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2023/05/08 - Mayor's Column: New Business Attraction

“AN OPEN DOOR TO O’FALLON”
A WEEKLY NOTE FROM MAYOR HERB ROACH
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Two of the most common questions I get are “What is being built at (fill in the blank)” and “why we don’t have this type of business, company or restaurant here in O’Fallon?”

Having been involved in locating 16 facilities around the U.S. and in 4 other countries during my business career and having been involved in discussions with firms that have looked at O’Fallon or that we would like to have in O’Fallon for the last 6 years, I can honestly state that there are quite a few reasons why certain companies come to our community or don’t. Typically, this is a short list of the decisions a company has to make before deciding whether or not to go into a community:

  • Is my company or business ready to expand, relocate, or start up?
  • Does my company want to have a location in the St. Louis region?
  • Is the community a location that is attractive for my business?
  • Is there competition for my product/business nearby?
  • Can we provide all the services that the public wants or needs?
  • How stable and efficient is the government and processes used for construction and permits?
  • Are there business incentives that can help me locate my business to the area?
  • Will we have to build a new building or is there existing building supply?
  • What is the safety record of the community?
  • What is the availability of a good workforce?
  • What are educational standards in the area?
  • What is the availability of training from local, regional, state or federal resources?
  • Does the community have the infrastructure that my business needs?
  • Is there a good customer base in and around the area?
  • Is the area centrally and logistically located to allow my business to serve our regional customers?
  • Can our suppliers easily get supplies to us in a timely manner?

I could easily triple this list depending upon the type of business.  But as you can see, it is not as easy as just picking up the phone and inviting them to build in our community.

Our Economic Development staff is constantly looking at different businesses and talking to them about our City and Region.  In some cases, they are just not interested in doing so for any of a variety of reasons or that the timing is not right.  In those cases, we just try to stay in touch to let them know that when they are ready that we will work with them to make it a positive experience. And of course, there are some businesses that after we talk to them and check them out, that we do not pursue them.

As residents of O’Fallon, you should always be able to reach out to your elected officials and ask questions about what is happening in O’Fallon. Having open communications is important to me and something I care very deeply about. Thank you for reading, and please remember, my door is always open.