Can the environment for Waterville area businesses be improved?

Last year on behalf of all Waterville businesses the Waterville Chamber of Commerce applied to be part of the Rural Capacity Program (RCP) to try to get some ideas to answer that question. Waterville was one of 20 communities in MInnesota who was selected to be in the program. The overall focus in the program was business retention and expansion. Now after 12 weeks of working with the Program’s creator the Community and Economic Development Associates (CEDA) results and ideas from the program were shared at a recent meeting.

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As a participant in the RCP, Waterville received 135 hours of consulting time from a CEDA specialist, Macey Becker. A small group with diverse Waterville business perspectives served as the Steering Committee to interact with Macey during those weeks. At the end of the 12 weeks, CEDA provided a grant of $13,500 to help fund related activities in the resulting plan.

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In working with Becker the following tangible outcomes were produced:

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Waterville First Impression Report: With fresh eyes CEDA generated this report with information on Waterville’s assets and opportunities as observed by an objective first-time visitor. The report’s key recommendations:

• #1: Encourage and support building improvements for properties showing signs of deferred maintenance or vacancy to strengthen overall curb appeal and the downtown experience.

• #2: Improve promotion and visibility of community amenities, recreation, and events through City-led channels, including updating the City website to better highlight parks, trails, local attractions, and community events.

• #3: Develop a more cohesive downtown identity by incorporating consistent branding, streetscaping, and wayfinding elements that reflect Waterville’s lakes, tourism, and resort feel.

 

In summary, it was felt that Waterville has a strong foundation with its lakes, recreation assets, and active community pride. With a few targeted improvements focused on consistency, visibility, and reinvestment, the community is well positioned to enhance its identity and continue growing as a destination for both residents and visitors.

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Waterville Business Survey: A survey of the Waterville business leaders was conducted. It was designed to get a broad view, snapshot of their possible priorities. The most consistent themes were:

• #1: Provide business education and support resources.

• #2: Improve accessibility to funding.

• #3: Strengthen tourism, marketing, and year-around community activity.

 

Business Resources Folder: Information pertaining to City, regional, and State resources available to businesses was compiled into one place. Most importantly the City’s Micro-Loan and Revolving Loan options were highlighted. In addition, due to the RCP funds, a temporary new option was added: “Waterville Commercial Improvement Grant Program”. Once the funds are gone, the program will end.

 

2027 MN Tourism Grant: Leveraging the resources of the RCP, Waterville was able secure this State grant of $2,500. It will be used to help support communicating this area as a place for visitors to come to.

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Based on these actions and conversations with the business community, it was determined that a group be identified to be the champion to continue further efforts related to the growth of Waterville businesses. Therefore, it was decided to create the Waterville Area Business Alliance (WABA) to be that group. Its mission is to support local businesses, build strong relationships, and strengthen the Waterville area business community. It is hoped that WABA can be conduit to gather feedback and bring action to make things happen for this area.

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With the formal end of the RCP, over 40 Waterville business owners and leaders were invited to a meeting on July 14th, to first hear the results of the program secondly provide in-person feedback on what they see as the top priorities that would help to enhance the Waterville business community. Representatives from regional resource organizations were also invited to highlight them and to set the stage for further collaborations. Those groups were: LeSueur County, Region Nine Development Commission, the South Central Small Business Development Center (SBDC), and the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation (SMIF). Over 30 people attended and they represented 24 different businesses.

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To assist with the discussion, Nort Johnson, President/CEO of the Faribault Area Chamber of Commerce, facilitated the session. Nort is an experienced economic developer, a skilled facilitator, plus was non-biased. In summary the top themes which emerged from the conversation were:

1. What is the identity of the Waterville area?

2. Collaboration: Strengthening the connections between businesses and looking for ways to work together.

3. Housing: more housing development is strongly needed.

 

Bottomline— with respect to answering the question: “Can the environment for Waterville area businesses be improved?” Based on the discussion at last week’s meeting, definitely YES! Will it be easy, of course not. It will take more conversations, collaboration, and leveraging of resources; however, with engaged people and the “want to”, positive strides can be made. One of most immediate steps will be WABA leaders taking the feedback provided and shape a grant proposal to SMIF’s “Economic Development Grant Program. The deadline to apply is August 10 with award notification targeted for November 16. Securing this grant would provide funding to further support WABA activities.

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Retired business consultant and City of Waterville EDA commissioner, Gary Schott, is serving as the Coordinator for the initiative. If you are a business owner or a leader within a business who wishes to receive more info, or WABA Updates, email Gary at glschott14@gmail.com