County leaders on Tuesday didn’t like the idea of outsourcing the job of organizing ribbon-cutting events for new businesses.
Stafford Economic Development and Tourism (ED&T) Director John Holden briefed Board of Supervisors members on details of a plan we first reported over the weekend, to let the Fredericksburg Regional Chamber of Commerce organize ribbon-cutting events for new county businesses.
Popular with members of the Board, ribbon cuttings are photo-ops for Supervisors to welcome new business owners, and to tout the county’s “business-friendly” environment.
Supervisors Wendy Maurer and Jack Cavalier liked the idea of county staff organizing the events. Because they’re trying to promote Stafford County, they didn’t like the idea of an organization with “Fredericksburg” (the county’s neighboring city) fulfilling those duties.
“I like having someone from my organization to respond to a business owner when I give them my card,” said Cavalier.
It’s not that Holden doesn’t want to do ribbon cuttings. In fact, he says they’re essential for building a strong entrepreneurial community.
But staff members in his office can spend hours arranging the details of the events, “it becomes cumbersome,” said Holden. Staff time might be better used for larger projects, he added.
Supervisors didn’t need to give Holden approval for the new plan, however, after they criticized it, Holden scrapped it.
In neighboring Prince William County, the economic development office organizes ribbon cuttings for large, target-industry businesses (the ones county leaders said they want because they create a lot of jobs and/or tax revenue) like data centers, logistics, or healthcare firms. Smaller businesses and mom-and-pop shops organize theirs through the Prince William Chamber of Commerce.
“If this is the right thing to do, sell it to us,” Garrisonville District Supervisor Mark Dudenhefer told Holden. “I’m not a ‘no,’ but I don’t know if this is the right way to go or not.”
