SMITH COUNTY — The City of Tyler, Smith County, and Heart of Tyler have partnered with The Retail Coach, the nation’s leading economic development recruitment firm, to help expand Downtown Tyler’s business, hospitality, entertainment and living offerings.
The hiring of The Retail Coach happens at the same time Smith County and The City of Tyler have formed the County Seat Coalition, a group of leaders in business, higher education, and other municipalities in the county. The County Seat Coalition’s focus will be on identifying ways to encourage economic development in Downtown Tyler.
“A healthy downtown is key to a strong community,” said Managing Director Stephanie Franklin. “This collaboration and this contract will ensure that sustainable growth and development happen quickly, capitalizing on the investments made in Downtown Tyler over the past several years.”
The Retail Coach has started analyzing Downtown Tyler’s existing market and is in the process of determining Downtown’s trade area, which is the defined boundary from which Downtown Tyler draws its primary consumers. Using this information, The Retail Coach team will create Downtown profile reports and marketing tools to prepare the team and City leaders to represent Downtown Tyler regionally and nationally to potential economic development prospects.
Over the next few weeks, The Retail Coach will be meeting with business and property owners throughout Downtown Tyler.
Aaron Farmer, Senior Vice President of The Retail Coach, is looking forward to visiting Tyler in the next few weeks.
“We are no strangers to the economic opportunities available in Tyler. Tyler is a regional hub for retail, medical, office and other industries and we feel like Downtown Tyler is primed to help build on these opportunities.”
