Darn Good Places: Cities

What does work with Cities mean?

This doesn't mean that this work is only us working directly with a city department although that is something we will do but this is for creating an overall more active and engaged ecosystem of leaders, entrepreneurs, business owners, advocacy groups and non profits.

1. Work directly with City Departments

We can act as a conduit between private businesses and real estate developers/companies to help implement zoning changes or public improvements to encourage new investment in a specific area as well as implementation of Private-Public Master Plan Projects

2. Third Party Economic Development or Business Associations

Sometimes cities know what the lifeblood of their city is in terms of the skillsets of their workforce and existing businesses however some cities may have missed opportunities in terms of developing cultural elements/trends within their city that could be capitalized for a much larger impact i.e. taking a population that is fitness and health conscious and matching that with funding and support to create home grown businesses and ultimately attract relocations of companies that recognize a swell of overlap in talent, investors and customers.

3. Civic organization and Advocacy Groups

Working with advocacy groups, non profits, neighborhood groups to educate on topics such as how city government works, how to get involved, developing leaders, working with up and coming event producers and creatives and small scale real estate development.

Sample Offerings: Master Plan Development, Statement Event or Conference for City Branding, Civic Literacy Workshops, Small Scale Development Workshops, Advocacy, Action Plans for Culture Related Projects, Small Project Grant and funding programs

How we can apply this logic to your city:

City Branding

I have lived in Austin since 2018 but long before moving to Austin, the predominant thing you know about Austin is SXSW. Off the cuff, I would say that SXSW played a huge part in the large influx of tech companies/new jobs to the city over the past 15 years.

Now there is a strong element of wellness and fitness in Austin. This is being manifested in a variety of ways such as an influx of fitness related businesses and cutting edge wellness practices but also a springboard for start up CPG brands in the wellness space as well as apparel. This also can be traced back to Whole Foods in regards to why there is a strong contingency of existing and growing food related CPG brands in Austin.