Harrington Attends Southern Economic Development Council's Meet the Consultants Event
The 5th Annual Meet the Consultants event sponsored by the Southern Economic Development Council, based in Atlanta, Georgia is a program that consists of a day and of half of panels featuring Site Location Consultants. It includes an off-site reception with the same consultants which gives Economic Developers, such as our own Robert Harrington, the opportunity to develop face to face relationships with the Site Consultants.
Site Consultants are professional people and firms that advise large companies on where to place their business expansions. In the process of a large business looking to expand, they normally outsource the work of filtering through all the possible locations. Site Consultants and their firms handle this work for them, advising them on the best sites. It is not uncommon for a single "Request for Information" (RFP for short) to receive in response well over 1000 responses in the current economic climate with every City, County, and State competing to be the location that is picked. Very often many of these can be filtered out immediately, narrowing the field down to the most qualified.
The key part of this process for Barton County is to become a known player. The Site Consultant field is an interconnected one where professionals talk to each other and stay in touch. Events and meetings such as this one not only present the opportunity to get our marketing material directly in to the hands of these advisers, but to become a known entity, something more than the piles of letters and packets they get in response to any call for information. The CDC has sent Robert to such events in the past and it has paid off already. Specifically in relation to "Project Delta" the mega-attraction project of 2011, Robert was directly asked by a Site Consultant that he had met and made an impression on previously if Barton County would be putting in for the project. The development of such key relationships is a vital part of any economic development effort.
In an event such as this, not only does Rob get to work on developing these important relationships, hand them our marketing material, he can also at times hear about first hand any projects they have pending or upcoming.
Overall these are very important events which further the CDC goals of improving Barton County overall and developing long term prosperity for all our citizens.
The 5th Annual Meet the Consultants event sponsored by the Southern Economic Development Council, based in Atlanta, Georgia is a program that consists of a day and of half of panels featuring Site Location Consultants. It includes an off-site reception with the same consultants which gives Economic Developers, such as our own Robert Harrington, the opportunity to develop face to face relationships with the Site Consultants.Site Consultants are professional people and firms that advise large companies on where to place their business expansions. In the process of a large business looking to expand, they normally outsource the work of filtering through all the possible locations. Site Consultants and their firms handle this work for them, advising them on the best sites. It is not uncommon for a single "Request for Information" (RFP for short) to receive in response well over 1000 responses in the current economic climate with every City, County, and State competing to be the location that is picked. Very often many of these can be filtered out immediately, narrowing the field down to the most qualified.
The key part of this process for Barton County is to become a known player. The Site Consultant field is an interconnected one where professionals talk to each other and stay in touch. Events and meetings such as this one not only present the opportunity to get our marketing material directly in to the hands of these advisers, but to become a known entity, something more than the piles of letters and packets they get in response to any call for information. The CDC has sent Robert to such events in the past and it has paid off already. Specifically in relation to "Project Delta" the mega-attraction project of 2011, Robert was directly asked by a Site Consultant that he had met and made an impression on previously if Barton County would be putting in for the project. The development of such key relationships is a vital part of any economic development effort.
In an event such as this, not only does Rob get to work on developing these important relationships, hand them our marketing material, he can also at times hear about first hand any projects they have pending or upcoming.
Overall these are very important events which further the CDC goals of improving Barton County overall and developing long term prosperity for all our citizens.
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The Barton County Community Development Corporation is dedicated to economic development in all of Barton County including Lamar, Golden City and Liberal. We also promote Missouri economic development efforts state wide.