Business Development Commission

Business Development Commission (BDC) MEETING MINUTES APPROVED MEETING DATE: Thursday, February 22, 2024 LOCATION: City Hall CALLED TO ORDER: 8:01 AM MEETING ADJOURNED: 9:07 AM NEXT REGULAR MEETING: Thursday, March 28, 2024 Name Present Absent Tammy Behm, Chair (Business Owner) X Julia Leenig, Vice Chair (Crossroads Rep) X Mike Pincus (Citizen at Large) X Tim Delanty (Old Webster Rep) X Stephanie Skees (Old Orchard Rep) X Bud Bellomo (Chamber of Commerce Rep) X Stacie Swederska (Business Owner) X Eric Bowring (Citizen at Large) X Lindsay Thomas (Business Owner) X Pam Bliss, Council Liaison X Eric Peterson, Staff Liaison X Also in Attendance: Dave Buck – Webster Groves Citizen Fran Sudekum – Administrative Support Approval of Minutes – A motion to approve the January minutes was made by Mike Pincus, seconded by Bud Bellomo, and unanimously approved. Visitor Comments – Dave Buck, a private Webster Groves citizen, shared his personal view of the City of the Arts banners. Business Coffee – The Business Coffee was held on February 7th at the Rec Center. Informational presentations included: Community Improvement Districts (CID), Micro grants for Green Dining Certification, and the new Bludot Business Directory system. Commission Members discussed next steps. Two different directions were determined, and sub-committees were established. BDC Sub-Committees 1. August Business Coffee Topic/Relevance, Format, and Engagement a. Sub-Committee Members: Mike Pincus, Eric Bowring, Tammy Behm 2. CID Anchor/Research a. Sub-Committee Members: Julie Leenig, Tammy Behm; additional non-BDC Commission Members will be solicited 1 of 2 Shop Local – Tammy Behm and Pam Bliss met with Elizabeth Brennan, StLMade Communications. They have three campaigns on their calendar this year; 314 Day, April/May Region-Wide Neighborhood Crawl, and a Holiday push. StLMade is an initiative of Greater St. Louis, Inc., https://thestl.com/. Greater St. Louis, Inc. covers 15 surrounding counties. StLMade is focused on promoting small business in the City of St. Louis and St. Louis County. BDC could potentially use them as a resource, for example, they have put together collateral items and templates to promote 314 Day that are available for businesses to use. Bludot Business Directory/Map/QR Code – The Bludot launch is projected to take place in mid-March through the business license renewal process. Businesses will receive communication on operating the new system. The QR codes need to be determined, so they will not be part of the launch. Budget Request – Possible line items to put in a budget request include such things as Business Coffee, Green Dining micro grants, Holiday Advertising, Bludot vinyl QR code collateral printing, and a table at Greater St. Louis Economic Summit. Commission Members will email additional possibilities. Webster-Wide Events – In interest of time, this topic was tabled to next month’s meeting. Business Districts Updates • Crossroads – The new ice cream shop is moving forward. There are vacancies in the District. • Old Orchard – Weber’s Front Row is closing. The Little toy store is moving from Crossroads to Old Orchard. • Old Webster – The Old Webster Commission meets next week; no report. City/Council Update • New City of the Arts banners are in process; they will replace the existing City of the Arts banners. The new banners are no cost to the City; they are funded by ads for the business community through an authorized program with CGI Digital; a program endorsed by the National League of Cities. • Educational communication for Prop W Destination Webster Groves no-tax bond issue for the Parks & Recreation Department has begun. • Sustainability Commission’s solar initiative open house is on March 3rd; rebates are available from the Federal government, Ameren, and City of Webster Groves. Next Meeting – March 28, 2024 at 8:00 AM Adjournment – Meeting adjourned at 9:07 AM 2 of 2