Last year, Floyd Batiste, director of the Port Arthur Economic Development Corporation and RaNoda McClain-Lee, marketing manager and business recruiter, traveled to Southern California to recruit businesses to come to Port Arthur for lower operating costs.

McClain-Lee said they had some highlights from the trip, but traveling across country was too demanding. Instead, the PAEDC found another route to go to entice SoCal businesses here.

FLOR Group Development uses a proven direct response method to generate a large amount of high quality prospects interested in expanding or relocating to one’s location, according to a company brochure.

McClain-Lee said by using FLOR, the PAEDC can focus on a national and international campaign, allowing them to recruit businesses on two levels that would fit in to the Port Arthur market. FLOR will create an in-house website and a 1-800 number for the PAEDC. If a qualified and interested prospect is found, then staff can get on a plane for a visit.

The total cost for the agreement with FLOR is $12,500 and $500 per qualified meeting if the PAEDC staff decides to go.

She thinks FLOR will be beneficial for them because they won’t be hustling from business to business.

Another bonus is the last time the PAEDC only focused on the California market. This time they can go either nationally or internationally with better odds in luring businesses.

The PAEDC also studied an Economic Infrastructure Agreement with PARC Enterprises if it would promote or develop new or expanded business enterprises. Consequently, they passed the test.

The Economic Infrastructure Incentive Agreement was made last month.

Dr. Sandra Richardson grew up in Port Arthur. PARC is currently in Beaumont and she wishes to relocate to her hometown with a 6,000 square feet space to be built at Ninth Avenue and Lake Arthur Drive.

Floyd Batiste, executive director of the PAEDC, said the store could be 100 percent collateralized. The project would be based on performance, completed in stages.

Lastly, the PAEDC will host a community and economic development vision summit from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Jan. 31 – Feb. 1, 2018 at the Carl Parker Center at Lamar State College-Port Arthur.

Jeffrey L. Finkle, president and CEO of the International Economic Development Council will be the facilitator. There will also be an interactive panel discussion.

The summit is to bring about community change, empower the community, increase self-sufficiency and increase social support.

RSVP by Jan. 15, 2018 to jcollazo@paedc.org. For additional information, call Krystle Muller at 409-963-0579.