Oct 26, 2021 Economic and Workforce Development Committee on 2021-10-26 2:00 PM

WE WILL BE, UM, AS WAS MENTIONED, ISSUING A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL.

SECOND, WE GOT A MOTION AND A SECOND FROM COUNCILWOMAN CASTILLO.

ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE.

HEARING NO OPPOSITION ARE MINUTES ARE APPROVED NOW.

ALEX LOPEZ, YOU'RE UP.

THANK YOU,

[2. Briefing on Economic Development Strategy Request for Proposal. [Alejandra Lopez, Assistant City Manager; Brenda HicksSorensen, Director, Economic Development] ]

CHAIR.

THE FIRST ITEM ON, OR THE FIRST PRESENTATION TODAY WILL ACTUALLY BE A BRIEFING BY OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR, BRENDA HICKS SORENSON.

UM, TO GIVE US A LITTLE BIT OF MORE INSIGHT INTO A PROCESS THAT WE'RE GONNA BE LAUNCHING, UM, TO DEVELOP A NEW STRATEGIC PLAN, STRATEGIC INITIATIVE FOR OUR DEPARTMENT FOR THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, UM, WE PLAN TO USE A CONSULTANT TO HELP US WITH THIS WORK.

AND BEFORE WE ISSUE THE REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS FOR THAT CONSULTANT, WE WANTED TO REVIEW THE PROCESS AND THE SCOPE OF WORK WITH THIS COMMITTEE.

SO BRENDA'S GONNA SHARE THAT WITH US NOW.

GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE, AND THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE AND TO TALK ABOUT THIS.

I KNOW I MENTIONED THIS, UH, DURING THE FISCAL YEAR 22 BUDGET PRESENTATION, AND, UH, SO EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO COME FORWARD AND, AND TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE IN DETAIL WITH YOU ON THIS.

UM, WHERE IS IT? SORRY, IT WAS, SORRY.

OH, SORRY.

I WAS LIKE, WHERE'S MY ARROWS? OKAY, GREAT.

SO, REAL QUICKLY, AS MENTIONED, THIS IS, UH, A FOCUS FOR US IN FISCAL YEAR 22.

WE ARE ANTICIPATING APPROXIMATELY $250,000, UH, TO BE BUDGETED FOR THIS, FOR THAT CONSULTANT.

AGAIN, THE PURPOSE OF THIS, THIS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLANNING INITIATIVE IS REALLY TO FOCUS ON POSITIONING THE CITY ON THE PATH TOWARD A MORE RESILIENT ECONOMY AND TO SPECIFICALLY DEFINE THE ROLE OF THE CITY'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, UM, AND REALLY WHAT WE SHOULD PLAY IN THAT EFFORT.

SO, A SIGNIFICANT FOCUS WILL BE INCORPORATING THOSE LESSONS LEARNED FROM C OVID 19.

SO YOU'LL SEE HERE WHAT SOME OF THOSE PRIORITIES ARE.

AND AGAIN, WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS AS TWO EQUALLY IMPORTANT COMPONENTS TO BE ACCOMPLISHED WITH THIS GOAL.

FIRST, IT'S TO UNDERSTAND AND ANALYZE THE CITY'S ECONOMY, FOCUSING ON THE IDENTIFICATION OF KEY OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS ASSOCIATED WITH THE CITY'S CURRENT ECONOMIC ADVANTAGES AND LONG-TERM SUSTAINABILITY.

SECOND, IT IS TO DEVELOP A FOCUS PLAN THAT EMPHASIZES IMPLEMENTABLE STRATEGIES.

AND I WANT TO REALLY FOCUS ON THAT IMPLEMENTATION ASPECT OF IT, UH, FOR THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT AND GROWING THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BASE.

SO AGAIN, WHAT I WANT TO EMPHASIZE IS, AGAIN, WE'RE LOOKING AT THAT RESILIENT ECONOMY.

WE NEED TO BE FOCUSED ON ALL OF OUR COMPONENT PARTS, INCLUDING NEIGHBORHOODS, TO INDUSTRIES, TO RESIDENTS, AND WORK.

MAKE SURE ALL OF THOSE ARE WORKING TOWARDS THE SAME GOALS.

SO ONE OF OUR TOP OBJECTIVES IS TO CREATE A PLAN FOR THE DEPARTMENT THAT AIMS TO BOLSTER ALL OF OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND RESIDENTS.

SO AGAIN, HERE'S OUR PRIMARY OBJECTIVES.

I WANT TO EMPHASIZE DURING THIS THAT WE ARE NOT GOING TO BE RECREATING THE WHEEL.

WE ALREADY HAVE A NUMBER OF PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS THAT HAVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES.

FOR EXAMPLE, UH, THE WHAT WAS FORMERLY KNOWN AS THE SAN ANTONIO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION, NOW KNOWN AS GREATER SS A T X HAS A REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY.

UM, THE ALAMO AREA COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS ALSO HAS WHAT'S CALLED THE CERTIFIED, EXCUSE ME, THE, UM, COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY.

I'M SO USED TO ALL THE ACRONYMS, SO I HAVE TO THINK OF IT SPELLED OUT.

SO THE COMPREHENSIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY, THERE'S A NUMBER OF OTHER ENTITIES THAT HAVE THOSE STRATEGIES IN PLACE.

WE ARE NOT TRYING TO RECREATE THAT.

WE ARE REALLY JUST LOOKING AT HOW DO WE UPDATE THE INFORMATION, PARTICULARLY IN LIGHT OF COVID.

AGAIN, WE KNOW THAT COVID ACCELERATED A LOT OF TRENDS THAT WERE ALREADY STARTING TO SEE.

UM, AND THERE'S A LOT OF NEW THINGS THAT WE'RE STARTING TO EXPERIENCE OR THAT WE'RE REALLY HIGHLIGHTED FOR US BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC.

AND SO REALLY, WHAT IS IT WITH THAT COVID LENS IN, UM, KIND OF ON AS WE LOOK AT IT? SO

[00:05:01]

WE'RE LOOKING AT GOING THROUGH THAT REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL PROCESS, UM, BASICALLY THROUGH JANUARY OF 2022.

AND THEN WE WILL FOCUS ON THE PROJECT KICKOFF IN FEBRUARY OF NEXT YEAR.

AND THIS WILL BE REALLY FOCUSED ON, AGAIN, JUST UPDATING THE DATA, TAKING A FRESH LOOK AT THAT, WITH THAT LENS ON.

AND THEN STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT IS A SIGNIFICANT ASPECT OF WHAT WE'RE ASKING FOR AS PART OF THIS REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL.

WHEN WE TALK ABOUT SIGNIFICANT STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT, I CANNOT HIGHLIGHT THAT ENOUGH.

WE WILL BE ASKING THE CONSULTANTS TO HOST ROUND TABLES SURVEYS, ONE-ON-ONE INTERVIEWS, ANY OTHER METHODS THAT THEY RECOMMEND TO REALLY GET THAT COMPREHENSIVE ENGAGEMENT FROM ALL ASPECTS OF THE COMMUNITY AS WE GO FORWARD WITH THAT PROCESS.

SO WE ARE TARGETING THAT FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS AND THAT'LL REALLY DRIVE WHAT THEN BECOMES THE STRATEGIES.

SO AGAIN, WE ARE LOOKING AT A COUPLE OF CATEGORIES FOR THOSE OPPORTUNITIES.

WE WILL BE LOOKING AT PARTICULARLY HIGHLIGHTING SMALL BUSINESSES AND THOSE NEIGHBORHOOD ECONOMIC NODES, WHAT WE'LL WE FREQUENTLY REFER TO IN OUR OFFICE AS THOSE NODES OF OPPORTUNITY.

UM, AND THEN IDENTIFYING WHAT ARE APPROPRIATE STRATEGIES AND INVESTMENTS MOVING FORWARD.

AND I PREVIOUSLY HIGHLIGHTED THE IMPLEMENTATION ASPECT OF IT.

PLANS ARE ONLY AS GOOD AS, YOU KNOW, THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THEM.

SO WE WILL BE FOCUSING ON A FOUR YEAR PLAN THE FIRST YEAR.

WE WANT STRATEGIES BROKEN OUT BY QUARTER, AND THEN FROM THERE, UM, ON A MORE REGULAR BASIS, AND AGAIN, A FOUR YEAR STRATEGY WITH THOSE KEY IMPLEMENTATION MILESTONES AND METRICS.

SO HOW WILL WE KNOW WE'RE SUCCESSFUL? HOW WILL WE BE ABLE TO COME BACK AND ARTICULATE THAT SUCCESS TO EVERYBODY THAT WE'RE TALKING TO? AND AGAIN, BECAUSE OF THE STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT, THEY'LL BE IDENTIFYING WHAT THAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE AND OF COURSE WHAT THE BUDGET IS FOR THAT IMPLEMENTATION.

SO THAT IS A HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW.

OF WHAT'S TO COME.

THANKS VERY MUCH.

UH, LET'S, UH, LET'S GO AROUND THE HORN.

COUNCILMAN VRAN, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? YES.

THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION.

UM, SO I JUST IN TERMS OF CLARIFICATION, AND YOU CAN BRING THIS BACK TO ME AND, UM, WHERE'S THE COMPETITION ASPECT, UH, IN THIS STRATEGIC PLAN? UM, FROM A TOURISM PERSPECTIVE, WE WILL BE COMPETING AGAINST, UM, OTHER CITIES.

UM, SO I, I WANTED TO KNOW WHERE THAT WOULD BE AS WE, AS WE LOOK AT OUR STRATEGIC PLANNING AND WHAT SORT OF BUSINESSES WE ATTRACT.

UM, THE OTHER THING I WANNA AVOID IS HAVING A RACE FOR A RACE, UH, TO THE BOTTOM.

AND I'M, I'M MORE THE NON-PROFIT, BUT, UM, THE ONE THING THAT I THINK ABOUT IS, UM, OUTDOOR VENUES.

UH, IF WE HAVE TWO, WHICH WE DO CURRENTLY, TWO, UH, IN INDIVIDUALS LOOKING AT OUTDOOR VENUES, DOES IT BECOME A RACE TO THE BOTTOM IF OUR MARKET CAN'T SUSTAIN THE OUTDOOR VENUE OR IF THE TOURISM MARKET DOESN'T, UM, DOESN'T BOUNCE BACK LIKE WE NEED TO.

SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE KEEP, UM, THAT IN, IN, IN TERMS OF THE, WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT OUR STRATEGIC PLANNING AND OUR INITIATIVE AND WHAT SORT OF BUSINESSES WE'RE GONNA GO AFTER, WHAT DIRECTION WE WANNA TAKE, WE TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION ALSO.

SO WOULD THAT BE SOMETHING THAT THE CONSULTANT WOULD LOOK AT AND BRING TO US, OR IS THAT SOMETHING THAT THE DEPARTMENT'S GOING TO LOOK AT? SO THIS THROUGH THE OTHER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES, THERE ARE ALREADY A NUMBER OF TARGET INDUSTRIES, AND THAT'S REALLY WHERE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HAS BEEN FOCUSED ON AS PART OF THIS CONVERSATION.

IN LIGHT OF THE PANDEMIC, THERE WILL BE A CONVERSATION THAT THE CONSULTANT WILL LEAD ON WHETHER OR NOT, AND AGAIN, WE DON'T WANNA OPEN THE CAN OF WORMS ON, BUT JUST ARE THERE KEY INDICATORS REGARDING THOSE TARGET INDUSTRIES THAT WE NEED TO BE AWARE OF AND REFLECTIVE OF AS WE MOVE FORWARD? UH, WE'VE ALSO BEEN ASKED AS PART OF THIS, AND WE'LL BE ASKING THE CONSULTANT TO BE LOOKING AT THE TOOLS AND THE RESOURCES WE HAVE.

SO FOR EXAMPLE, THE INCENTIVE POLICY, THE, UM, SAN ANTONIO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.

ARE THERE THINGS THAT WE SHOULD BE DOING WITH THOSE TYPES OF ENTITIES AND ORGANIZATIONS TO BETTER LEVERAGE, UM, ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR, FOR GROWTH OF THE CITY? UM, SO HOSPITALITY, UH, IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT'S A CONVERSATION, UH, THAT WILL

[00:10:01]

BE TALKED ABOUT.

BUT OUR TOURISM PARTNERS TEND TO TAKE THE LEAD ON THOSE MORE COMPREHENSIVE CONVERSATIONS REGARDING TOURISM.

BUT OF COURSE, YOU CAN'T TALK ABOUT HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY WITHOUT TALKING ABOUT, OR SMALL BUSINESSES, I SHOULD SAY, WITHOUT TALKING ABOUT THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY HERE IN SAN ANTONIO.

SO THAT WILL BE PART OF PARTICULARLY THE SMALL BUSINESS AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD CONVERSATION.

I, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE WE HAVE THAT A PART BECAUSE WHEN WE TALK ABOUT, AND WE LOOK FURTHER INTO THE ARPA DOLLARS, SMALL BUSINESS DOLLARS, THAT WILL BE GOING TO OUR HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY PRIMARILY, I BELIEVE IN OUR, OUR RESTAURANTS, UM, BECAUSE THEY WILL BE THE ONES THAT SIT WITH UNDER 70 OR 15 EMPLOYEES.

UM, OH, SO, UH, THIS R F P PROCESS, IS IT GOING TO AUDIT THEN AFTER, BEFORE OR IS IS THE, WHAT IS THE AMOUNT WE'RE LOOKING FOR THIS CONSULTANT, WE HAVE BUDGETED $250,000.

SO IT IS UNDER THE HIGH, IT IS UNDER THE $500,000 AMOUNT FOR THE AUDIT COMMITTEE.

SO, UM, GIVEN CONVERSATION TODAY, WE WOULD THEN LOOK TOWARDS, UH, ISSUING THE REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL.

THAT'S ALL MY QUESTIONS.

THANK YOU, COUNCILWOMAN ROCHA GARCIA TO SEE THANK CHAIR.

THANK YOU BRENDA, FOR THE PRESENTATION.

AND, UM, I, I THINK I WAS GOING WHERE COUNCILMAN VRAN WAS GOING, AND I, I, I UNDERSTOOD HER QUESTION INCORRECTLY MAYBE.

AND SO I THINK SHE WAS ASKING, IS THIS AN AUDIT OF OUR CURRENT PLANS, MAYBE? AND IS, WAS THAT WHAT YOUR QUESTION WAS? 'CAUSE THAT WAS GONNA BE ONE OF MY QUESTIONS.

OR ARE WE LOOKING AT EVERY OTHER PLAN BEFORE WE, UM, KIND OR HOW IS, I GUESS, UH, IN THE R F P, HOW ARE YOU GONNA STRUCTURE TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL OF THE OTHER PLANS ARE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION? RIGHT.

SO WE LIST ACTUALLY QUITE ALL OF THOSE OTHER PLANS THAT REALLY REFERENCE SO ESSAY TOMORROW.

AND WE REALLY ITERATE THAT WE'RE NOT ASKING FOR THE DEEP DIVE.

THE BUDGET IS QUITE REFLECTIVE OF THAT AS WELL, TO NOT GO INTO A DEEP DIVE OF ANY OF THOSE OTHER PLANS.

SO LIKE THE TOURISM AND, UH, THROUGH VISIT SAN ANTONIO AND SO FORTH, THERE'S ALREADY A LOT OF GREAT PLANS OUT THERE.

IT'S REALLY JUST TAKING A LOOK AT WHAT THE DATA IS AND IN LIGHT OF C OVID 19, WHAT ARE SOME THINGS THAT NEED TO BE CONSIDERED? AND THEN THIS PLAN IS SPECIFICALLY LOOKING AT WHAT ROLE THE CITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT SHOULD PLAY AS WE LOOK FOR THAT TO BUILD THAT RESILIENT ECONOMY.

SO AGAIN, WE FULLY ANTICIPATE THAT A SIGNIFICANT FOCUS WILL BE ON THAT SMALL BUSINESSES AND THOSE NEIGHBORHOOD KIND OF MORE THAT PLACEMAKING KIND OF ACTIVITY.

AND I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION ON HERE IS HOW DO WE GET THERE? AND, UM, I THINK THAT THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS, AND YOU MENTIONED IT EARLIER, RIGHT? AND YOU SAID, WE HAVE SEVERAL PLANS OUT THERE, AND I I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE KIND OF ALL ON THE SAME PAGE FOR A LONG TIME.

THE CRITICISM FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND THE CITY HAS BEEN THAT EVERYONE'S WORKING IN SILOS.

AND SO I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THIS ISN'T ANOTHER, UH, PLAN THAT KIND OF GOES OFF ON ITS OWN AND THAT WE DO INCORPORATE EVERYBODY ELSE'S.

UM, VISIT SAN ANTONIO JUST PRESENTED THEIR STRATEGY FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS.

AND SO I, I'M, I'M GRATEFUL TO THEM FOR HAVING A PLAN, BUT I'M SURE THAT THERE'S OTHER, UH, ORGANIZATIONS OUT THERE THAT, THAT HAVE THESE PLANS.

SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ALL ARE WORKING TOGETHER.

THAT'S IT.

THANK YOU SO MUCH, BRENDA.

THANK YOU CHAIR.

UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH, COUNCIL MEMBER COUNCIL.

OH, YES.

SORRY.

IF IT'S OKAY.

AND, AND I KNOW BRENDA MAY NOT WANNA SAY THIS OUT LOUD, BUT I'LL GO AHEAD AND SHARE THE, THE MINUTE YOU MENTIONED WORKING IN SILOS.

UM, WE ALL, AND I PARTICULARLY AM VERY PROUD OF, OF EVERYTHING THAT THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT HAS ACCOMPLISHED FOR A NUMBER OF YEARS NOW.

UM, BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS THAT WE TEND TO DO IT EVEN INTERNALLY IN SILOS.

UM, WE'VE GOT A GREAT, SO BETA PROGRAM, YOU KNOW, WE ACTIVATED IN A VERY EFFECTIVE WAY, UM, WITH, WITH, UM, GRANT DOLLARS AND THEN OUR, OUR, YOU KNOW, RECRUITMENT AND B R E PROGRAM IS ALSO VERY STRONG, BUT IT, EVEN INTERNALLY, IT'S, IT'S TEND TO BE A BIT SILOED.

SO WHAT BRENDA AND THE TEAM ARE LOOKING AT DOING IS REALLY LOOKING AT INTERNALLY THE DEPARTMENT AND US AS AN ORGANIZATION, HOW DO WE MORE EFFECTIVELY PLUG INTO AND OPERATIONALIZE SOME OF THE PLANS THAT SO MANY OF OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS ARE, HAVE ALREADY DEVELOPED.

SO THAT'S PART OF WHY WE DON'T WANNA REPLICATE ANYTHING, BUT WE WANNA KNOW WHAT BEST THE CITY CAN BE DOING TO ACTIVATE THOSE PLANS.

AND, AND BEFORE, UH, WE, WE MOVE YOU WHO BROUGHT US THE CANDY? 'CAUSE THAT WAS REALLY NICE.

YOU'RE VERY NICE.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

I REALLY APPRECIATE IT.

I NEEDED THE EXTRA SUGAR AND CALORIES.

UM, ON THE SECOND SLIDE, RIGHT, WE HIGHLIGHT ON INCORPORATING LESSONS LEARNED FROM C OVID 19, UH, INCREASING TAX BASE AND WEALTH OF RESIDENTS AND BUSINESSES IN EQUITABLE, UM, IN AN EQUITABLE MANNER.

GO AHEAD, COUNCILWOMAN.

ALL RIGHT.

THANK YOU CHAIR.

AND THANK YOU BRENDA FOR THE PRESENTATION.

I'M ALWAYS PLEASED TO SEE DISTRICT FIVE RESIDENTS FEATURED ON THE PRESENTATION, AND THAT'S, UH, THE TWO GILBERTS OF BARRIO BARISTA.

UM, SO MY, MY QUESTION IS,

[00:15:01]

UH, DOES THAT MEAN INCREASED PROPERTY TAXES AND, AND IF SO, UM, HOW, HOW ARE WE GOING TO DO THAT EQUITABLY? UM, WHEN WE LOOK AT INCREASING THE TAX BASE AND WEALTH OF RESIDENTS, HOW, HOW DO WE SEE INCREASING TAX BASIS PLAY OUT, UM, EQUITABLY? UM, ARE THERE, UH, CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'RE HAVING TO ENSURE THAT, UH, WE CAN DO THAT EQUITABLY? IF SO, WHAT, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? RIGHT.

WELL, AND SO THAT'LL BE THE CONVERSATIONS, THE TYPES OF CONVERSATIONS THAT WE HAVE THROUGH THE STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT, RIGHT? IT'S, IT'S ALWAYS A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT REVITALIZATION OPPORTUNITIES, INVESTMENTS, THERE ARE, UH, BEST PRACTICES AND NATIONAL TOOLS THAT CAN BE LOOKED AT.

AND WE WOULD CERTAINLY, AS WE GO THROUGH THE PROCESS WITH THE, THE CONSULTANTS, THOSE ARE DEFINITELY THOSE KINDS OF CONVERSATIONS AND THINGS THAT WE HIGHLIGHT IN THE REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL.

UM, THERE'S, THERE'S CONSULTANTS THAT TEND TO MORE HEAVILY FOCUSED ON WHAT I WOULD SAY, KIND OF THAT THE URBANIST MM-HMM.

TYPE STRATEGIES.

AND I THINK SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES WOULD REALLY MAKE SENSE FOR SAN ANTONIO.

SO THOSE ARE THE CONVERSATIONS WE'LL BE HAVING.

AND FOR THE STAKEHOLDER GROUPS, DO WE KNOW WHO THE TARGET AUDIENCE AND FOLKS WE HOPE TO HAVE, UH, PARTICIPATING IN THOSE DISCUSSIONS? ARE THEY, UH, FOLKS FROM A SPECIFIC INDUSTRY, UM, CENSUS TRACK? UM, WHO ARE WE LOOKING TO TO INVITE TO THOSE CONVERSATIONS? ALL OF THE ABOVE.

BUT AS WE WERE TALKING EARLIER ABOUT SOMEWHAT BEING SILOED, ARE WE ALL MOVING IN THE SAME DIRECTION, IS REALLY A KEY PART OF THE CONVERSATION.

UM, SO WE REALLY ANTICIPATE, WE REALLY EMPHASIZE THROUGHOUT THE REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL PROCESS THAT, AGAIN, THIS IS NOT, THE TIME IS NOT TO BE SPENT ON THAT SIGNIFICANT DATA DEEP DIVE, BUT REALLY TO BE OUT HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS.

SO WE FULLY ANTICIPATE THE BULK OF THE BUDGET WILL BE SENT ON SPENT ON STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT.

SO WE'RE ALREADY PULLING THIS, IF THERE'S ANY SUGGESTIONS, WE'RE, FOR EXAMPLE, PULLING ALL OF THIS SPAC, UM, THE SMALL BUSINESS ADVISORY, UH, COMMISSION APPLICANTS, YOU KNOW, AND SO WE'RE REALLY BUILDING WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO.

ALL OF THE PARTNERS THAT ARE SITTING HERE WILL BE ENGAGED IN IT.

REALLY LOOKING AT THAT COMPREHENSIVE LIST, WE'LL BE PARTNERING WITH GREATER S A T X TO TALK WITH INDUSTRY.

SO REALLY THAT COMPREHENSIVE LIST.

SO, UM, HOPEFULLY NO ONE FEELS LEFT OUT IN THE PROCESS.

YES, GREAT.

'CAUSE DISTRICT FIVE, WE HAVE SOUTH SIDE FIRST PROSPER WEST, THE MAESTRO CENTER.

SO WE HAVE PLENTY OF ASSETS, UH, AND AVENUES TO ENCOURAGE FOLKS TO PARTICIPATE IN THESE CONVERSATIONS.

UH, DO WE KNOW IF THIS IS GOING TO GO THROUGH THE SMALL BUSINESS ADVISORY COMMITTEE, UM, FOR CONVERSATION? SO I FULLY ANTICIPATE THAT THEY WILL BE PART OF THE, THE DIALOGUE.

LIKE I SAID, WE ARE, ANYBODY AND EVERYBODY, WE ARE REALLY, WE'LL BE SITTING AND HAVING A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT CONVERSATION WHEN WE TALK IN FEBRUARY ABOUT THAT KICKOFF.

THIS IS EXACTLY THE CONVERSATION WE'LL BE HAVING WITH THE CONSULTANTS.

AND AGAIN, UM, WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THE QUESTIONS TO BE ASKING WHILE WE'RE INTERVIEWING CONSULTANTS, STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT IS, IS THE NUMBER ONE EMPHASIS FOR US.

UM, PROBABLY NUMBER TWO IS THEN THAT IMPLEMENTABLE PLAN SO THAT WE MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE OUT THERE DOING WHAT WE SAY WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? WELL, THANK YOU CHAIR.

UM, I GUESS I WAS THINKING TO MYSELF, IF, IF WE ARE OUT TO ENTICE OTHER COMPANIES TO COME HERE, OTHER INDUSTRIES, BUSINESSES, WHATEVER IT MAY BE, I STARTED THINKING, WHAT ARE THE ASSETS THAT WE HAVE THAT WE WOULD SHARE WITH A POTENTIAL BUSINESS THAT WOULD DRAW THEM HERE? UH, AND, AND DON'T WE PRETTY MUCH KNOW WHAT OUR ASSETS ARE AS AS A LOCAL ORGANIZATION? UH, AND SO THEN I WOULD THINK, WELL, WHAT, WHAT MORE WOULD A CONSULTANT BRING OTHER THAN SOME IDEAS ON MARKETING OUR ASSETS? SO THE GREATER S A T X PLAN REALLY FOCUSES ON THAT AUDIENCE THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, THE, THE SITE CONSULTANTS, THE BUSINESS ATTRACTION TYPE ACTIVITIES.

UM, SO WHILE WE'RE GOING TO BE HAVING A, SOME TARGET INDUSTRY CONVERSATION AS PART OF THIS, IT'S REALLY MORE IN LIGHT OF THE TRENDS.

UM, OFFICE SPACE, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU KNOW, WE ALL KNOW THAT CORPORATE HQS AND OFFICES HAVE BEEN IMPACTED BY THE PANDEMIC, AND DEPENDING UPON THE, THE TIME OF DAY, THERE'S DIFFERENT ARTICLES OUT THERE ABOUT WHAT THE FUTURE LOOKS LIKE THAT.

SO REALLY JUST TOUCHING UPON THINGS TO KIND OF THINK ABOUT WHEN IT COMES TO THE TARGET INDUSTRIES.

THIS STRATEGY IS GOING TO BE REALLY FOCUSED MORE ON, LIKE I SAID, THE NEIGHBORHOODS, THE SMALL BUSINESSES.

WHAT ARE THOSE KINDS OF INVESTMENTS THAT THE CITY COULD BE MAKING? UM, WHAT AS AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT BROUGHT ME TO SAN ANTONIO IS, WELL, THERE'S SO MANY THINGS, BUT THERE'S SO MANY GREAT PROGRAMS AND PARTNERSHIPS AND RESOURCES.

[00:20:01]

AND QUITE HONESTLY, IN LIGHT OF C O V I D AND THE PANDEMIC IS WHAT WE HAVE BEEN DOING, THE DIRECTION WE NEED TO BE GOING IN.

AND SO THAT'S REALLY MORE WHAT THIS CONVERSATION IS GOING TO BE ABOUT.

GREATER S A T X IS THAT STRONG PARTNER ON THOSE TARGET INDUSTRIES, AND I FULLY ANTICIPATE THAT TO CONTINUE.

UM, AND THIS STUDY WILL JUST TOUCH UPON THAT AND MORE SO WHAT ROLES WE CAN, SO FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE INCENTIVES, THAT'S A SIGNIFICANT ROLE THE CITY PLAYS IN THAT RECRUITMENT EFFORT.

WHAT DO SOME OF THOSE LOOK LIKE MOVING FORWARD? SO IT REALLY SEEMS LIKE WE'RE TAKING MORE OR LESS AN INTERNAL LOOK AT HOW WE CAN GROW OUR ECONOMY WITH, WITH WHAT WE HAVE, AND USING THE ADVANTAGES THAT WE MAY HAVE INTERNALLY TO HELP SMALL BUSINESSES, MID-SIZE BUSINESSES, BUSINESS RETENTION, BUSINESS GROWTH.

AS OPPOSED TO THE EXTERNAL TRYING TO BRING, BRING IT IN.

UNLESS THERE'S ANY OTHER FURTHER COMMENTS, THIS WAS JUST A BRIEFING AND ANTICIPATION OF THE ISSUANCE OF THE R F P.

UM, GOOD WORK.

I APPRECIATE THE, THE BRIEFING.

VERY THOROUGH.

UM, ALEX, WHAT ELSE WE GOT? SO THE NEXT ITEM IS ACTUALLY AN UPDATE ON A, UM,

[3. Briefing and update on the Embracing Entrepreneurial Equity Program conducted in partnership with the Maestro Entrepreneur Center (Maestro). [Alejandra Lopez, Assistant City Manager; Brenda HicksSorensen, Director, Economic Development] ]

SORRY ABOUT THAT.

THE NEXT ITEM IS ACTUALLY A BRIEFING ON A, UH, A PROGRAM THAT WE CALLED EMBRACING ENTREPRENEURIAL EQUITY.

UH, SAM DIAZ, ONE OF OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COORDINATORS IN, IN OUR DEPARTMENT, IS GONNA BE GIVING THAT UPDATE.

ECONOMIC WORKFORCE AND DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE.

HI, SAM.

WELCOME.

HELLO, GOOD AFTERNOON.

MY NAME IS SAMANTHA DIAZ AND I'M THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR IN THE CITY SMALL BUSINESS OFFICE.

I AM VERY EXCITED TO SHARE WITH YOU A PROGRAM THAT I'VE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO WORK REALLY CLOSELY WITH OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS, BUT I DID NOT DO IT ALONE.

WE HAVE A GREAT TEAM BEHIND US, AND I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO, TO HIGHLIGHT THE MAESTRO ENTREPRENEUR CENTER.

WE ACTUALLY HAVE MARIA ANGELLA ZAVALA HERE TODAY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER.

AND WE ALSO HAVE SAMANTHA SALAZAR HERE, WHO IS A COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR FOR MAESTRO ENTREPRENEUR CENTER.

WE COULD NOT HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT THEM, AND IT'S BEEN A WONDERFUL PARTNERSHIP.

SO TO BEGIN THIS OVERVIEW OF THE EMBRACING ENTREPRENEURIAL EQUITY PROGRAM, I'D LIKE TO START OFF WITH JUST A LITTLE BIT OF A BACKGROUND.

I'D LIKE TO SHARE WITH YOU ALL HOW WE GOT TO WHERE WE ARE TODAY.

AND I'D ALSO LIKE TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE APPLICATION PROCESS ITSELF.

SO HOW MANY APPLICANTS DID WE GET? WHAT DID SCORING LOOK LIKE? WE'LL ALSO GET TO LEARN A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE COHORT THEMSELVES, AND THEN WE'LL DIVE A LITTLE BIT INTO WHAT THE PROGRAM ENTAILS AND WE, THE CURRICULUM WILL COVER.

SO TO GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND, IN FISCAL YEAR 2021, CITY COUNCIL APPROVED FUNDING FOR AN ENTREPRENEURIAL PROGRAM.

THIS PROGRAM WAS TO BE FOCUSED SPECIFICALLY ON BLACK, LATINX AND OTHER HISTORICALLY UNDERSERVED ENTREPRENEURS.

SO THIS PROGRAM WAS INTENDED TO REALLY HELP THOSE PERSPECTIVE ENTREPRENEURS, BUT ALSO BUILD THE CAPACITY OF THOSE ENTREPRENEURS THAT ARE ALREADY EXISTING.

THIS PROGRAM WOULD SELECT COMPETITIVELY SELECT 10 PARTICIPANTS.

FUNDING FOR THIS PROGRAM WAS $250,000.

WITH $50,000 TO BE ALLOCATED TOWARDS PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION, THE REMAINING 200,000 WAS TO BE ALLOCATED FOR THE GRANTS.

SO, AS I MENTIONED, WE HAVE 10 ENTREPRENEURS THAT WERE SELECTED FOR THIS PROGRAM, AND THEY WOULD EACH BE ELIGIBLE FOR UP TO $20,000, UH, WORTH OF A GRANT FOR, UM, SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETING THEIR, THEIR MILESTONES.

E D D AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, DID PARTNER WITH THE MAESTRO ENTREPRENEUR CENTER, AND MAESTRO SERVES AS A PROGRAM ADMINISTRATOR FOR THIS PROGRAM.

SO NOW TO GO A LITTLE BIT INTO THE APPLICATION PROCESS ITSELF, THE APPLICATION OPENED ON JULY 19TH, AND IT RAN UNTIL AUGUST 9TH.

THE MAESTRO ENTREPRENEUR CENTER REALLY DID A GREAT JOB OF GETTING THE WORD OUT ABOUT THE APPLICATION AND ALSO LENDING SUPPORT TO ANYONE INTERESTED.

THEY DID THIS THROUGH TWO DIFFERENT WEBINARS THAT WERE HOSTED IN BOTH ENGLISH AND SPANISH.

THAT REALLY SERVED AS A FORUM FOR THOSE THAT COULD ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT THE APPLICATION PROCESS OR EVEN ABOUT THE PROGRAM ITSELF.

ADDITIONALLY, THEY EVEN HAD AVAILABLE SCHEDULED, UH, APPOINTMENTS THAT ENTREPRENEURS COULD, COULD SET UP WITH MAESTRO IN CASE THEY NEEDED ANY TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE IN SUBMITTING THEIR APPLICATIONS.

ALTOGETHER THROUGH, THROUGH THE OPEN APPLICATION PERIOD, WE DID YIELD 223 APPLICATIONS OF WHICH 175

[00:25:01]

WERE DEEMED ELIGIBLE.

AND I WILL HIGHLIGHT THAT FOR THOSE THAT WEREN'T DEEMED ELIGIBLE, IT WAS REALLY BECAUSE ONE OF THE REQUIREMENTS WAS THAT YOU BE A RESIDENT OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO.

SO THAT IS WHERE YOU SEE THE, THE DIFFERENCE.

TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT HOW APPLICATIONS WERE SCORED.

SO THE CITY DID CONSULT WITH THE CITY'S OFFICE OF EQUITY TO ENSURE THAT THE SCORING MATRIX MATRIX ITSELF WAS VERY EQUITABLE ACROSS ALL AREAS.

AND THEN TO FURTHER PROMOTE EQUITY DURING THE APPLICATION PROCESS, THERE WAS A, THEY WERE, APPLICATIONS WERE SCORED USING A BLIND PROCESS AND ALSO THROUGH A VERY DIVERSE PANEL.

SO THE CRITERIA THAT YOU SEE HERE ON THE SCREEN WERE HOW APPLICATIONS WERE SCORED.

APPLICANTS COULD RECEIVE A TOTAL OF A HUNDRED POINTS WITH 50 OF THOSE POINTS GOING TOWARDS THEIR PROPOSED BUSINESS IDEA AND EXPERIENCE.

AND THEN 30 OF THOSE POINTS ACTUALLY GOING TO THE, THE TYPE OF BUSINESS OWNERSHIP THAT, THAT THE APPLICANT WOULD HAVE.

SO THIS IS LOOKING AT RACE AND ETHNICITY, GENDER AND VETERAN STATUS WITH THE MAX OF 30 POINTS ALLOCATED THERE.

AND THEN LASTLY, YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE'S UP TO 20 POINTS ALLOCATED FOR RESIDENTS LOCATION.

SO WE SPECIFICALLY USE THE CITY'S EQUITY ATLAS TOOL HERE AND LOOKED AT COMBINED EQUITY SCORES OF RACE AND INCOME FOR THE ADDRESS THAT, THE PART THAT THE APPLICANT LISTED FOR THE RESIDENTS LOCATION.

SO MOST EXCITINGLY, WE GET TO THE POINT WHERE WE, WE SELECTED THE COHORT.

WE HAVE OUR TOP TEN FIRST EVER 2021, EMBRACING ENTREPRENEURIAL EQUITY COHORT.

THESE MEMBERS, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE NINE OUT OF 10 OF THEM ARE WOMEN.

UM, IT'S ABOUT 50 50 AS FAR AS BLACK AND HISPANIC ENTREPRENEURS.

AND WE ACTUALLY EVEN HAVE SOMEBODY HERE TODAY.

WE HAVE BELINDA GRACE TORRES WITH SENIOR BLESSINGS, AND SHE IS ONE OF THE PARTICIPANTS HERSELF.

SO BELINDA HAS A, A PHENOMENAL BUSINESS IDEA.

HER BUSINESS IS ACTUALLY WORKING, UH, WITH THE ELDERLY, BUT IN A NON-MEDICAL SERVICES WAY.

SO SHE, SHE DREAMS OF REALLY HELPING THE ELDERLY THROUGH SERVICES SUCH AS COMPANIONSHIP, TRANSPORTATION SERVICES, SHOPPING ASSISTANCE, HOME ORGANIZATION, AND SO MUCH MORE.

SO IF GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY, I HIGHLY, YOU KNOW, ENCOURAGE US TO AND HER EXPERIENCE.

BUT THAT BEING SAID, ASIDE FROM BELINDA, THE COHORT THEMSELVES HAVE VERY DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS AND INTERESTS.

UH, WE HAVE PEOPLE THAT ARE INTERESTED IN THE MAKEUP INDUSTRY OR COOKING AND GARDENING OR EVEN VEGAN SOUL FOOD.

SO ALL ACROSS THE BOARD, THERE'S A REALLY GREAT, GREAT GROUP OF ENTREPRENEURS HERE, AND WE'RE EXCITED TO HEAR THE STORIES THAT COME FROM COME FROM THIS PROGRAM FOR THEM.

OKAY, SO TO ELABORATE A LITTLE BIT ON THE PROGRAM ITSELF.

SO THIS IS A 10 WEEK ACCELERATOR PROGRAM.

THE PROGRAM STARTED ON SEPTEMBER 27TH, AND IT'S SET SCHEDULED TO END ON DECEMBER 10TH.

SO RIGHT NOW WE'RE ABOUT HALFWAY THROUGH THAT ACCELERATOR PROGRAM.

HOWEVER, I DO WANNA HIGHLIGHT THAT THE SUPPORT FROM MY ESTRO WILL NOT END ON DECEMBER 10TH.

MAESTRO IS COMMITTED TO CONTINUING TO HELP AND SUPPORT THESE ENTREPRENEURS WITH ANY CLASSES AND RESOURCES UP UNTIL APRIL OF 2022.

THROUGH THIS PROGRAM, UH, THE ENTREPRENEURS WILL BE MEETING ONE-ON-ONE WITH THEIR ASSIGNED MENTORS AND REALLY USING THAT MENTOR TO HELP GUIDE THEM THROUGH ANY CURRICULUM OR QUESTIONS THEY HAVE.

AS A NEW BUSINESS OWNER.

THEY'LL BE RECEIVING HANDS-ON TRAINING REFERRALS, AND OF COURSE, AS WE MENTIONED, THEY'LL BE ELIGIBLE FOR THAT GRANT OF UP TO $20,000.

SOMETHING ELSE I'D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT IS THAT MAESTRO HAS OFFERED THESE ENTREPRENEURS FREE USE OF THEIR NEW COWORKING SPACE SO THAT THESE ENTREPRENEURS CAN HAVE SOMEWHERE TO WORK OUT OF THROUGHOUT THE DAY.

AND THIS IS EL, THIS IS AVAILABLE TO THEM UP UNTIL APRIL OF 2022 AS WELL.

AND THEN TO LOOK A LITTLE BIT AT THE PROGRAM CURRICULUM ITSELF.

SO YOU'RE GONNA SEE A VARIETY OF TOPICS HERE, AND AS YOU, AS YOU CAN SEE, THEY'RE ALL VERY ESSENTIAL TO, TO A BUSINESS OWNER, REGARDLESS OF THE STAGES THAT THEY'RE AT.

BUT I ALSO WANTED TO MENTION TO YOU THAT MAESTRO DID ASSIGN DIFFERENT TRACKS TO THE ENTREPRENEURS.

SO THINK OF TRACK ONE AS THAT TRACK WHERE THE ENTREPRENEUR HAD NOT YET OFFICIALLY FORMED THEIR BUSINESS.

THEY WERE IN THOSE REALLY BEGINNING STAGES, MAYBE AN IDEATION.

AND THEN THINK OF TRACK TWO AS THAT STAGE WHERE THEY DID A STAGE WHERE THEY DID OFFICIALLY GO THROUGH THE PROCESS OF FORMALLY ESTABLISHING THEIR BUSINESS.

SO WHILE YOU SEE HERE, A LOT OF TOPICS JUST KNOW THAT THIS IS A COMPILATION ACROSS THE TWO TRACKS.

SO DEPENDING ON WHERE THAT ENTREPRENEUR STARTED, UH, WHEN THEY BEGAN WITH MAESTRO IN THIS PROGRAM, AND DEPENDING ON THEIR NEEDS, THEY'RE ASSIGNED A VERY SPECIFIC CURRICULUM

[00:30:01]

THAT THEY WILL FOLLOW FOR THE NEXT FEW WEEKS.

AND LASTLY, I JUST WANTED TO TAKE A MOMENT TO REALLY HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THAT GREAT MEDIA COVERAGE THAT WE'VE, WE'VE BEEN RECEIVING SINCE WE ANNOUNCED A COHORT.

ON THE LEFT, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE A STORY THROUGH KS A IN THE MIDDLE.

YOU'RE GOING TO SEE A STORY THROUGH THE SAN ANTONIO BUSINESS JOURNAL REALLY HIGHLIGHTING THE PROGRAM AS A WHOLE.

AND ON THE RIGHT YOU'LL SEE A SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS NEWS ARTICLE.

IN THE CASE, A ARTICLE AND THE EXPRESS NEWS ARTICLE.

YOU WILL SEE TIA RODRIGUEZ HIGHLIGHTED.

I HIGHLY ENCOURAGE YOU, IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY READ THESE STORIES TO GIVE THEM A READ.

UM, YOU'LL GET TO LEARN A LOT ABOUT TIA, HER BACKGROUND, AND THE IDEAS BEHIND HER BUSINESS CALLED URBAN SOUL, WHICH IS A VEGAN SOUL FOOD, UH, CUISINE.

AND THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION.

SO AT THIS TIME, IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS, I WILL TAKE THEM.

YEAH.

EXCELLENT PRESENTATION, SAMANTHA.

UM, I'M GONNA INVITE BELINDA TO COME UP TO THE PODIUM, IF YOU MIND.

UH, AND TWO THINGS I'D LIKE, IF YOU CAN TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR EXPERIENCE.

GO AHEAD MAN.

UH, IF YOU CAN TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, YOUR EXPERIENCE AND, AND, UH, HOW IT'S GOING WITH THIS PROGRAM.

AND TWO, UM, TELL US ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS.

'CAUSE, YOU KNOW, AS A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER, I THINK IT'S ALWAYS IMPORTANT TO BE ABLE TO TELL PEOPLE WHEN YOU'RE IN A ROOM FULL OF FOLKS WHAT IT IS YOU DO.

RIGHT? UH, 'CAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW, MAYBE ONE OF US MIGHT BUY WHAT YOU'RE SELLING.

, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

UH, GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE.

FIRST OF ALL, UH, I ALWAYS, I'M A CHRISTIAN, SO I ALWAYS THANK THE DIVINE HOLY TRINITY FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO BE HERE.

IT'S SUCH A BLESSING.

I FEEL ANOINTED TO BE IN THIS GROUP.

UM, UH, I WANNA THANK THE MAESTRO ENTREPRENEURSHIP CENTER, MS. MA, MISS SAMANTHA, UM, MS. UM, ARIANA AND MR. BRIAN WELLS, THEY'VE BEEN PHENOMENAL IN HELPING ME AND, AND ALL THE COHORTS IN THE TEAM TO HAVE HOPE IN OUR BUSINESSES FOR US TO ACCELERATE GROWTH.

UM, I WANNA THANK THE ECONOMIC WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT, ALL OF YOU FOR ALLOWING ME TO SHARE, UM, HOW I'M EXPERIENCING THIS, UM, GREAT OPPORTUNITY.

UH, WHEN I RECEIVED THE PHONE CALL, UM, UH, I HAVE, I'VE BEEN PRAYING FOR GOD TO OPEN THE DOORS FOR ME BECAUSE IN LIKE ALL BUSINESSES WITH THE COVID, THEY WERE AFFECTED.

MINE WAS AFFECTED BECAUSE I WAS NOT ABLE TO GO INTO SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITIES BECAUSE OF THE COVID AND THE FEAR OF COVID.

UH, AND THE LORD OPENED THIS, UM, DOOR FOR ME TO HAVE HOPE AND BUSINESS AND LEADERSHIP AND ONE-ON-ONE COACHING SO THAT I CAN EXPAND MY BUSINESS.

UM, SO I APPRECIATE THAT FROM, FROM EVERYONE.

UM, UH, WELL, THE, THE BUSINESS GROWTH, UH, THAT HAS HELPED ME.

WE DO NON-MEDICAL SERVICES.

WE PROVIDE CARING, COMPANION SHOPPING ASSISTANCE, TRANSPORTATION AND ESCORT AND HOME ORGANIZATION FOR OUR CLIENTS.

UH, WE SPECIALIZE WITH THE, WITH THE, UM, WITH THE ELDERLY, BECAUSE I WAS RAISED WITH MY PARENTS, UM, ERNESTO AND GRACE TORRES TO HELP, UH, ONE ANOTHER OUR NEIGHBORS SINCE I WAS REALLY YOUNG.

AND SO THAT INSPIRED ME TO DO SOMETHING MEANINGFUL IN MY LIFE AND TO GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY.

AND, UM, WELL, THERE'S A LOT OF SENIORS THAT ARE NOT READY TO GO INTO A SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITY.

AND I WORK FOR A SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITY IN THE MARKETING DEPARTMENT AND GAVE TOURS OF, OF THE, THE ESTABLISHMENT.

AND THEY WERE NOT READY TO COME IN.

THEY SAID, I WISH I COULD FIND SOMEONE THAT CAN COME HOME.

UH, I MEAN, THEY CAN COME TAKE CARE OF MY PARENTS AT THEIR HOME.

UH, JUST WITH THE MEALS PREPARATION, WITH LIGHT BOOKKEEPING, TAKING THEM TRANSPORTATION AND ESCORT TO FUN PLACES, UH, TO MEALS, TO, UM, PEDICURE MANICURE BARBERSHOP TO GET THEIR HAIR DONE, TO GO VISIT PEOPLE, UM, UH, TO HELP THEM CHANGE THE LIGHT BULB.

ANYTHING THAT'S NONMEDICAL, WE WERE GOING TO HELP THEM.

IT'S ALMOST LIKE WE'RE, THEY'RE PART OF OUR FAMILY.

WE'RE CONSIDERED LIKE DAUGHTERS, UH, TO, TO THE, THE, THE CLIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES.

SO I'M VERY BLESSED TO, TO HAVE, UM, THIS OPPORTUNITY TO CONTINUE TO DO THIS WITH THIS ORGANIZATION.

UH, WITH, WITH, UM, THE MAESTRO ENTREPRENEUR CENTER, THE, UH, ONE-ON-ONE CONTACT, THE REFERRALS, THE ALL THE CLASSES THAT WE'RE TAKING, THE MENTORING.

UM, I HAVE MY MENTORING, UH, WITH MS. LIZ MEDINA, UH, WITH P N C BANK THIS FRIDAY.

UM, YESTERDAY I WAS SO HONORED TO, UM, BE ON CASE AT NEWS, UM, TO, UM, TALK ABOUT MY BUSINESS.

AND IT'S NOT JUST ME, IT'S ME AND MY CARE TEAMS. I HAVE, UM, UH, CARE ANGELS, SEVEN CARE ANGELS THAT, UM, ARE PART OF MY TEAM RIGHT NOW.

I DID HAVE 12, BUT WITH THE COVID, SOME OF 'EM WERE NOT SAFE.

THEY DIDN'T FEEL SAFE TO GO INTO, UM, CARING AGAIN.

BUT I KNOW THAT GOD'S GONNA OPEN DOORS FOR ME WITH THIS GROUP AND THIS OPPORTUNITY.

AS SOON AS MY SEGMENT WAS OVER YESTERDAY, UM, LIKE THREE MINUTES LATER, I RECEIVED A CALL FROM A COMPANY CALLED CONNECT ABILITY.ORG.

AND THEY HAVE A, UH, A FOUNDATION THAT HELPS PEOPLE WITH SPINAL AND STROKES INJURY.

SO THEY WANTED TO MEET WITH ME SO WE CAN PROVIDE TRANSPORTATION AND ESCORT FOR, FOR

[00:35:01]

THEM.

SO I WAS, THANK YOU, LORD.

AND THEN I HAD CALLS FOR CARE ANGELS THAT WANTED TO, TO BE INTERESTED, TO BE PART OF MY TEAM.

SO THAT MEANS THAT I GET TO HELP MORE PEOPLE WITH MY TEAM AND HAVE MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THEM TO, TO HELP MORE SENIORS AND THEIR FAMILIES.

UM, WE HAVE, UH, CLIENTS THAT ARE SPECIAL NEEDS, OR YOUNG MOTHERS THAT ARE EXPECTING, AND THEY HAD THEIR BABY AND THEY DON'T WANT TO GO TO THE SHOPPING STORE AND CARRY ALL THE GROCERIES.

SO WE DO THE SHOPPING ASSISTANCE AND WE DO THE ERRANDS FOR THEM.

UM, I FEEL BLESSED WITH THE CLASSES, UM, SINCE DAY ONE.

UH, THE ORIENTATION, UH, WITH, WITH THE MAESTRO GROUP, THEY'VE BEEN, YOU COULD FEEL THAT THEY REALLY WANNA HELP ALL OF US.

AND IN OUR GROUP, WE ALSO HELP ONE ANOTHER.

AND, AND WITH EMAILS, UH, THE CLASSES, UH, ARE, ARE WONDERFUL.

THE LEADERSHIP FOR ENTREPRENEURS DECISION MAKING, SETTING GOALS, CREATING ALLIANCES, THE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, THE PITCH, UH, THE, UH, THE MILESTONES THAT WE HAVE, THE LOCAL GROW IN SAN ANTONIO.

UH, THE BUSINESS PLAN, THE BUSINESS OPERATIONS, THE TRACKING, THE GOALS, THE METRICS, THE MARKETING.

UM, I'M REALLY INTERESTED IN THAT BECAUSE, UM, I LOST MY PARENTS, UM, EIGHT MONTHS AND EIGHT, UH, DAYS APART.

AND I HAVEN'T HAD TIME TO, UM, TO POST ON FACEBOOK AND TWITTER AND, UH, INSTAGRAM MORE ABOUT MY BUSINESS.

SO I'M EXCITED TO TAKE THAT CLASS SO I CAN SHARE MORE ABOUT SENIOR BLESSINGS.

AND THAT'S A CLASS THAT THEY'RE GONNA PROVIDE FOR US TO ALL OF US.

UM, SO MANY CLASSES.

UM, THE MARKETING PLAN, THE RISK MANAGEMENT, THE ASSESSED TO CAPITAL, THE BUSINESS SUCCESSION PLANNING, UH, THE LEGAL ENTITY FORMATION, THE SALES PITCH, ALL THESE CLASSES AND MORE.

THEN AFTER THE GRADUATION IN DECEMBER, THEN WE STILL HAVE OTHER CLASSES AND COURSES THAT WE CAN TAKE THROUGH THE MAESTRO.

SO I'M TELLING ALL THE SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS, UH, TO GO IN AND, AND LOOK AT THEIR WEBSITE AND SEEK GUIDANCE.

'CAUSE THERE'S SO MANY RESOURCES FOR US BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S WONDERFUL TO OWN A BUSINESS.

UM, I, I'M BLESSED.

I CELEBRATED 11 YEARS, JULY THE FIRST.

IT, IT'S, I HAVE MY OWN LITTLE SKILLS BECAUSE MY PARENTS, UM, HAD A BUSINESS CALLED ERNESTO RESTAURANTS.

SO I LEARNED A LOT FROM THEM.

BUT THERE'S SO MANY NEW THINGS TO LEARN, AND I'M IN A POSITION WHERE I, I JUST WANNA TAKE IT ALL IN, AND I WANNA GROW AND HELP PEOPLE.

SO I FEEL HONORED.

AND I JUST WANNA THANK YOU, EVERY, EVERYONE FOR LISTENING TO MY, TO MY HEART, AND GOD BLESS YOU ALL.

WOW.

UH, I THINK IS IS THE RIGHT WORD.

UM, YOU'RE VERY INSPIRING AND YOU'RE, THIS IS A RAY OF SUNSHINE.

YOU SHOULD SEE THESE MEETINGS, BY THE WAY, THESE ARE ALL NICE, SMART PEOPLE, AND WE TRY TO ENJOY THESE MEETINGS AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.

BUT RARELY ARE THEY EVER, RARELY DO YOU LOOK AROUND A ROOM AND SEE THIS MANY SMILES.

AND SO THANK, THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU DO.

I DO WANNA MAKE ONE RECOMMENDATION TO THE TEAM AND TO YOU, BELINDA, THERE IS A SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT IN MARKETING AND SALES, UM, AT THIS TABLE IN, UH, DR.

ROCHA GARCIA.

UM, AND MY SUGGESTION IS, BEFORE YOU LEAVE, MAKE SURE THIS LADY GETS YOUR, YOUR BUSINESS CARD.

UM, WHICH BEGS THE QUESTION, UM, HAVE Y'ALL ROPED IN DR.

GARCIA TO BE ONE OF THE INSTRUCTORS? WE, WE HAVEN'T YET.

BUT IF WILLING, THEN WE WOULD BE HONORED, I THINK TO INCLUDE DR.

ROCHA GARCIA IN THE CURRICULUM.

SO DEBBIE, SO DEBBIE ROCKA, OUR, OUR CLERK IS GOING TO INCLUDE IN THE MINUTES WHETHER OR NOT SHE WANTS TO ACCEPT THE, UH, OPPORTUNITY TO VOLUNTEER AGAIN.

YES, MA'AM.

THERE YOU GO.

ALL RIGHT.

UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH, FOLKS.

I APPRECIATE IT.

COUNCILWOMAN, , QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? UH, YEAH.

UH, MELIN, THANK YOU, UM, SO MUCH.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.

UM, THE ONE THING I DO SIT ON THE COMMUNITY HEALTH, UM, ENVIRONMENT, CULTURE, AND THIS JUST SOUNDS LIKE YOU'RE TAKING WHAT WAS PART OF OUR CULTURE WHERE THE DAUGHTER HAD TIME TO TAKE THEIR MOMS EVERYWHERE.

AND YOU'RE TRANSLATING INTO TO A BUSINESS NEED THAT WE REALLY HAVE.

SO I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR EFFORTS AND YOUR CREATIVITY.

AND SO THAT COMES TO THE, UH, WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO TELL THEM.

MY, MY ESTRO PROGRAM IS YOU WITH YOUR PICKS.

AND I, I DON'T KNOW IF Y'ALL WERE THOUGHTFUL ABOUT IT, YOU HAVE HIT OUR PRIORITIES HERE IN SAN ANTONIO IN TERMS OF COMMUNITY HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT.

I, AND I'M SURE Y'ALL THOUGHT ABOUT THAT WHEN Y'ALL DID IT, BUT THAT WAS JUST EXCELLENT JOB, LADIES.

UM, AND I HOPE AS WE, AS A CITY MOVE FORWARD WITH THE FUNDS THAT WE COME DOWN, THAT WE RECOGNIZE THAT THERE ARE BUSINESSES OUT THERE THAT ARE MEETING OUR COMMUNITY HEALTH NEEDS, OUR ENVIRONMENT NEEDS, AND, AND TAKING SENIORS OUT OF ISOLATION, WHICH IS HUGE.

SO THANK, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

UH, I'M SO ENCOURAGED ABOUT THIS PROGRAM AND THE MUCH SUCCESS THAT WE'RE GONNA SEE FROM IT.

SO THANK YOU.

THANK YOU, CHAIR.

UM, AND THANK YOU, BELINDA, FOR THAT, UH, WONDERFUL PRESENTATION THAT YOU HAD.

SO, UM, I'M, I'M VERY ENCOURAGED BY THAT.

AND THANK YOU TO THE ENTIRE TEAM AT THE MAESTRO CENTER FOR ALWAYS BEING JUST WILLING TO, TO TELL THE STORIES OF THE

[00:40:01]

FOLKS THAT YOU HELP.

SO THANK YOU FOR HELPING.

UM, I DON'T REALLY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.

I'M, I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO JUST GIVE MAYBE SOME ADDITIONAL FEEDBACK OR, OR GUIDANCE.

WE MET THIS MORNING, UH, COUNCILMAN PAL AND I MET THIS MORNING WITH, UM, A GENTLEMAN, AND WE'RE WORKING ON SOMETHING FOR SENIORS, AND THEN WE'RE HOPING TO EXTEND THAT OVER TO DISTRICT THREE AS WELL.

AND SO I THINK THAT THERE'S JUST GREAT OPPORTUNITY THAT HAS BEEN MISSED IN THAT COMMUNITY, UH, IN PARTICULAR THE SENIOR COMMUNITY.

AND AS WE HAVE AN AGING POPULATION IN SAN ANTONIO, AS THE DEMOGRAPHICS, WE SEE BABY BOOMERS THAT ARE STARTING TO NEED SOME ADDITIONAL HELP.

I THINK THIS IS THE RIGHT MARKET TO BE IN.

AND I WAS ACTUALLY JUST GONNA ASK, IS THERE ANY ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE THE OTHER, UH, SMALL BUSINESSES THAT ARE FOCUSING ON THE SENIOR MARKET BY ANY CHANCE THAT YOU'RE AWARE OF? AND I, IS THAT ONE OF MAYBE THE GROUPS THAT, WELL, UM, NO, WE SHOULD BE LOOKING AT THIS GROUP.

LIKE WE WE'RE GONNA NEED A LOT OF HELP.

THERE'S, UM, I WAS, UH, TALKING TO COUNCILMAN AYAS EARLIER AND DEMENTIA.

AND SO, AND, AND COUNCILMAN AYA HAS SHARED THIS, UM, STAT WHERE ONE IN EVERY FIVE FOLKS WILL DEVELOP DEMENTIA.

WE DON'T HAVE ANYTHING AT THE CITY TO DEAL WITH THAT.

AND SO, UM, I THINK THAT IN TERMS OF WHAT SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS ARE DOING, AS WE'RE COACHING THEM INTO WHAT IS, UH, OUT THERE AS FAR AS A MARKET THAT MIGHT, THAT MIGHT BE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE FOCUS ON AS WELL.

BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION.

LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH YOU ALL.

THANK YOU, CHAIR COUNCIL.

UH, THANK YOU CHAIR.

AND I'D ECHO, UM, I APPRECIATE THE ROBUST LIST OF PARTICIPANTS.

I WAS LOOKING THROUGH ALL THE RESTAURANTS AND ALL THE VEGAN OPPORTUNITIES, AND I, I WAS LIKE, OKAY, I'M GONNA GO EAT THERE, THERE AND THERE, .

UM, UM, BUT I, I THINK THERE'S A, A GREAT OPPORTUNITY, UM, WITH G P A TO, IF THERE'S OPPORTUNITY TO RECORD THE SEMINARS AND THAT WAY WE CAN SHARE WITH OTHER SMALL BUSINESS FOLKS IN THE COMMUNITY WHO ARE LOOKING FOR GUIDANCE AND TO LEARN SOME MORE.

UM, BUT IN REGARDS TO, UM, THE, AND THANK YOU, BELINDA, FOR SHARING YOUR STORY.

UM, IN REGARDS TO THE APPLICATION PROCESS AND THE POINT SYSTEM, UM, IS THERE A SPECIFIC RUBRIC THAT WE CAN LOOK TO AND THAT CAN BE SHARED WITH US ON HOW, UH, POINTS ARE ALLOCATED, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, UM, 50 POINTS FOR PROPOSED BUSINESS IDEA AND EXPERIENCE.

IF WE CAN SEE A RUBRIC ON WHAT ADDS UP TO 50, WHAT WOULD ADD UP TO 25? I THINK THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING INTERESTING TO LOOK AT.

UM, BECAUSE, UM, RIGHT NOW WE'RE IN A VERY INTERESTING TIME WITH THE INFRASTRUCTURE BILL, THE BOND, AND A LOT OF OPPORTUNITY FOR THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY.

UM, SO MY QUESTION IS, DO WE HAVE, UM, UM, ACCOUNT OF HOW MANY FOLKS IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY APPLIED? AND IF SO, WHAT, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? UM, YEAH, I THINK THAT THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN TRY TO SEE IF WE CAN PULL IN OUR DATA AND, AND CIRCLE BACK WITH YOU ON, AS FAR AS THE ACTUAL POINT SYSTEMS ALLOCATED FOR THAT 50 POINTS.

UH, WE CAN DEFINITELY SHARE THAT WITH YOU AS WELL.

BUT KNOW THAT THESE WERE BASED ON OPEN-ENDED RESPONSES.

AND THERE WAS A LOT OF QUESTIONS THAT KIND OF, KIND OF LED THAT 50 POINTS BEING, IS THERE A MARKET NEED? WHAT IS THE IDEA AND EXPERIENCE OF THE ENTREPRENEUR? WHAT IS THEIR COMMITMENT TO THE PROGRAM? WHAT KIND OF BARRIERS HAVE THEY ENCOUNTERED DURING THEIR BUSINESS JOURNEY? AND THEN ALSO WHAT ARE THEIR GOALS FOR THIS PROGRAM? SO THAT REALLY, AS A WHOLE STORY MADE UP THOSE 50 POINTS.

THANK YOU, SAMANTHA.

AND IN REGARDS TO THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY, ARE THERE SPECIFIC THINGS THAT WE CAN DO TO ENCOURAGE, UH, PARTICIPATION OR FOLKS TO APPLY, UH, FOR THIS? HI COUNCILMAN.

SO, UM, ANNA BRADSHAW, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

UM, WHILE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY WASN'T A FOCUS FOR, FOR THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAM, UM, WE ACTUALLY HAVE ANOTHER PROGRAM IN THE WORKS WITH OUR, OUR BONDING ASSISTANCE AND CONSTRUCTION CAPACITY BUILDING PROGRAM THAT IS GOING TO BE MORE TARGETED TOWARDS THE CONSTRUCTION IN INDUSTRY.

BECAUSE TO YOUR POINT THERE, THERE'S A LOT OF WORK COMING.

AND WE WANNA BUILD THE CAPACITY FROM WITHIN, UM, OUR CITY SO THAT WHEN THOSE JOBS HAPPEN, THAT THEY, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO BID AND BE SUCCESSFUL.

THAT'S EXCITING TO LEARN AND I'D APPRECIATE BEING LOOPED IN IN THOSE CONVERSATIONS AS THEY DEVELOP.

THANK YOU, CHAIR.

THANK YOU, .

IT'S A VERY IMPRESSIVE PROGRAM.

UH, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING AT THE END OF THE 10 WEEK PERIOD, UH, HOW THE, UH, PARTICIPANTS FEEL ABOUT WHAT THEY'VE LEARNED AND WHERE THEY THINK THEY'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD.

AND ALSO, I'M SURE WE'RE GONNA BE MEASURING THE RESULTS OURSELVES TO DETERMINE HOW WE CAN, UH, TWEAK THIS PROGRAM AND MAKE IT MORE OF A, A PERMANENT PROGRAM GOING FORWARD.

SO I'LL LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING MORE ABOUT IT LATER.

OF COURSE, AMANDA, EXCELLENT JOB.

AWESOME.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

THESE PARTNERS HELP US ACCOMPLISH IN OUR COMMUNITY.

UM, ALRIGHT, ALEX, WE GOT YOUR, UM, PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS,

[4. Briefing and update on economic development partner organization contracts for San Antonio for Growth on the Eastside, Prosper West, and Southside First Economic Development Council (Southside First). [Alejandra Lopez, Assistant City Manager; Brenda HicksSorensen, Director, Economic Development] ]

RIGHT? YES.

YES, SIR.

SO NEXT WE HAVE ANNA BRADSHAW, UM, THAT'S GONNA BE GIVE, GIVING US AN UPDATE ON THE, UM, THE AGREEMENTS THAT WE HAVE WITH DIFFERENT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS.

THERE WERE SOME QUESTIONS DURING THE BUDGET, UM, WORK SESSIONS AND, AND CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THE WORK THAT

[00:45:01]

SO WE THOUGHT IT WAS PROBABLY TIME FOR US TO JUST GIVE A QUICK OVERVIEW ABOUT ALL OF THEM AND THEN GO INTO A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL ABOUT EACH.

SO ANNA'S GONNA DO THAT PRESENTATION.

GOOD AFTERNOON.

YES.

I'M PLEASED TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT OUR, OUR AMAZING PARTNERS.

UM, IN A SHORT TIME, I'VE LEARNED, UH, ALL THE, THE THINGS THEY DO THROUGHOUT OUR COMMUNITY.

IT'S, IT'S VARIED, IT'S IN DEPTH, UM, IT'S, IT'S INCREDIBLY IMPRESSIVE.

AND I JUST WANNA TAKE A QUICK MOMENT TO RECOGNIZE THOSE, UM, REPRESENTATIVES ARE HERE IN OUR ROOM FROM SOUTH SIDE FIRST EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, JUDY CANALES, UM, ON BEHALF OF PROSPER WEST ROBERT HERNANDEZ, UH, DIRECTOR OF PHILANTHROPY AND, UM, OUR SNACK RINGER, UM, C F O OF SAGE, MR. RUSSELL LADAY.

SO THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING OUT TODAY.

SO JUST AS A MATTER O O OF BACKGROUND, UM, THESE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS, WHILE, UM, THEY, THEY'VE BEEN AROUND FOR A WHILE, THEY'VE REALLY FALLEN UNDER THE PURVIEW OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOR THE LAST YEAR.

AND IT, IT HAS BEEN A TRUE, UM, LEARNING EXPERIENCE TRYING TO CONNECT THE WORK THEY DO WITH WHAT OUR, OUR MISSION IS AS A DEPARTMENT.

IN A LOT OF WAYS, THEY SERVE AS OUR FIRST LINE OF ASSISTANCE TO THE SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS AND ENTREPRENEURS.

UM, THEY ARE THAT FRONT DOOR THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY CAN WALK INTO AND, AND ASK THOSE QUESTIONS.

UM, THROUGH THREE QUARTERS OF, OF THE LAST FISCAL YEAR, THEY PROVIDED OVER 6,000 TOUCHPOINTS TO SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS.

SO, UM, FOR SOME IT MAY BE ONE QUESTION AND FOR SEVERAL, IT MAY BE MULTIPLE ENGAGEMENTS, GETTING THEM THE SERVICES THEY NEED.

UM, THEY ARE TRULY AN IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF OUR SMALL BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM.

AND THEY'VE BEEN ENGAGED WITH US AS WE'RE, WE'RE GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS OF, OF BUILDING OUR COALITION AND, AND, UM, IMPLEMENTING THE FINDINGS FROM THE JP MORGAN CHASE STUDY.

UM, THEY PROVIDE THAT GEOGRAPHICALLY SPECIFIC CONTENT THAT IS MOST RELEVANT TO THOSE THEY SERVE.

SO WHETHER IT'S PROVIDING IT IN, UM, THE APPROPRIATE LANGUAGE OR JUST IN, IN A WAY THAT'S MOST MEANINGFUL TO THOSE IN THEIR AREA.

UM, AND THEY'RE, THEY'RE SPECIFICALLY LOCATED IN THOSE HISTORICALLY UNDERSERVED AREAS.

AND I CANNOT EMPHASIZE THE ROLE THEY PLAYED DURING C OVID 19.

UH, THEY, THEY, IT REALLY CEMENTED THE ROLE THEY PLAY AND I THINK OFF LED TO WHY THEY, UH, BEGAN TO FALL UNDER EDDS PURVIEW, PROVIDING ASSISTANCE WITH THE P P E DISTRIBUTION, UM, DOING THAT DOOR TO DOOR OUTREACH AND, AND SERVING A ROLE AS, UH, WITH OUR PLACE BASE AND VIRTUAL HUB PROGRAMS. UM, AND WE'VE ALSO LEARNED ABOUT MORE PARTNERS POTENTIALLY BEING OUT THERE.

SO WHILE WE HAVE THREE NOW, UM, THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE WILL CONTINUE TO LOOK TO GROW OUR PARTNERSHIP BASE.

UH, BUT BEFORE I GO INTO THE CHANGES THAT WE'LL BE LOOKING TO MAKE, TO MAKE WITH THEIR F Y 2022 CONTRACTS, UM, I DO WANNA PROVIDE A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF EACH ORGANIZATION.

SO FIRST, WE HAVE, UH, PROSPER WEST.

SO THEY WERE ESTABLISHED IN 20, UH, 2006 BY, BY MARION COUNCIL.

UM, THEY RECEIVE A TOTAL SUPPORT OF A LITTLE OVER $350,000 WITH A HUNDRED THOUSAND OF THAT GOING TO FUND, UM, SMALL BUSINESS LOAN AND GRANT PROGRAM.

AND THE REMAINING GOING TO FUND, UM, THEIR OPERATIONS.

AND AS YOU CAN SEE IN THE MAP, THEIR GENERAL SERVICE, OUR, UH, AREA IS, IS BOUNDED BY THE KIND OF WOODLAWN LAKE REGION, UM, I 10 AND THEN, UM, HIGHWAY 90 TO THE SOUTH.

SO THEY ARE WITHIN DISTRICTS 1, 5, 6, AND SEVEN.

THEN WE HAVE SAGE SAN ANTONIO FOR GROWTH ON THE EAST SIDE.

SO, UM, THEY ARE OLDEST PARTNER, UM, HAVING BEEN ESTABLISHED IN 2000.

AND THEY ARE GENERALLY LOCATED WITHIN EAST SIDE BOUNDED BY HIGHWAY 37 GOING SLIGHTLY SOUTH OF, UM, I 10 AND THEN, UM, ON I 35 ON ON THE OTHER SIDE.

AND SO THEY ARE MAJORITY IN DISTRICT TWO, BUT THEY DO ALSO HAVE A PRESENCE IN DISTRICT THREE.

UH, THEY HAVE A, A NEARLY IDENTICAL AGREEMENT AS PROSPER WEST WITH THE FUNDING FOR BOTH THEIR OPERATIONS AS WELL AS THEIR STOREFRONT GRANT PROGRAM.

MOVING ON TO SOUTH SIDE FIRST, SO SOUTH SIDE FIRST IS AS SORT OF THE NEW KID ON THE BLOCK HAVING BEEN ESTABLISHED IN 2017 AS A, A FOCUSED EXTENSION OF THE, UM, SOUTH SAN ANTONIO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE FOUNDATION.

SO THEY ALSO HAVE THE LARGEST SERVICE AREA WITH, UM, PORTIONS IN DISTRICTS THREE, FOUR, AND FIVE.

SO PRETTY MUCH ANYTHING SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 90, UM, IS WITHIN SOUTHSIDE FIRST SERVICE AREA.

UM, THEIR CURRENT BUDGET AGREEMENT IS FOR A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE.

UM, AND IT'S REALLY INTENTIONAL TO ALLOW THEM TO SCALE UP, UM, AND CAN TOTALLY SEE AN OPPORTUNITY AS THEY RAMP UP THEIR OPERATIONS THAT THEIR, THEIR AGREEMENT COULD POTENTIALLY GROW.

SO A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE CURRENT CONTRACT.

SO THOSE CONTRACTS, UH, THROUGH F Y 2021 AND THE SCOPE OF SERVICE.

SO THE BULK OF IT IS IN THAT SMALL BUSINESS OUTREACH.

AGAIN, BEING THAT THAT FRONT LINE, THE, THE FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE OUT THERE DOING OUTREACH, BUT ALSO HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY FOR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS TO COME IN, UM, SEEKING TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, UM, YOU KNOW, QUESTIONS WITH FINANCING, ACCESSING CAPITAL, UM, BUT THEN ALSO RECOGNIZING THE TIE WITH WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT.

UM, THEY ARE REQUIRED TO HOST AT LEAST ONE JOB FAIR.

[00:50:01]

UH, THEY'VE ALSO PLAYED AN INSTRUMENTAL ROLE, UM, IN IMPLEMENTATION OF THE SA TOMORROW COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.

AND IN THE CASE OF BOTH SOUTH, UM, SORRY, SAGE AND PROSPER WEST, UM, THE DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THOSE OPPORTUNITY ZONE PLANS.

UM, THEN THEY ALSO, UM, HAVE AN ELEMENT OF COLLABORATING ACROSS ORGANIZATIONS AS WELL AS A REQUIREMENT TO MATCH 50% OF THE CITY'S COMP, UH, CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS THEIR OPERATIONAL SUPPORT.

AND AGAIN, IN THE CASE OF PROSPER WEST AND SAGE PROVIDING THE, THE GRANTS AND LOANS THROUGH THAT, THAT SEPARATE FUNDING.

SO CURRENTLY THEY ARE REQUIRED TO PURPORT TO THE DEPARTMENT QUARTERLY ON THEIR ACTIVITIES, UM, AS PART OF THEIR FUNDING AGREEMENTS.

SO WHAT ARE WE LOOKING TO CHANGE? SO, UM, BECAUSE THEY ARE THAT, THAT FIRST LINE ASSISTANCE, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO GATHER INFORMATION ON THE TYPES OF SERVICES THEY'RE PROVIDING BECAUSE THAT WILL INFORM OUR PROGRAMMING AND THE PROGRAMMING OF OUR OTHER PARTNERS.

UM, THEY CAN ALSO SERVE AS AN OPPORTUNITY TO HIGHLIGHT EMERGING CHALLENGES.

ARE WE STARTING TO SEE TRENDS ACROSS THE BOARD, UM, AND IDENTIFY FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE MAY NOT EVEN KNOW EXIST YET? UM, IN ADDITION, THOSE REFERRALS, WE WANNA COLLECT THAT INFORMATION.

WE KNOW THAT A REFERRAL IS AN EXCELLENT THING IN THIS TYPE OF WORK.

UM, WE DO NOT EXPECT OUR PARTNERS TO BE ABLE TO ANSWER EVERY TYPE OF QUESTION.

IF THERE'S A, A SPECIFIC QUESTION IN FINANCING, PERHAPS THAT SHOULD GET REFERRED TO LIFTFUND.

UM, IF IT'S A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER OR ENTREPRENEUR INTERESTED IN, IN AN INCUBATOR OR AN ACCELERATOR, MAYBE THE, THE REFERRAL IS TO, UM, THE MAESTRO CENTER OR TO LAUNCH S A.

SO RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF THOSE REFERRALS, AND ARE WE TRACKING THAT INFORMATION ALONG THE WAY TO SEE WHAT ARE THE PATHS AND WHAT ARE THOSE TRENDS? AND THEN THOSE SUCCESS STORIES, UM, THAT'S REALLY WHERE YOU SEE THAT, THAT WORK IN ACTION.

UM, SOMETIMES IT'S INDIVIDUAL BY INDIVIDUAL OVER A PERIOD OF TIME.

SO THOSE OUTPUTS DON'T NECESSARILY CAPTURE THOSE SUCCESSES, BUT WE KNOW THEY'RE OUT THERE.

UM, AND I'LL SHARE A FEW TESTIMONIALS WITH YOU TOWARDS THE END OF MY PRESENTATION.

SO IT'S, IT'S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT THE NUMBERS AND THE, AND WHAT WE SEE AT THE END OF THE DAY, BUT THOSE LIVES, THOSE BUSINESSES THAT ARE IMPACTED ALONG THE WAY.

ANOTHER THING WE RECENTLY IMPLEMENTED WAS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR, FOR THE PARTNERS TO COLLABORATE AND ALSO HAVING MAESTRO AND LAUNCHES, SAY IN THE ROOM AGAIN TO FACILITATE THAT CONVERSATION.

AND SO WE'VE BEEN HOSTING THOSE MEETINGS BIMONTHLY.

UM, AND THAT LED INTO AN OFFSHOOT SESSION WHERE, UM, WE HAD, UH, AN OPPORTUNITY FOR, FOR OUR PARTNERS TO MEET WITH REPRESENTATIVES FROM HUMAN SERVICES AND SS A P D, UM, TO GATHER ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

THEY HAD SHARED INFORMATION ABOUT CONCERNS, UH, WITH SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS AND, AND WHAT THEY COULD DO TO ADDRESS, UM, SOME GROWING CONCERNS ABOUT INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS AND THE IMPACT THERE MIGHT BE ON SMALL BUSINESS.

SO WE WERE REALLY EXCITED TO FACILITATE THAT DISCUSSION SPECIFIC TO THEIR AUDIENCES AND ARM THEM WITH THAT INFORMATION AND RESOURCES THAT THEY COULD TAKE BACK INTO THE COMMUNITY.

AND SO WITH THOSE, UM, NEW PROGRAMS AND DELIVERABLES, WE WANNA ENHANCE OUR REPORTING.

SO WHILE WE'LL, WHILE WE'LL CONTINUE TO REQUIRE THE QUARTERLY REPORTING, WE, AGAIN, WE WANNA TRACK MORE BECAUSE INFORMATION IS POWER.

IT HELPS US TO IDENTIFY THOSE OPPORTUNITIES AND, AND BUILD OUR PROGRAMMING MOVING FORWARD.

SO WE WANNA TRACK, YOU KNOW, AND SPECIFICALLY HOW, UM, THE NUMBERS OF A MINORITY WOMEN-OWNED VETERAN-OWNED BUSINESSES, UM, AS WELL AS PROVIDE AN OPPORTUNITY OF WHAT ARE SOME OTHER THINGS THAT THEY'RE OUT THERE IN THE COMMUNITY DOING THAT MAY NOT BE CAPTURED BY A PERFORMANCE METRIC ON A SPREADSHEET.

AND THEN THE OTHER THING I'M HAPPY TO INTRODUCE IS A PRODUCTION OF AN ANNUAL OUTCOMES REPORT.

BECAUSE NOT ONLY DO WE WANNA TRACK WITHIN THAT QUARTER, BUT WE WANNA TRACK OVER TIME, UM, 'CAUSE THAT SHOWS THOSE LONG-TERM IMPACTS.

AND SO, UM, WE'LL BE LOOKING FORWARD TO COME BACK TO THIS COMMITTEE AND TO COUNCIL, UM, IN THE SPRING TO BE ABLE TO PRESENT THAT OUTCOMES REPORT AND BE ABLE TO BUILD ON THAT OVER TIME SO THAT WE CAN START TO IDENTIFY THOSE OUTCOMES AND THAT REAL RETURN ON INVESTMENT FOR THE CITY'S INVESTMENT INTO OUR PARTNERS.

AND SO, AS PROMISED, WANTED TO GET INTO A FEW SUCCESS STORIES.

SO FIRST WE HAVE A LIKA TOUR LINE WHO, UM, IS OWNER OF IN THE WEEDS NATURAL SKINCARE, AND SHE'S BEEN WORKING WITH PROSPER WEST.

UM, AND, AND I WON'T READ HER WORDS, BUT UM, JUST TO SEE THAT SHE FEELS SHE'S BEEN TAKING CARE OF PROSPER WEST AND PROSPER WEST IS OUT IN THE COMMUNITY, UM, IS INCREDIBLY POSITIVE.

SO, UM, PROUD OF, OF LIKA AND WHAT SHE'S DONE WITH HER BUSINESS.

AND THEN WE HAVE, UM, JILL SANDS OWNER OF MERCH STREET, WHO'S BEEN WORKING WITH SAGE.

SO, UM, HER COMPANY ACQUIRED, UM, WHAT WAS FORMERLY A BAR AND WAS VERY DARK AND THROUGH SAGE'S GRANT PROGRAM WAS, HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO REFRESH THAT BUILDING, UM, MADE IT MEET THE NEEDS OF HER BUSINESS.

SO YOU CAN SEE THE TRANSFORMATION THERE.

AND IT'S, UM, YOU KNOW, REALLY NICE TO SEE THE, HOW THESE STOREFRONT GRANT PROGRAMS CAN REALLY CHANGE A STREET, AN ENTIRE STREET WITH JUST WORKING ONE STOREFRONT AT A TIME.

AND THEN FINALLY, UH, PATRICE CANTU, OWNER OF CANTU'S SCREEN PRINTING AND EMBROIDERY, WHO'S BEEN WORKING WITH SOUTHSIDE FIRST,

[00:55:01]

UM, AND HAS, YOU KNOW, BEEN GIVEN THE OPPORTUNITY TO ACCESS RESOURCE RESOURCES TO HELP HER TAKE HER, HER BUSINESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL.

UM, AND YOU CAN SEE SHE'S INCREDIBLY THANKFUL, UM, AND PRODUCES SOME, SOME PRETTY COOL PRODUCTS THERE.

SO, UM, PROUD OF ALL THESE COMPANIES AND THE FACT THAT, YOU KNOW, OUR PARTNERS ARE OUT THERE DOING THE DAY-TO-DAY WORK IN ORDER TO MAKE THESE SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS SUCCESSFUL.

SO THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION.

UM, MYSELF AND SARAH, OUR PARTNERS ARE HERE TO, TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS.

AND, UH, THANK YOU ALEX, FOR BRINGING THIS TO THE COMMITTEE.

I'M, I'M SO GLAD TO BE HERE.

I I WAS THE ONE, I WAS ONE OF THE ONES THAT HAD BUDGET QUESTIONS.

MM-HMM.

SO MY, MY QUESTION OF COURSE IS ABOUT SOUTHSIDE FIRST.

UM, AND I DON'T KNOW, JUDY, IF YOU CAN ANSWER IT.

UH, WHAT CURRENTLY IS YOUR STAFF, UH, FOR SOUTHSIDE? FIRST? YOU CAN COME UP TO THE PODIUM.

GOOD AFTERNOON.

GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE.

MY NAME IS JU CANALES.

I'M A SERVE AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF SOUTHSIDE.

FIRST.

UH, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, UH, IT HAS BEEN MYSELF.

UH, I'VE BEEN ON BOARD SINCE JANUARY OF 2019 IN THE POSITION AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.

AND THEN I'VE HAD A SECOND PERSON, WHICH IS, UH, CALLED A PROGRAM AND DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR, OF WHICH I WANNA STATE TO YOU THAT, UM, I HAVE, I JUST MADE AN OFFER, UH, THAT POSITION HAS BEEN VACANT AND YOU AND I HAD TALKED ABOUT THIS.

AND SO, UH, WE'LL, I WILL HAVE SOMEONE WHO IS LIVING ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF SAN ANTONIO BE, UH, TAKING ON THIS ROLE.

AND THEN ALONG THE WAY, I'VE HAD INTERNS.

BUT TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, IT'S, THERE'S TWO OF US.

SO I JUST WANT, I, I, I WANTED TO BRING THAT UP FOR MY COMMITTEE MEMBERS, IS, UH, WHAT SAGE AND PROSPER WEST DOES IS INCREDIBLE.

BUT WE, UH, THE CHAMBER STARTED SOUTH SIDE FIRST, UH, WE DECIDED TO PARTNER WITH THEM, AND IT'S SERVICING MANY DISTRICTS, AND WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING TO HELP WITH STAFFING BECAUSE MY BUSINESSES ON THE SOUTH SIDE, OUR BUSINESSES IN THE SOUTHERN SECTOR NEED THAT, UH, HELP.

AND I KNOW THAT JUDY AND I KNOW THAT THE CHAMBERS ARE TRYING TO GIVE THEM, THROW ALL THE INFORMATION OUT AT THEM, BUT WITH ONLY TWO STAFFERS AND A, A REGION THIS VAST, UH, WE, IF WE'RE REALLY GOING TO BE A CITY THAT TALKS ABOUT EQUITY, WE NEED TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE.

SO, UH, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.

I, I'M, I APPLAUD YOUR WORK.

I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN WORKING VERY HARD, PROSPER WEST.

I KNOW YOU HAVE BEEN WORKING VERY HARD, BUT YOU'VE HAD MANY MORE YEARS TO DO THIS.

SO I THINK WHEN WE LOOK AT STAFFING AND, AND ESPECIALLY OUT OF THIS, UH, C OVID 19, THAT WE MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE TAKEN CARE OF.

SAGE IS TAKING CARE OF PARTS OF DISTRICT THREE ALSO.

UM, AND, AND SO I'M THANKFUL FOR THOSE PARTS, BUT THE MAJORITY OF DISTRICT THREE, AND I KNOW DISTRICT FOUR SITS IN THERE TOO, WE'RE WE'RE, WE'RE SITTING THERE TELLING THEM AND THEY CALL OUR OFFICE.

WE'RE SENDING THEM THAT WAY.

WE'RE SENDING THEM TO THE COUNTY.

WE'RE SENDING THEM TO U T S A.

WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING A LITTLE MORE TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT THIS IS EQUITABLE AND THAT WE'RE, WE'RE ADDRESSING THIS, UM, TO MAKE SURE OUR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS, UH, UH, MOVE FORWARD.

AND THE OTHER THING IS, I KNOW THAT YOU GUYS NEED TO TELL THE STORIES ALSO, NOT JUST OF YOUR BUSINESS OWNERS, BUT WHERE YOU'RE MEETING THAT, UM, THAT CLIMATE.

'CAUSE I KNOW SOME OF YOUR BUSINESSES ARE MEETING THE CLIMATE NEED, MEETING THE CULTURE NEEDS, AND HITTING THE, UM, SENIOR SERVICES.

I KNOW THERE'S TONS OF BUSINESS OUT THERE THAT'RE DOING SENIOR SERVICES.

AND THESE ARE THE STORIES THAT I THINK WE NEED TO START TAKING INTO ACCOUNT, UH, OF THE BUSINESSES THAT ARE HELPING DO THAT.

SO THANK, THANK YOU.

THAT WAS MY ONLY QUESTION.

THANK YOU, COUNCILWOMAN.

THANK YOU CHAIR.

UM, AND THANK YOU, ANNA, FOR THE PRESENTATION.

I APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING FOR SMALL BUSINESSES.

I JUST WANTED TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO THANK JUDY EZ.

UH, WE STARTED A SMALL BUSINESS COMMITTEE IN DISTRICT FOUR, UH, ABOUT A YEAR AGO.

AND SO IN THE MATO ENTREPRENEURSHIP CENTER CAME AS WELL.

AND, UM, WE HAVE HAD GREAT SUCCESS.

WE HAD OUR FIRST IN-PERSON MEETING 'CAUSE IT HAD BEEN LIKE ZOOM AND, AND BOTH, UH, IN-PERSON AND ONLINE.

BUT WE HAD OUR FIRST IN-PERSON MEETING A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO, AND THE PEOPLE WERE JUST SO EXCITED TO BE ABLE TO HELP ONE ANOTHER OUT.

AND SO I THINK THAT THAT ABILITY TO, UH, SAY, HEY, LOOK, I'M FROM THE SAME PLACE AND I'M FROM AROUND TOWN.

I, I SEE THEM PROMOTE EACH OTHER'S BUSINESS A LOT, WHICH I THINK IS WONDERFUL.

SO I JUST WANTED TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAY THANK YOU, JUDY, BECAUSE YOU'RE, YOU'VE BEEN A ONE PERSON SHOW FOR A WHILE AND YOU HAVEN'T MISSED ANY OF OUR MEETINGS AND YOU'VE BEEN IN ALL OF THE PLANNING SESSIONS.

AND SO THAT, I JUST WANT TO PUBLICLY RECOGNIZE YOU FOR THAT.

SO THANK YOU.

THANK YOU, CHAIR.

THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN.

[01:00:01]

AND I'D ALSO LIKE TO RECOGNIZE JUDY FOR ALL THE WORK THAT SHE PUTS IN.

I HAD NO IDEA THAT IT WAS JUST TWO FOLKS.

AND JUDY IS EVERYWHERE.

PRESENT NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION MEETINGS, AND WHEN NEIGHBORHOODS ARE EXPERIENCING, UH, ISSUES WITH BUSINESSES OR, UM, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, SHE'S ALWAYS PRESENT, UM, ADVOCATING ALONGSIDE COMMUNITY AND IS SERVING AS A GREAT RESOURCE TO COMMUNITY.

AND I THINK THAT THAT'S, THAT'S AMAZING.

AND WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT, UM, INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS THAT LOOK TO WORK ALONGSIDE COMMUNITY.

UM, AND, UM, MY, MY, MY QUESTION, I THINK YOU WENT OFF FOR THE PRESENTATION.

UM, I THINK THE STOREFRONT GRANTS ARE VERY IMPORTANT, UH, IN DISTRICT FIVE IN PARTICULAR, AND THE INNER WEST SIDE.

UH, MANY OF THE SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS THAT I'M SPEAKING TO, UM, NEED ASSISTANCE SIMILAR TO THE HOMEOWNER REHAB PROGRAM.

SO I THINK IT'S GREAT, UM, SEEING THE EXAMPLE THAT SAGE HAS PUT FORWARD.

UM, DO WE HAVE EXAMPLES OF, YOU KNOW, THE AMOUNT OF SMALL BUSINESSES THAT PROSPER WEST OR SAGE ARE ASSISTING WITH STOREFRONT RENTS? AND IF YOU COULD NOT, NOT NOW, UM, SOMETHING THAT WE COULD DISCUSS LATER, THAT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING WE CAN PULL FOR YOU.

OKAY, GREAT.

GREAT, THANKS, COUNCILMAN COURAGE.

UM, AND IN ADDITION TO THAT, UH, HAVE ANY OF THE ORGANIZATIONS MADE ARPA REQUESTS? UM, NOT AS OF YET.

NO FURTHER QUESTIONS.

THANKS.