Open for Business: Making the Best of Rough Road Construction

Business owners and managers located along the sites of planned local street and utility construction projects recently attended a free workshop, titled "Open for Business: Making the Best of Rough Road Construction".

The workshop is a partnership between the City and the Greater Spokane Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). PRSA members are volunteered their time and expertise to help interested businesses.

The program covered:

• How to get information on local projects and provide feedback to construction engineers.
• What to expect when construction begins.
• Developing business planning strategies to ready your company for street construction.
• Survival tips for making it through the construction project.
• Developing communication, staying on message, staying positive and using creative promotion and business strategies.
• Post-construction ideas to get your business back on track.

The workshop was videotaped by CityCable 5.

In addition to the presentations at the workshop, participants received a Surviving Construction Toolkit with Project Information and FAQs, and Tools and Tips.

The “Open for Business” workshop is part of the Mayor Mary Verner’s “Seven in Eleven” program. The program includes seven practical actions the City will complete in 2011 to help improve the immediate business climate without additional cost for the City.

The “Seven In Eleven” action steps were selected from more than 22 individual ideas submitted by small business owners and managers. In addition to implementing a program to help businesses survive construction projects, the other actions include:

• Developing a checklist for permitting processes, including expected timelines and cost.
• Improving the Small Business Communication Network, a forum for small business owners to connect with the City and make recommendations for changes.
• Implementing improvements to the Change of Use process, which is required when a location is being used for a different business use.
• Adopting new performance measurement tools for permit processes.
• Improving on-line access for business licenses and permits.
• Forming a public/private entrepreneurs’ coalition.

The “Seven in Eleven” work is in addition to other plans to help the private sector grow and create jobs, including accelerating public infrastructure projects into 2011 and 2012, continuing to support development in defined Target Areas, and encouraging the growth of green businesses, among other things.

Mayor Verner is committed to helping the Spokane business community pursue economic recovery in 2011 and good-paying jobs. She noted in April that Boeing’s win of the air-refueling tanker contract will provide a significant boost to local businesses and jobs.

Additionally, the program was featured in Your City with the Mayor. Once the page opens, click on Mayor's Programs, and then Open for Business.

For more information on the workshop or the “Seven in Eleven” program, please contact Andrew Worlock at 625-6691 or AWorlock@spokanecity.org