MEDIA RELEASE
For Immediate Release
December 3, 2010
Contact: Tim Evans
Vice President, Economic Development
Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce
770-532-6206 ext 107
tim@ghcc.com
www.greaterhallchamber.com
Chamber Hosts Retail Development Forum
Strategy for becoming a regional center for retail in Northeast Georgia
Photo Attached: (L-R): Dick Valentine, United Community Bank, and Chairman of the Chamber’s Retail Initiative; Tim Knight, TriVest Real Estate; Dotene Stephens, Prudential Georgia Realty; Darin Workman, Ace Hardware; Tim Evans, Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce
Gainesville, GA – December 3, 2010: Over 50 business leaders met at the Holiday Inn Lanier Center on Wednesday, December 1 to discuss strategies for making the community a regional center for retail activity in Northeast Georgia. The meeting was coordinated by the Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by Georgia Power Company. Forum participants included commercial real estate professionals, retail developers and officials representing the cities of Gainesville, Oakwood, Flowery Branch and Hall County. Gainesville-Hall County business leaders listened to presentations by Prudential Georgia Realty, the developer TriVest Real Estate, and the national retailer Ace Hardware.
“This initiative is really about improving the quality of life for everyone in our community,” said Dick Valentine, United Community Bank, and Chairman of the Chamber’s Retail Development Initiative. “Retail developments create new jobs, investment and generate new sales tax revenue for infrastructure and education projects. “Hall County is already a center for medical and professional services for a 14-county region of Northeast Georgia. We are increasingly becoming a center for the region’s retail needs.”
The presenters shared a targeted marketing strategy needed to market to each retailer’s unique location criteria. The region’s growth rates, median household incomes and traffic patterns make Hall County attractive to retailers. The Greater Hall Chamber’s newly updated website addresses many of the initial selection criteria for retailers, while Chamber staff and commercial realtors focus on the unique needs of specific retailers.
Recent retail developments on Dawsonville Highway in Gainesville were examples discussed to highlight the importance of cooperative efforts between planners and developers to improve traffic flow and the overall quality of the development.
“We want to encourage people to shop in Hall County,” said Tim Evans, Vice President of Economic Development, Greater Hall Chamber of Commerce. “We want the region coming to Hall County for all of their retail needs.”
For more information on the Greater Hall Chamber’s Retail Initiative, contact Tim Evans, 770-532-6206. Email: tim@ghcc.com or online at greaterhallchamber.com