Economic development has changed and what used to work just ten short years ago is not the game plan for today.
It’s takes a lot of constant, competent and carefully coached hard work.
Today’s factory announcement comes after the company has quietly looked over our community without us knowing about it and then makes contact saying they need our help and are we interested.
Yes, Coahoma County and Clarksdale are always interested. And the rest of us need to be constantly doing our part to make sure we put our best foot forward at all times.
Community development has to be initiated by us. State and regional economic development agencies play a role, but serve a larger market. We are the ones who can best sell Clarksdale and Coahoma County and then serve the companies we attract.
Chamber Banquet
I will say wholeheartedly that Coahoma County and Clarksdale have much to offer as we watch economic development announcements made in this area.
We point to Tuesday’s Chamber of Commerce celebration at the Pinnacle on the campus of Coahoma Community College, as a prime example of what we offer. Our Chamber of Commerce has held multiple events at the Pinnacle in an effort to get people to visit this resource just west of Clarksdale. I repeatedly run into people at these events who say it is their first time on that campus. The people, facilities and resources at Coahoma Community College are truly one of the gems of this community.
But there are many communities offering similar amenities to business and industry. One of our strengths is we truly welcome those companies and people that choose Clarksdale and Coahoma County.
I’ve been to at least one chamber of commerce banquet every year over my 25-plus years in the newspaper business. And they are always about people.
The Citizen of the Year, the City Employee of the Year and I’ve seen other towns recognize a teacher, volunteer, healthcare professional, youth supporter and even best rancher – each of these awards is about a person who seems to always do that something extra to make their town better.
As evidenced by the awards handed out Tuesday night, Clarksdale has those kinds of people.
Selling Clarksdale
A wise economic developer once said attracting factories and jobs to a region is a team sport. His point was, in this global market, it takes a lot of help from a lot of different places to make a company pick your site.
That was part of the reason this community revamped the Clarksdale/Coahoma County Chamber of Commerce, hired a new director and then got 100 percent behind him as he went to work.
Chamber Executive Jon Levingston told the crowd Tuesday night he would soon be catching a plane to pitch our community to a potential economic development client. As I looked at the people at the tables at the chamber banquet it was easy to see that Clarksdale has given him the tools and support he needs to seal the deal.
Celebrating ourselves
As Editor of your Clarksdale Press Register I can unashamedly say we are positioned well for any major employer in Northwest Mississippi. Access to the Mississippi River, location to Memphis markets, highways that run to the compass points, a ready labor force and a strong tourism and agri-business base make us attractive to many.
Again, with proper development and proper marketing, our time will come yet again.
That is why we need to work together to improve our community every day. We never know when a company is seriously looking at Coahoma County.
We need to be ready to move as a team when our name is called.
And we need to celebrate these events every year, because each is a victory for all of Clarksdale and Coahoma County.
Floyd Ingram is Editor of your Clarksdale Press Register. He encourages you to be team player and drop by his office at 128 East Second Street if you’ve got a play you want to see the team run.
