Group forms Demopolis business council
A group of citizens who own or support small businesses in Demopolis and Marengo County have teamed to form a small business advocacy organization.
The Demopolis Area Business Council seeks to provide important resources for economic development interests, as well as provide a collective voice for area small businesses in matters dealing with city, county and state government and economic development.
The group consists of business owners and supporters who have invested their lives in the Demopolis area.
“We feel that the well-being of our businesses and families are dependent on the success of Demopolis as a whole,” said Jay Reynolds, who serves as the organization’s secretary. “The past leaders in our community have done a great job of making Demopolis and this area a place people want to call home, and this group has created another organization to help continue this leadership direction. Our mission is to increase the economic opportunities for the people of the West Alabama region by acting to create an environment for business expansion, retention, and recruitment that will result in jobs and tax base growth.”
The organization’s vision is to be the region’s premier business organization, one that will work with its membership to create an environment where small business is attracted and thrives, communities and organizations are collaborative, and identified economic development projects that are part of an overall economic development vision are successful.
Reynolds said the DABC will look for ways to assist existing local industrial development agencies with economic recruitment and stability.
“Too often, we focus on the rich physical assets of Demopolis (location, transportation, workforce, etc.) and we neglect the Community of Demopolis,” he said. “We have a vibrant community that rarely gets a chance to be involved in that process. It is our desire to work alongside organizations like the Chamber of Commerce, the Industrial Development Board and the Economic Development Authority, which are already working on a number of levels. Our hope is that we can be an association that enhances and expands those efforts specifically in the area of small business development. We believe small business is the lifeblood of a community.”
The organization held its first meeting in late April. At a July 2 meeting, articles were signed and officers elected. Founding members and officers are Tyler Windham, Rob Fleming. Harrison Coleman, Jay Reynolds, Kayte Randall, Rob Pearson, Pete Reynolds, Jason Windham and Lee Pritchett
The DABC encourages others with a similar vision for the Demopolis area to join. Members must be a business owner, executive, partner, decision maker, or senior sales representative doing business in the greater Demopolis Area.
For more information, contact Jay Reynolds at 289-0828, Tyler Windham at 289-0370 or Rob Pearson at 289-0620.