Holts Summit aims to bring in more retail business

City considers seeking help of consulting firms

Holts Summit's main economic hub - the Simon and South Summit intersection - has multiple businesses to draw customers in. However, it has multiple open storefronts, too. The city is making further efforts to bring more businesses to the community.
Holts Summit's main economic hub - the Simon and South Summit intersection - has multiple businesses to draw customers in. However, it has multiple open storefronts, too. The city is making further efforts to bring more businesses to the community.

photo

Van Buren Police Department

Justin Patrick Welch

Holts Summit's main economic hub - the Simon and South Summit intersection - has multiple businesses including a Dollar General, Break Time gas station and Subway. City Administrator Brian Crane said the intersection has more businesses than it did a few years ago. However, there are still many "for lease" signs and vacant lots.

"If you look at every corner of that main intersection, we have a lot available. And a lot of growth potential," Crane said. "It's a matter of how do we tap into that growth potential and attract some businesses that want to invest in our community and provide a service to our citizens that make their quality of life better."

For the last few years, Crane said the city has been trying to figure out how to boost retail development in the city. Last year, the mayor and board of aldermen decided the city would take a "more active role" in the Fulton Area Chamber of Commerce. The city also entered into a contract with the Fulton Area Development Corp. to gather help the city with economic development activities. Those relationships and networking, Crane said, have helped the city see more partnership opportunities.

"The FADC is a good thing and will help us out tremendously with economic development in this area, but the retail end of it is a very time consuming, strategic network with different companies," Crane said.

While those efforts are helping, Crane said the city wants to do more.

"We still see that we have a gap as far as what we can do," Crane said.

The city has been looking into different consulting firms for further help. The firms would create an analysis of what types of retail businesses are in the city and, given the city's population, where potential gaps are in other types of businesses the city could support. Then, that information can be used to solicit businesses to come to Holts Summit. The consulting firms also have the option to solicit businesses for the city. The firms contact franchise businesses and give their pitch for why the business should consider opening in Holts Summit.

"That's one of the things we've always been challenged with. While we have a big population in Holts Summit and around Holts Summit, if you pull us up online you might just see a town of 3300 but we have a lot more going on that gets lost unless you have some consultant using their contacts to pitch Holts Summit," Crane said.

Crane said the consulting firms can be expensive. Hiring the firm to just do the analysis isn't too expensive. However, if the firm solicits businesses to come to the city, the cost can go up. Crane said hiring a firm to do at least the analysis part of it is less money for the city than the city hiring an employee to do it for them.

"We're still in the infancy stage of this. We might take this approach to FADC and look at doing this more on a regional basis and partnering with different communities," Crane said.

He said multiple Callaway County communities coming together to look at retail strategies could be beneficial.

"I'm sure Fulton, Kingdom City and most of us in Callaway County are struggling with the same retail development issues," Crane said.

With no property tax and the city depending so heavily on its sales tax base, Crane said the city will benefit from more retail businesses.

"That (sales tax) has to carry the lion-share of some of our functions," Crane said.

Furthermore, he said adding certain types of business that are currently lacking from the community can improve the quality of life for Holts Summit residents.

Past improvements and looking at what's next

Last year, Subway moved from another plaza in Holts Summit and into the old movie theater building, which sat empty for years. While that isn't a new business opening, Crane said Subway moving into a once vacant building in the town's main hub of economic activity - the Simon and South Summit intersection - was good for the city.

"Now we've got a little bit more activity on that intersection," Crane said.

He said Break Time did some work to its building at that intersection a few years ago, and since then the city has seen more businesses come into that same plaza.

Crane said the city spent a lot of resources the past two years toward the Pro Foods project - which became the largest employer in the city.

"We focused a lot of our time and resources at building the infrastructure and putting in place an economic development package for Pro Foods that worked for them and kept them in Holts Summit," Crane said.

Now that the city is finished with that project, Crane said the city is looking at what's next. The city, he added, has thought about ways to solicit a YMCA or other fitness center to open in the community. The city has invested in the parks and recreational activities the past several years. Crane said it did so in the hope that such an investment would encourage people to come to Holts Summit and invest in the community.

While the city is looking to franchise businesses in its efforts to increase retail presence Crane emphasized that the city wants to see more small businesses, too. He said it is easier to solicit franchise businesses. But, when residents come forward and want to start a business, the city provides what resources it can.

"A majority of our businesses are entrepreneurs who saw the need in our community and were willing to invest in our community," Crane said. "We're excited about trying to help them out as well, however we can."

Crane added that the city continues to see residential growth and the city is hoping that will "spur some commercial growth."