Community Corner
Sussex Makes New Push for More Businesses on Main Street
The Sussex Village Board hires an economic development consulting firm to identify new businesses and draw them to the downtown area.
With the Main Street reconstruction project in full swing, the Sussex Village Board is making an even greater push to bring new businesses to the downtown area by hiring Piqued Interest Consulting.
The board members approved the year-long contract with the economic development company on May 22, a move that will cost the village approximately $11,000. However, Village Administrator Jeremy Smith says even though the company has been successful in the past, the board decided to ease into the agreement.
“They approached us about a partnership, and based on their track record, staff thought it had some merit to consider regarding the ,” Smith said. “It’s not a huge amount of money, but part of that is because we haven’t worked with them before, so we’re going to ease into it.”
Find out what's happening in Sussexwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Joyce McArdle, the founder of Piqued Interest, has been working with neighboring communities on economic development for more than 20 years, according to the Sussex Express. She is currently working with the downtown Business Improvement District in the Village of Hartland.
“We need to fill up our vacant spots in strip malls and in the Village of Sussex; it’s very important.”
Piqued Interest specializes in new business attraction and retention, and using her contacts, McArdle can attempt to persuade new businesses to look at Sussex and potentially open shop in the village.
Find out what's happening in Sussexwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
And according to Village President Greg Goetz, revitalizing Main Street is a top priority.
“We need to fill up our vacant spots in strip malls and in the Village of Sussex; it’s very important,” Goetz said. “Not only just to fill those spots, but to enhance other businesses and to bring other businesses into the community.”
The Community Development Authority and the will work with Piqued Interest over the next year to draw new businesses to the village and . Smith says after a year, they’ll reevaluate the partnership and possibly decide to resign a more aggressive contract.
To read more about the Main Street reconstruction project, check out Patch's page listing all of the latest news articles. Read them here.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
