Business View Civil Municipal - July 2023

160 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 7 a real change going on right now and it is really cool to be a part of it,” she ascertains. Businesses are eying the charms of Lago Vista Part of the success the City is experiencing when managing the changing dynamics of the area boils down to its determination and commitment to listening to its local businesses and residents- what may be high on their priority list. This ability to listen, coupled with the commitment to collaborate with key partners such as the Economic Development Advisory Committee and the North Lake Travis Chamber of Commerce, has also been key to its success when navigating through the city landscape. The pandemic put this collaborative spirit to the test and served as a catalyst for these efforts, as businesses were looking to the City for guidance during that time. “During the pandemic, we really saw this city come together,” Norma Owen, Chair of the Economic Development Advisory Committee, reflects. “From the Economic Development Advisory Committee perspective, we started looking at what we can do to enhance those families coming into our community and helping to bring a balance so, if anything, COVID actually served to propel us forward in terms of the businesses.” “We really came together and there was more of a focus on how we help our small businesses survive and there was a ‘take care of our own’ perspective,” Owen details. One local business established three years ago in Lago Vista is All In Pool Supply. The company’s President relays that it was able to thrive throughout COVID and into this year due in large part to the supportive atmosphere that the city has provided as part of its small business approach. “In our business, we just wanted to serve the community, be more involved and take the time to get to know our customers and our community, helping to empower them with their particular surroundings in their pool,” Marni Fidler, President of All in Pool Supply recalls when looking back over the three years in the community, half of which was spent during the height of the pandemic. When asked about how she would characterize her relationship with the city, Fiddler is quick to respond enthusiastically. “The city officials that I’ve been able to meet have been so supportive. I am a huge networking community supporter so the very first thing we did once we got our business registered was to become part of the Chamber of Commerce.” “Lago Vista really has been a great new home for me,” she insists. The City’s key partnerships with entities including the North Lake Travis Chamber of Commerce have helped to lay the business- friendly groundwork to draw in new business to the area as well as retain the existing ones. “We want to make sure that we are keeping our