Chamber of Commerce Best Practices

Bridging the Gap ...
Chamber Partnerships Promote Business Growth
By Tom Morrisette

The Largo/Mid-Pinellas Chamber of Commerce is taking a proactive role in bridging the gap between business and local and regional governments on several fronts. It’s anticipated that the results of these new and strengthened partnerships will prove beneficial to Largo and the Mid-Pinellas area for years to come.

Support for establishing such ties comes from more than 500 businesses that are investing financial resources and considerable volunteer hours as members of the chamber. Representing an impressive who’s who of the best and most visionary businesses in Mid-Pinellas County, they have endorsed the organization’s Program of Work which directs the chamber to assume a stronger voice in areas of regional economic development.

One such related initiative is the recently created Largo Business Development Review Panel, a partnership of the chamber, the City of Largo and Pinellas County. Creating a more “business friendly” experience for customers using City of Largo permitting and planning services is its intent.

In a recent address before more than 1,000 chamber of commerce leaders from across the globe, Forbes Publishing CEO and past presidential candidate Steve Forbes stated, “When you are hostile to commerce, there is no commerce!” More often than not, when communities make it difficult for businesses to thrive, the communities ultimately suffer. Mindful of this, the Largo Business Development Review Panel was handed the task of examining city permitting services and presenting recommendations to streamline the process for business customers wherever possible.

As its first step, the panel developed a survey which was distributed to more than 100 businesses that had interactions with various city departments during the course of a year. Questions ranged from city staff knowledge to the time process required in obtaining permits.

From the survey findings, a questionnaire was developed and presented to a series of focus groups comprised of business owners/developers and city employees representing various permitting departments. Information garnered from the survey and focus groups identified distinct differences between the experiences of occasional service users and those who are regularly engaged in the permitting process. Recommendations to improve services to address the needs of both the occasional and the regular user have since been defined by the review panel and will be presented to the Largo City Commission during upcoming city commission work sessions and meetings.

The Business Assistance Partnership (BAP), a cooperative effort between the chamber, Pinellas County and the City of Largo, is another outreach initiative which has been modified to meet the needs of the greater Largo business community. Created several years ago by Pinellas County Economic Development, the initial intent of the program was to provide assistance to businesses with the underlying goal of business retention. The program was offered and accepted by most Pinellas County municipalities.

During the past 18 months, the Largo partnership has evolved from its basic business retention role to one with greater emphasis on community redevelopment opportunities. Interaction with property owners, developers and realtors to spur redevelopment in brown field and blighted locations is reaping positive results. Several important projects, including a residential/retail city center, a new hotel, and proposed developments in Largo’s medical arts district are now under development or in the planning stages.

Other ongoing partnerships include participation by the city, Pinellas County and WorkNet Pinellas in the chamber’s Economic and Small Business Development Committee. At a meeting held each month, updates are provided by each level of government and several public and private agencies. This open line of communication has resulted in a greater cooperation between all the various parties when business opportunities and challenges surface.

These are but a sampling of the many ways the Largo/Mid-Pinellas Chamber of Commerce is taking a lead in creating and strengthening public/private partnerships. The scores of individuals who are playing a part in helping us foster this cooperative spirit would all agree that this winning approach has proven to be beneficial to the community.

Tom Morrissette is president of the Largo/Mid-Pinellas Chamber of Commerce, a position he has held for four years. He previously was vice president of the Central Massachusetts Tourist Council and for 15 years was manager of communications at the Worcester Area Chamber of Commerce in Worcester, Massachusetts. Tom can be reached at tom@largochamber.org.

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