Sign Shows Fairfax City Supports Economic Development, New Business
FAIRFAX CITY, VA — Drivers on Eaton Place in Fairfax City may have noticed new signage on one of the office buildings in WillowWood Plaza.
On Monday, Fairfax City Economic Development celebrated the installation a new sign” reflecting its recent rebranding.
“Eight years ago, the economic development office’s budget was $50,000 and one person. We were in City Hall,” said FCED CEO and Director Christopher Bruno. “The sign kind of represents the larger investment in economic development that is happening here in Fairfax City. We now have a building with a sign on it and the staff of somewhere between five and 12 people, and we are really, really laser focused on economic development.”
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Mayor Catherine Read, who participated in Monday’s sign unveiling, said city leaders were working hand in hand with the FCED office to help sustain, grown and retain business in Fairfax City.
“A lot of our residents are not aware of all the things that they do,” she said “One of the things about having to sign on this building is a chance to remind people that economic development doesn’t happen by itself. It doesn’t happen by chance. It’s not just people deciding to come here. There’s a lot of people who recruit businesses here. There’s a lot of effort into retaining businesses here, and there’s a lot of investment in growing businesses here.”
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“We also have other support services for businesses available, the Small Business Development Center, the Procurement and Technical Assistance Center, and a couple of other Apex Accelerator-type programs,” he said.
Much of economic development office’s focus is in on business investment, which includes attracting new business to the city and supporting the ones that are already there.
“We have a number of programs that are designed to connect people, connecting visitors and people with businesses in the city, ” Bruno said. “Business attraction and retention right now are one of our largest functions, which we are focusing intently on to keep the vacancy rate of our offices low, which creates greater revenue for the city, which reduces the residential burden on the tax base.”
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