CEDC members attend Retail Academy

Three members of the Clarendon Economic Development Corporation board attended two days of workshops in San Antonio last week to learn more about recruiting new retail businesses to the community.

The Texas Rural Retail Academy was held at the downtown campus of the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) on March 1 and 2. Hosted by the UTSA Institute for Economic Development and Retail Strategies, leaders from six Texas communities were selected to attend the program.

Participating communities include Breckenridge, Clarendon, Eastland, Haskell, Poteet, and Vernon. Representing the CEDC were Roger Estlack, Chuck Robertson, and Taylor Shelton.

“Texas communities need additional support and resources now more than ever coming out of the pandemic,” said Matthew Jackson, Director of the Texas Rural Retail Academy program at the UTSA Institute for Economic Development. “Retail Academy will be instrumental in providing the critical tools to our communities to help boost retail and bolster small businesses.”

Last week’s program was UTSA’s second Texas Rural Retail Academy and participating communities received invaluable data on consumers in their community and education on retail and real estate. Each community came away with a strategic retail economic development plan and the skills needed to execute that plan, Jackson said.

Developed by Retail Strategies, Retail Academy educates communities nationwide on best practices to attract new retail and restaurants while providing resources to support and grow existing local businesses. The UTSA Texas Rural Retail Academy program is funded in part through a Rural Business Development grant awarded to UTSA from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

“We are proud to bring the Retail Academy program to Texas communities again, with help from the UTSA Institute for Economic Development and the USDA,” said Madeline Farr, Director of Retail Academy.

“The business-friendly climate in Texas is extremely helpful for the communities that attend our program. The growth in the state is reaching these rural markets and with retailers evolving expansion plans, a lot of those brands look at secondary and tertiary markets. We are giving community leaders the tools they need to capitalize on that growth, Farr said.