country. Schultz narrowed the list down to a group of 397 outstanding small towns he calls "agurbs"--communities that were growing and offering opportunities to their young people while others were turning into ghost towns. His research has been featured in USA Today, Forbes and BusinessWeek (among others), and he has been a guest on numerous radio and television programs including Bloomberg Business Television.

Schultz has taken his message on the road to more than 300 communities in 44 states since 2004. In 2005, Schultz was named Ernst & Young’s Illinois Entrepreneur of the Year and in 2006 he received the Beta Gamma Sigma Medallion for Entrepreneurship.

His company, Agracel, has completed projects in 14 states, owning seven million square feet of industrial space, which has facilitated more than 5,000 jobs. The company owns 15 business parks and a short line railroad.

At the upcoming Monroe County forum, Schultz will talk about the characteristics of towns that are successful as well as the importance of encouraging an entrepreneurial approach in the community. He will also share reasons why it is vital to support local businesses and ideas about how small towns can survive and thrive during hard economic times.

Attendees can register for the event by going to the U of I Extension-Monroe County website, via email or by calling 618-939-3434.

Coleman Memorial Plans--and Funding--Are Progressing

Slightly more than six months after the murders of Sheri Coleman and her two sons, plans are progressing to create a lasting memorial to the victims in one of Columbia's parks.

Yesterday evening, Meegan Turnbeaugh--one of Sheri Coleman's best friends--met with the City's Play Commission to update them on her progress to date in planning and funding a memorial pavilion.  Meegan has formed a not-for-profit organization called SheriAnnHerBoys which has raised $30,000 to date, she reported; while the project's ultimate goal is $300,000, she hopes the memorial really won't cost that much--especially since she's heard from companies offering free materials and labor.

With the help of architect Killian Smith of St. Louis, Meegan's group has developed plans for a 51-foot pavilion that they are proposing to erect in Columbia's Bolm-Schuhkraft Park, a favorite gathering place for the Colemans.  As plans for the memorial progress, Meegan promised to work with the City to settle on a specific site within the 44.5-acre park.

Click here to read the report on the meeting filed by KMOV-TV in St. Louis.

Sounds Like a Plan (2010)

The Columbia City Council last evening approved the Community & Economic Development Department's 2010 Strategic Plan with a unanimous vote--here are the goals and objectives from the plan:

1. Encourage new businesses to form and grow in Columbia--work with the Monroe County Economic Development Council to develop program(s) that will encourage and support local entrepreneurs;
2. Retain businesses in the City of Columbia by supporting their long-term success--encourage Columbia’s citizens to support local businesses; provide direct services to current businesses; and support expansion of current businesses through loans and incentives, where appropriate;
3. Recruit new businesses to the community--maintain and distribute timely information on Columbia’s demographics, business mix, and economic potential; market available sites and buildings for businesses looking to expand and/or locate; and work with regional partners to recruit new offices/headquarters and retailers;
4. Stimulate more commercial activity on Main Street--enhance design consistency and historic character of the corridor; and increase private investment in Main St. properties;
5. Develop and market local tourist facilities that will entice visitors and locals to learn more about Columbia’s history and heritage--market Columbia and Monroe County as a tourist destination;
6. Expand resources for parks & recreational uses to make Columbia “a great place to play”--develop long-term facilities for youth, senior citizens and other community members; and pursue designation as a “Play City USA” and a “Tree City USA”;
7. Develop and implement a long-term strategic plan for municipal buildings--seek the community’s long-term preferred uses for properties; and pursue community goals for the Miller-Fiege Home;
8. Support community activities, celebrate milestones and add to the local quality of life--employ strategic analysis for all events to build traffic and increase economic returns to the community.

To support these goals and objectives, the Strategic Plan proposes the following activities:

* Continue to support “Think Monroe County First!”
* Continue the business retention program through the Monroe County Economic Development Council
* Continue to administer the Admiral Trost Redevelopment Area
* Maintain/expand the Revolving Loan Fund
* Develop City policy for awarding incentives
* Update community profile with the Illinois Department of Community & Economic Opportunity (DCEO)
* Assist in recruiting a full-service restaurant to support local lodging
* Identify and/or help develop new buildings and sites that will be appropriate and ready for new or expanding business operations
* Maintain listings via Location One Information Services (LOIS)
* Broaden Columbia’s visibility within the Greater St. Louis region
* Develop a comprehensive Main Street redevelopment strategy that includes market analysis, targeted street/building improvements and planning for adequate parking/transit service
* Explore use of incentives to support the Main Street strategy
* Secure attraction signage from I-255 and IL-3 to Columbia destinations
* Open the Monroe County Welcome Center
* Initiate a strategic marketing campaign to increase use of lodging and conference facilities
* Identify and evaluate sites for a community center
* Develop a comprehensive program of grants, planned giving and other mechanisms to fund long-term improvements
* Complete a leasing/improvement plan for the Oak Street Building
* Continue to explore highest and best use of other City-owned properties
* Secure National Register status for the Miller-Fiege Home
* Complete transition of the Miller-Fiege Home into a municipal history museum

Segobiano is New Schools Head

The Columbia Unit School District has hired Gina Segobiano of Belleville as its new superintendent.  She is currently superintendent of Harmony Emge School District #175, which serves approximately 800 students ranging from preschool through eighth grade.

Segobiano's education background includes a bachelor of science degree in elementary education from Western Illinois University, a master's degree in school administration from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, and a doctoral degree from St. Louis University. She worked six years as a fifth grade teacher at Signal Hill School District #181, then served as Signal Hill's principal for ten years before becoming that district's superintendent for three years. Segobiano came to her current position at the beginning of the 2006-2007 school year.

Segobiano will be replacing Ed Settles, who has accepted the positon as superintendent of Jersey Community Unit School District #100, effective July 1st.  Segobiano is married, and her husband is an Edward Jones investment representative. They have two children: Kelli and Scott. Kelli attends the University of Illinois and Scott attends Belleville West High School.

School District Board to Preview Higher Taxes, New Leader

Residents and business owners may be especially interested in what the Columbia Unit School District Board of Directors has scheduled for this coming Thursday evening, December 17th.

First, the school board will be holding a public hearing regarding a tax levy increase to 15.81% on the following schedule:

6:45 p.m. (Tax Levy Hearing)

7:00 p.m. (Regular Board Meeting)

Later, the board is expected to name a new district superintendent during their regular meeting.  Current superintendent Ed Settles announced in September that he was stepping down to become superintendent of the Jerseyville School District.

The district office has now moved to Columbia High School (77 Veterans Parkway), and the Board of Education meets in Room 114.

Wold's 'Twelve Ways of Christmas' for Merchants

Small business expert Barbara Wold offers the following twelve ways to increase sales for merchants as we enter the "home stretch" to Christmas:

1. Have all salespeople read company ads, catalogs and distributed literature before customers come in with questions and inquiries...and check out the ads of the competition--if your competitor has a Facebook page, become a fan so you know what information it is passing on to customers;
2. Establish dress codes for employees and enforce them; employees are the representatives of the business and should project the image you want to convey;
3. Greet everyone who walks through the door with five different greetings so customers don't hear the same greeting over and over when shopping; have employees identify themselves when answering the phone to add a professional touch and provide the caller with a personal connection on the other end of the line;
4. Clean up the cash-wrap area as you go and put everything in its place--customers will be concerned about transaction accuracy  if this area is a mess;
5. Listen, really listen, to customers; if you don't really listen and show customers the wrong merchandise, they will assume you don't have what they are looking for and leave without buying anything;
6. Stock and clean during hours when the store is not open; doing these chores when the store is open is inconsiderate to shoppers and doesn't convey a professional image;
7. Stay in contact with your customer base--contact customers who shop in your store regularly, by email or regular mail, and call your very best customers yourself--and build your database; it's a very busy time of year, but don't forget to capture customers contact info to grow your database;
8. Add at least 30% more store and window display lighting in your store; it will affect the way your store looks and help sell more product…and it can be as easy as replacing light bulbs that have burnt out.
9. Get everyone on board--ensure that everyone in the organization understands what the winning advantage is and what their role is in supporting it--and focus on selling; teach your staff to show just one more item to every customer that they talk to (don’t forget add-on sales at the cash register);
10. Tone in the store--strive for enthusiastic, happy staff all pulling together to achieve this Holidays Seasons' goals with a focus on exceptional customer service;
11. Hands free shopping--offer customers a basket, a bag or cart, and take your customer’s coats and other bags--do whatever it takes to make your customers feel wanted and cared for; creating this type of shopping experience will keep customers in your store longer and will increase sales;
12. Set daily sales targets, and share them with your staff--they should know what is expected of them--but remember that you alone are the driving force in your business; get out on the sales floor more often over the next weeks and watch your sales increase!