Economic Development Commission Gets Down to Business

Tax incentives, business awards and social media are key to new business promotion, according to Morton Grove’s Economic Development Commission (EDC). The commission convened this week to discuss new efforts in the community.

Community and Economic Development Director John Said discussed the use of tax incentives to lock in new business. About a week ago, Said gave a talk about the theme of economic development on a shoestring budget at the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) event in Chicago. The ICSC event featured numerous workshops and networking opportunities where developers, investors, retailers and public officials shared ideas for growth.

During the event, Said highlighted his work with the village and what he and his “quasi-staff” of volunteers do through EDC.

At ICSC the most popular suggestion for recruiting retailers – tax incentives – is what the village recently did with Culver’s, which will be coming to Morton Grove soon.

Aiming for business growth, the village has offered tax incentives to companies that want to do business within the village, Said said.

Promoting business in new ways

In addition, others at the meeting suggested that EDC should encourage business owners in Morton Grove to create strong social media presences for their companies.

At the Village of Morton Grove Board meeting on Feb. 14, EDC Chairman David Lewis spoke about the EDC’s effort to include business profiles in the community newsletter in past months. He said that the featured businesses all experienced increases in sales after their endorsement in the newsletter.

Such publicity led EDC members to consider another way to boost business in town. Early discussion of the tentatively titled “Morton Grove Business Choice Awards” suggested that judging will be based on three categories: façade, signage and landscaping. No decision was made on who would make up the judging committee.

The EDC members also discussed relative timelines for submission and review periods for the awards and suggested that a ceremony would likely be held in the coming summer and would likely include recognition at a village board meeting.

All businesses in Morton Grove would be eligible for the awards, not just members of the Morton Grove Chamber of Commerce, EDC officials said.

“We support the Chamber [of Commerce], it’s on our website and I tell people verbally they should join and we are trying to expand the chamber,” Said said. “But at the same time, I think we are responsible for the support of the whole village whether you are a chamber member or not.”

The EDC plans on reporting to the village board with a summary of their activities at least twice a year to boost its visibility within the community.

Chamber of Commerce Growth

Executive Director of the Morton Grove Chamber of Commerce Jacky Liston also spoke at the meeting about rising membership and a community guide in the works.

When Liston was first appointed to the chamber in January, the chamber had 161 members. Since then it has increased to 180 members. Liston also said she expects to have the Morton Grove Community Guide signed, sealed and mailed by April 30.