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04-04-1996 Q f ig.e.ut e. erwt *Ilof NNW CITY OF EDGEWATER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BOARD REGULAR MEETING April 4, 1996 6:30P.M CALL TO ORDER: Chairman Fong called to order a regular meeting of the Economic Development Board at 6:40 p.m., Thursday, April 4, 1996, in the Conference Room of the Department of Community Development. ROLL CALL: Members present were Chairman Philip Fong, Randolph Churchill, Richard Jones, and Karl Gerwe. Also present was Liz McBride, Board Coordinator. Mr. Browning and Mr. Fair were recorded absent. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: There being no corrections or changes, Chairman Fong approved the minutes of March 7, 1996 as presented. CONTINUED BUSINESS: 1. Quarterly Newsletter -- Review Revised Draft Chairman Fong distributed an updated draft of an article for the next newsletter explaining the Overall Economic Development Plan for Volusia County. With one minor correction, Mr. Gerwe moved to accept the article as drafted, and forward it to the City Clerk for the next publication of the newsletter, seconded by Mr. Jones. Motion CARRIED 4 -0. 2. Grant Solicitation for Marketing Material Chairman Fong asked the members for an update. Mr. Gerwe said he had not had an opportunity to speak to Kayat, and then asked if anyone had any success. Chairman Fong reported he would be meeting with Wal -Mart on Thursday, April 11, 1996. He said the manager seemed very receptive. Mr. Jones said he would follow -up on the letter sent to Boston Whaler. Mr. Churchill said he would be getting in touch with the companies assigned to him. It was repeated that $20,000 would be the targeted amount of funds to be solicited. Chairman Fong asked the Board Coordinator to send a written request for funds to Florida Power and Light, who had previously committed $500 for the marketing of a brochure. Mr. Jones asked how many businesses the Board would be contacting. The Chairman said about thirteen or fourteen. Near' *glue Economic Development Board Minutes - April 4, 1996 Page -2- i NEW BUSINESS: 1. Set Dates for Joint Meeting a. Communication Round -Table (Mayor & City Manager) Chairman Fong said the Board discussed in previous meetings having better communication with staff. He remarked that the Mayor was interested in having an Economic Development summit meeting to include businesses, the EDB, and the Chamber, to discuss issues that need to be worked on. Mr. Gerwe mentioned a survey he received from VCBDC which indicated they would give a twenty minute presentation on what they do. He said this might be appropriate for the summit meeting. He also reiterated Mr. Fair's assessment that the Mayor had been in negotiation with some prospects and the EDB should be part of it; otherwise, he felt the Board had no creditability. The Chairman felt the EDB should hold a communication round -table before the Economic Development summit. The Board decided on a workshop with the Mayor and City Manager to be held on Tuesday, April 23, 1996, at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Development conference room. b. Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) The organization was briefly discussed. Chairman Fong said a joint meeting with them would be to discover ways to utilize their resources. The Board indicated May 16, 1996, at 6:30 p.m. as the date for such meeting. Chairman Fong said the EDB had been ded heading up the 1996 Southeast Volusia Business Expo, April 19 and 20, 1996. With the Board's consent, the Chairman said he would like to discuss _ this item. No one objected. He said the Expo would be held at the Elk's Lodge. The type of `"^°. information, general strategy, and volunteer time to man the booth were discussed. Chairman Fong ° - -Lsuggested using a previous presentation explaining the EDB's function. Mr. Jones and Mr. Churchill felt a training session or flow chart on the process and procedure of starting a business and supporting existing businesses would be helpful. Chairman Fong said the booth would consist of City informational materials, hand -outs, historical information and display, and EDB graphic display. The Chairman suggested putting together a questionnaire asking participants how the City can help businesses. He discussed the rezoning process as an example. The Chairman called a recess at 7:20 p.m. and the meeting was reconvened at 7:20 p.m. Discussion continued on what would be displayed at the booth. Chairman Fong said he would work on a draft for the EDB display. After deliberating on questions to be asked on a questionnaire for the Expo, Mr. Gerwe volunteered to do a draft. Chairman Fong asked for someone to contact the City Clerk to coordinate available City information. Mr. Jones agreed to do so. The Chairman said April 16, 1996 would be the deadline to submitted Expo information. The time and date for each member to man the booth were then selected. Nare Economic Development Board Minutes - April 4, 1996 Page -3- 2. Business Prospect Management Program a. Determine Objectives Chairman Fong said-from the time the EDB receives a call or inquiry, what would the EDB do next. He said the EDB needs to market itself, and once a plan is in place and a marketing brochure available, the EDB could aggressively market itself. Mr. Gerwe said the City had been dependent on the Moor, the Chamber and VCBDC to answer inquires. The Chairman said the EDB needed to develop a program so the Board could begin evaluating what leads to follow up on. After discussion, the members determined objectives as: identify potential prospects, contact prospects, determine needs/wants of prospects, match needs /wants with resources and /or facilities, monitor progress, exit interview (if they do not locate in the City of Edgewater), and to critique and make adjustments. For the next meeting, Chairman Fong asked the members to look at the objectives, and determine how the EDB could accomplish them. Chairman Fong then suggested tabling items 2.b., Devise Program Content & Guidelines, 2.c., Deferment & Directives to Chamber's Participation, and 3., Develop Checklist for OEDP Projects. CHAIRMAN AND BOARD MEMBERS REPORTS: Chairman - Tallahassee -- Economic Development Session Chairman Fong said the session was extremely good. He said he met about seven or eight representatives from the House and Senate. He report%l oze issue, the Job Siting Act, was passed by the House and Senate but vetoed by the Governor.„He said this item was back this year, and reported they had lowered the threshold to 100 jobs per company, which would enable the company to go through the Job Siting Act (which expedites the job permitting process). He also said there is a provision in the bill which would allow the City or County to change the threshold to 25 jobs if the City or County really wanted a business to locate in their area. The Chairman hoped the bill would pass. Chairman Fong also reported the responsibilities of the Department of Commerce would be ���� shifted to Enterprise Florida, which was a major item on the commerce bill. Chairman Fong distributed a letter of resignation from Charles Gebelein, and recommended his replacement come from the manufacturing area. He felt this would be a real plus to the Board. ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business to come before the Board, a motion was made and approved to adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 8:32 p.m. Minutes respectfully submitted by: Elizabeth J. McBride, Board Coordinator Economic Development Board c:\edb\minutes \040496.reg