Inaugural Business Pfirst Quarterly Meeting Hosted Sept. 7 by Pflugerville Community Development Corporation
8 Sep 2017
Press Release
Highlights:
• More than 70 business owners, local leaders and ISD, city and county officials were in attendance at the PCDC’s inaugural Business PFirst meeting Sept. 7.
• #ConnectPf encouraged as a tool to connect locals on successes, resources, new products and programs, workforce needs, Hurricane Harvey relief efforts, etc.
• Business PFirst supports two of five goals listed in Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy developed earlier this year.
PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (Sept. 8, 2017)—The Pflugerville Community Development Corporation (PCDC) held its inaugural Business PFirst quarterly meeting yesterday at the Courtyard by Marriott Austin-Pflugerville with more than 70 business owners, ISD, city and county officials and local leaders in attendance. The business-retention-and-expansion program’s new enhancements aim to support local businesses by quickly connecting them to resources they need and removing barriers to business growth.
The Business PFirst program was expanded as part of the implementation of PCDC’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS,) and focuses on connecting businesses not only to resources, but also to each other.
“PCDC has long served the community with business-retention-and-expansion efforts, but the launch of the Business PFirst program signals a shift in resources and strategic focus in connecting with Pflugerville businesses regularly and helping to address their needs as they arise,” PCDC Executive Director Amy Madison said. “We kick off this program with our first quarterly meeting and announcing the new Pflugerville Business Directory—a digital magazine that provides catalogued resources with links and contact information.”
Additional resource information for the directory is welcomed from economic development partners and businesses. The directory will be launched Oct. 1 on the PCDC website, pfdevelopment.com.
#ConnectPf
A new social media hashtag, #ConnectPf, was announced during the meeting to encourage Pflugerville businesses, the City of Pflugerville, Travis County, Pflugerville ISD, the Pflugerville Chamber of Commerce, higher education institutions, healthcare organizations and business associations to stay in touch on updates about business successes, resource programs, press releases, announcements, awards, workforce development, hiring and promotions, Hurricane Harvey relief efforts and more.
CEDS
Creating a strong, sustainable business-retention-and-expansion program is a major focus of the CEDS, which guides the direction of economic development in Pflugerville for the next three years. The process to develop of the CEDS included the input of more than 250 people, including: residents, business owners and executives, city and county elected officials, city staff, community college staff, chamber members and staff, Pflugerville ISD, religious groups, real estate professionals, developers, state and regional economic development groups and more.
These contributors to the CEDS created a 20-year vision for Pflugerville as a thriving job center in Central Texas built on core values of inclusion, family, exemplary education and purposeful
investment in the community. More information is available on the PCDC website.
Business PFirst Program Director
PCDC Business Development Director Christian Kurtz, who has been with the PCDC for five years, leads the Business PFirst program as director. He is responsible for business retention and expansion and workforce development. Kurtz will continue to plan the quarterly meetings and work closely with Pflugerville businesses, the City of Pflugerville and the various organizations who can provide professional resources to businesses.
“We are committed to ensuring that our Business PFirst meetings remain relevant and useful to our business owners because their time is so valuable,” Kurtz said. “Hurricane Harvey was an important topic during our inaugural meeting, and we will continue to bring relevant topics to our industry leaders throughout the year.”
About Business PFirst
The Pflugerville Community Development Corporation’s Business PFirst program aims to support local area businesses by quickly connecting them to the resources they need and removing barriers to business growth. Business PFirst is an economic development program designed to accelerate the success of all Pflugerville area businesses. Contact Christian Kurtz at 512-990-3725 or christiank@pfdevelopment.com, or visit www.pfdevelopment.com to find out how you can receive one-on-one, confidential guidance and information from a business specialist today. Use #ConnectPf to share success stories, business resources, press releases, new products, awards, workforce training initiatives, hiring and even hurricane relief efforts.
About the Pflugerville Community Development Corporation
Pflugerville, Texas, ranks 12th on MONEY Magazine’s 2016 list of Best Places to Live in America, and is the 11th fastest growing city in the U.S. With a population of more than 55,000, Pflugerville is located just minutes north of downtown Austin in the desirable Central Texas region. State highways 45 and 130 and Interstate Highway 35 offer direct access to other nearby cities and a quick route to nearby airports. Hometown pride and quality of life are top priority, with residents enjoying the beautiful Lake Pflugerville, an elaborate trail system, shopping areas, new restaurants, and the community’s many parades and festivals.
PCDC is responsible for attracting, retaining and expanding businesses to create new jobs and increase tax revenue to support community development. PCDC can provide funding for use as an incentive to companies locate and grow in Pflugerville. PCDC funds, which are 4B money generated from a half-cent of the city’s sales tax revenue, can also be used to construct needed infrastructure such as roads, utilities and drainage projects.