City of Brownwood staff attended the Innovating Commerce Serving Communities (ICSC) annual conference March 30-April 1st in Dallas to gain information regarding the most current industry issues, as well as to make crucial connections with real estate professionals doing business in the region. ICSC’s mission statement explains the organization’s purpose is to promote marketplaces where people shop, dine, work, and play as foundational ingredients of communities and economies.
The City of Brownwood has been represented at ICSC for many years in an effort to recruit retail businesses to the community to increase sales tax, which enables the City to continue to provide essential services, improve Parks, develop the Downtown Brownwood area, and more. City of Brownwood officials set up in 2011 as their inaugural year at the conference. Since 2011, the City of Brownwood has grown the sales tax base over 43%. In 2020, the City of Brownwood was represented by Executive Director of Economic Development Ray Tipton, and Deputy City Manager Marshal McIntosh. The pair represented Brownwood again this year, accompanied by City Manager Emily Crawford and Mayor Stephen Haynes.
“This conference has resulted in a tremendous amount of success for recruiting new retail developments in previous years,” Tipton said. “We enjoyed connecting with retail professionals to grow our economy and continue to expand the retail base in Brownwood.”
During the conference, City representatives met with developers and fostered relationships with new and existing brokers, potential retail clients, and retail industry professionals.
“One of the things I look forward to each year is sharing our community’s story and the opportunities for development in Brownwood. Participating and networking at ICSC strengthens our efforts to bring new business opportunities to our community,” McIntosh said.
ICSC is an excellent example of the City of Brownwood and Brownwood Municipal Development District leveraging their partnerships to improve the community through common strategic goals. To learn more about the business advantages in Brownwood, visit: www.brownwoodbusiness.com or contact the Brownwood Municipal Development District at 325-646-9600.