Business View Magazine Jan-2019

174 to focus our economic growth in the town centers and we’re paying close attention to the types of businesses that we’re looking at recruiting into the community, as well as the types of businesses that exist here,” she states.“We know that not every type of industry would be appropriate here in Calvert. We knowwhat we are and we knowwhat we’re not. So,we try to be very cognizant about what types of businesses would work,what types of businesses would be welcomed, and what types of businesses would ultimately be successful.The last thing that we want to do is recruit a business within our com- munity, site them here, and then have them not be successful; because if that’s the case,we truly have not done our job.” According to Slagle, fostering economic resiliency and business growth relies upon a two-pronged approach.“We have a strong business retention program and a business development program,” she notes.“We have a dedicated staff person who works with our existing businesses. First and foremost, her job is to be out with our existing business com- munity, doing everything from site visits, spending one-on-one face time with our business community, asking key questions, seeing how they’re doing, and looking for red flags which are signals for us that something is going on.More often than not, our businesses in Calvert are having good issues and our role is to work with them to make sure that we’re helping them, and bringing resources to bear