* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.
          [00:00:41]
          LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, SORRY FOR KEEPING YOU WAITING. 
          UM, WE'RE GONNA KEEP THIS TRAIN RUNNING ON TIME. 
          THERE'S A LOT OF YOU HERE AND WE WANNA RESPECT YOUR TIME. 
          UH, AND SO, UH, WE ARE GOING TO CALL ROLL FIRST, UH, AFTER OUR CLERK DOES THAT, THEN WE'RE GOING TO, UH, INVITE SPEAKERS TO THE PODIUM. 
          I UNDERSTAND WE'VE GOT A NUMBER OF THEM. 
          SO, MADAM CLERK COUNCIL MEMBER VI HERE. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER ROCHA GARCIA. 
          HERE. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER CASTILLO. 
          HERE. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER COURAGE. 
          PRESENT. 
          CHAIR. 
          PALIS. 
          HERE. 
          CHAIR. 
          WE HAVE A QUORUM. 
          GREAT. 
          AND SO, UM, ONE BY ONE, YOU'LL ALL BE INVITED TO COME UP TO THE PODIUM, UH, IN ORDER OF, UH, OF YOUR HAVING SIGNED UP. 
          I'M SO SORRY. 
          YOU KNOW WHAT, WE SHOULD PROBABLY DO 
          [Approval of Minutes
 ]
THE MINUTES FIRST. 
          UH, I MOVE THAT WE APPROVE THE MINUTES FOR MAY 24TH. 
          SECOND. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          WE GOT A SECOND AND A THIRD. 
          UH, SO ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THE MINUTES? AYE. 
          AYE. 
          AYE. 
          THAT WAS UNANIMOUS. 
          MINUTES ARE APPROVED. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          WE'VE GOT A LIST 
          [Public Comments
 ]
OF SPEAKERS. 
          OUR CLERK WILL CALL THEM OUT. 
          AND Y'ALL ARE INVITED TO COME UP TO THE PODIUM. 
          I UNDERSTAND. 
          WE ALSO HAVE A GROUP HERE, UM, WHO'S GONNA BE SPEAKING AS A GROUP. 
          AND SO, UM, THAT GROUP, I THINK WILL GET NINE MINUTES, UH, TO BE ABLE TO, UH, TO MAKE THEIR POINTS. 
          MADAM CLERK, UH, B D O ALLIANCE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU TO THE COMMITTEE FOR EXTENDING, UH, THE OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO COME TOGETHER AND DISCUSS, UH, SUCH AN IMPORTANT ISSUE THAT IS FACING OUR CITY, BEING SELECTED, UH, TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF THE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ORGANIZATION ALLIANCE, OR THE B D O ALLIANCE, UH, COMES WITH AN EXTREME AMOUNT OF HUMILITY, AS WELL AS THE CHALLENGE OF ENSURING THAT THE PROPER WORDS ARE EXPRESSED AND, AND CONVEYED IN A MANNER, UH, THAT IS INDICATIVE OF THE CITY THAT WE HOPE TO BECOME. 
          AND THE SUPPORT BEHIND SMALL BUSINESSES THAT WILL GET US THERE. 
          THE MEMBERS OF THE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT ALLIANCE, WE STAND IN SUPPORT OF THE STAFF RECOMMENDATION, UH, AS WELL AS THE SMALL BUS BUSINESS ADVISORY COMMISSION'S, UM, CURRENT RECOMMENDATION WITH RESPECT TO THE DISBURSEMENT OF THE INITIAL ROUND OF FUNDING AND GRANTS AND OTHERWISE, THE, THE POINT THAT, THAT WE WANT TO DRIVE HOME TODAY IS RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE AND THE IMPACT OF SMALL BUSINESS, NOT ONLY HERE IN THE STATE OF TEXAS, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, ITS CRITICAL IMPORTANCE TO THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND THE DRIVER BEHIND OUR CITY'S ECONOMY. 
          WHEN WE THINK ABOUT BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, WHEN WE THINK ABOUT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, THE FIRST THING THAT COMES TO MIND ARE, ARE MAJOR, UH, ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE EMPLOYING THOUSANDS OF INDIVIDUALS AT ONE TIME. 
          AND WHILE THAT IS CRITICAL TO OUR COLLECTIVE SUCCESS, WE CANNOT FORGET THE LARGEST EMPLOYER WITHIN OUR CITY, AND THAT IS THE SAN ANTONIO SMALL BUSINESS. 
          THE REASON THAT WE TAKE FOR GRANTED THE IMPACT OF THE SMALL BUSINESS IS BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY OF US, BECAUSE WE DARE TO BE, UH, AUDACIOUS ENOUGH TO BELIEVE THAT WE CAN BE AN AGENT OF CHANGE THROUGH CREATING, SELLING, OR IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE WITHIN THE CITY. 
          ONE BUSINESS THAT GOES OUT AS A RESULT OF, OF ANY ACTIVITY. 
          WE KNOW THAT IN THE FIRST FIVE YEARS, BUSINESSES ARE STRUGGLING TO MAKE IT PAST THAT VALLEY OF DEATH, GIVEN THE, THE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT TOOK PLACE DURING THE PANDEMIC. 
          I THINK IT IS CRITICAL FOR US TO APPRECIATE THAT NOT ONLY WERE THE SMALL BUSINESSES IMPACTED, BUT THE PEOPLE THAT RUN THOSE BUSINESSES WERE IMPACTED, THE FAMILIES THAT SUPPORT THOSE BUSINESSES WERE IMPACTED. 
          AS WE APPROACH THE DISBURSEMENT OF FUNDS IN IMPROVING HOW OUR SMALL BUSINESSES OPERATE WITHIN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE THINK OUTSIDE OF THE BOX. 
          HOW DO WE ENCOURAGE BUSINESSES TO ENGAGE IN A PRACTICE THAT IS DIFFERENT THAN THE WAY THEY WERE PRACTICING 
          [00:05:01]
BEFORE THE PANDEMIC IN 2020? HOW DO WE BRING A 360 COMPREHENSIVE APPROACH TO SUPPORTING THE NEEDS OF OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY IN A MANNER THAT IS EFFECTIVE, THAT IS INTENTIONAL, AND THAT IS URGENT? THE PAIN THAT WE ARE EXPERIENCING, UH, WITHIN THE SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITY AND AMONGST THE EXPERTS THAT STAND BEHIND ME THAT ARE ENGAGED IN THIS WORK EVERY SINGLE DAY, IS UNDERSTANDING THEIR NEEDS AND WHAT IS NECESSARY FOR THE OUTREACH TO BE IMPACTFUL, MEANINGFUL, AND INTENTIONAL AND EQUITABLE. 
          ACROSS THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, THIS ALLIANCE IS ONE THAT HAS BEEN FORMALIZED SO THAT WE CAN BECOME ONE STRONG VOICE AS WE ECHO THE NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY. 
          IN 2020, WHEN THE PANDEMIC HIT, WE HAD NO IDEA WHAT WE WERE FACING, BUT THE BDOS THAT STAND BEHIND ME RIGHT NOW UNDERSTOOD THAT THEIR COMMUNITY COULD NOT WAIT, NOR COULD WE, UH, LEAVE TO CHANCE THAT THE INFORMATION THAT WAS BEING DELIVERED FROM THE CITY WAS MAKING IT INTO THE HANDS OF THOSE THAT NEEDED THE MOST. 
          AND SO WE DID WHAT, WHAT WAS NECESSARY WE TOOK TO THE STREETS, AND I WANT YOU ALL TO REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS LIKE IN 2020. 
          ALL OF THE UNKNOWNS THAT SURROUNDED US, NO ONE KNEW WHAT WAS GOING ON, BUT IN ORDER FOR US TO STAND UP AND TO SHOW UP FOR OUR COMMUNITIES, WE HAD TO DO THE UNTHINKABLE. 
          WE HAD TO GO OUT IN A SPACE THAT NO ONE UNDERSTOOD WHAT WAS HAPPENING. 
          THE FACTS SURROUNDING WHAT WAS HAPPENING, WERE CHANGING LITERALLY BY THE MINUTE. 
          BUT WE WANTED TO ENSURE THAT EVERYONE THAT NEEDED THE INFORMATION THAT THEY WERE NOT WITHOUT, DUE TO THE LACK OF ANY ONE RESOURCE THAT THE, THE CITY OR ANY MUNICIPALITY WAS USING TO, TO PUSH OUT INFORMATION. 
          WE STAND HERE COMMITTED, WE STAND HERE READY, AND WE ARE, WE ARE STRONG SUPPORTERS OF WHAT THE CITY NEEDS. 
          AND WE MERELY ASK THAT YOU BRING US INTO THIS CONVERSATION SO THAT WE CAN PLAY A CRITICAL ROLE IN EXPRESSING THE NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY. 
          IN THE REPORT, IT SAID, LET'S BUILD A BETTER FUTURE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES TOGETHER. 
          WORDS MATTER, IN ORDER FOR US TO BUILD THE CITY THAT WE WANT TO SEE IN 20 YEARS, IT STARTS TODAY. 
          SO I I CHALLENGE THE E W D C COMMITTEE. 
          LET'S BUILD A, A CITY THAT, THAT SUPPORTS HONORS AND ENCOURAGES SMALL BUSINESS TO PUSH BEYOND WHAT THEY'RE COMFORTABLE WITH. 
          LET'S MAKE SAN ANTONIO A A CITY WHERE SMALL BUSINESS MEANS BIG BUSINESS, AND THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO FOSTER, GROW, AND TO SUPPORT THOSE THAT SUPPORT US. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          MR. MELVIN. 
          RAMIRO GONZALEZ. 
          JEREMY ROBERTS. 
          DO IT AGAIN. 
          MY NAME IS JEREMY ROBERTS. 
          I'M THE CHAIR FOR THE SMALL BUSINESS ADVISORY COMMISSION. 
          UH, WANTED TO COME UP AND QUICKLY JUST SAY THAT IN OUR LAST MEETING, WE DID HAVE A UNANIMOUS CONSENT BY THE COMMISSION ABOUT THE PRIORITIES AND ABOUT WHAT SHOULD BE PUSHED FORWARD WITH REGARDS TO THE ARPA FUNDS. 
          THAT INCLUDED A PUSH ON GRANTS. 
          IT INCLUDED A PUSH TOWARDS THE, UM, FIVE CATEGORIES AND THE MODALITIES THAT WE HAVE FIGURED OUT. 
          AND SO WITH THAT, WHAT WE WANNA DO IS WORK WITH THE COUNCIL AND WORK WITH THE CITY TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS THE BEST WAY FORWARD. 
          WE DO UNDERSTAND THAT THINGS DO CHANGE. 
          WE DO UNDERSTAND THAT, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE ALSO MORE EFFICIENT WAYS TO DO THINGS, BUT WE DO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE THE RIGHT WAY TO DO THINGS AND THE WRONG WAY TO DO THINGS. 
          SO WHAT WE WANT TO SAY IS THAT, YOU KNOW, OUR COMMISSION IS READY AND HERE AND HAPPY TO SUPPORT THE COUNCIL IN ANY WAY, BUT WE DO FEEL LIKE THE PLANS THAT WE HAVE PUSHED FORWARD ARE PLANS THAT REALLY ARE GONNA BE EFFECTIVE. 
          AND THAT'S ALL I REALLY WANTED TO SAY. 
          THANKS, SARAH. 
          ARANDA. 
          GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. 
          MY NAME IS SARAH ARONDA. 
          YOU GOT IT. 
          I'M A PRODUCT. 
          I GOT IT. 
          I'M A PRODUCT OF FOX TECH WAYLAND BAPTIST UNIVERSITY AND ER UNIVERSITY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I'M A PRODUCT OF, OF FOX TECH. 
          SORRY ABOUT THAT. 
           WAYLAND BAPTIST UNIVERSITY IN ER UNIVERSITY. 
          MY COMMENTS HERE ARE PRESENTED 
          [00:10:01]
FROM MY PERSPECTIVE AS AN OWNER OF A WOMAN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS FIRM. 
          FIRST OFF IS THE NAME OF MY COMPANY. 
          IT'S A GENERAL CONTRACTING COMPANY. 
          EVERYTHING I DID IN MY PRIOR LIFE RELATED TO WORKING WITH CIVIL SERVICE ALMOST 34 YEARS IMPACTS EVERYTHING I DO. 
          FROM NOW ON, I AM HERE ON BEHALF OF MYSELF AS A GENERAL CONTRACTING BUSINESS AND WOMAN-OWNED BUSINESS IN SAN ANTONIO AND THE SAN ANTONIO FAIR CONTRACTING COALITION. 
          THE AMERICAN RESCUE AND RESCUE RESCUE PLAN ACT APPROVED APPROPRIATION OF 3 326 0.9 MILLION TO SAN ANTONIO. 
          THE PRINCIPAL ELEMENTS ARE TO RESPOND TO THE C OVID 19 EMERGENCY, UM, ADDRESS LONG-TERM NEEDS FOR RECOVERY AND ADDRESS INEQUITIES EXACERBATED DURING THE PANDEMIC ARPA. 
          PHASE TWO INCLUDES PRIVATE SUPPORT. 
          HOWEVER, FURTHER REVIEW OF THE FIVE SECTOR PLAN FOR SMALL BUSINESS GROWTH AND RECOVERY INDICATE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF FUNDS THAT ARE PROPOSED TARGET ACTIVITIES THAT SUPPORT LARGE BUSINESSES RATHER THAN THE INTENDED SMALL BUSINESS. 
          THE EXAMPLES INCLUDE CAPACITY BUILDING, UM, THAT WILL RECEIVE NEARLY HALF OF THE TOTAL ALLOTTED 15 MILLION UPON REVIEW OF THE PLANS. 
          THEY SOUND LIKE LARGE BUSINESS GAINS RATHER THAN THE INTENDED SMALL BUSINESS SUPPORT. 
          IN ORDER TO FULLY DIRECTLY SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES, THIS PERCENTAGE SHOULD BE REDUCED TO MORE DIRECT SERVING NEEDS. 
          GEOGRAPHIC PLACEMAKING WILL RECEIVE 5 MILLION IN, IN PLACEMAKING LOCALIZATION GRANTS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES TO ESTABLISH A NEW LOCATION. 
          HOWEVER, IT SHOULD BE LIMITED TO SMALL BUSINESS BENEFIT, NOT LARGE BUSINESS DEVELOPERS. 
          RECEIPT OF FUNDS FOR NEW SPACE, TWO-THIRDS OF THE TOTAL 30 POINT 55 MILLION PROGRAM ALLOCATIONS SHOULD BE REVISED AND DIRECTED TOWARDS SMALL BUSINESSES. 
          ONLY THE ECONOMIC INJURY DISASTER LOANS, ALSO KNOWN AS I D L AND OTHER S B A DISASTER LOANS SOON, UH, WILL SOON MATURE EVEN AFTER DEFERMENT. 
          I HUMBLY REQUEST THAT THE COMMITTEE LOOKS TO ALLOCATE FUNDS TOWARDS THE REPAYMENT OF FUNDS TO THE S B A. 
          UNLIKE THE PAYROLL PRO PROTECTION PROGRAM, THESE LOANS MUST BE PAID BACK. 
          SMALL BUSINESS IS THE BACKBONE OF OUR ECONOMY HERE IN SAN ANTONIO AND EVERYWHERE, AND WE SUSTAIN A SIGNIFICANT PERCENTAGE OF JOBS. 
          SMALL BUSINESSES INCLUDE, INCLUDING THOSE SELF-EMPLOYED INDIVIDUALS AND CONTRACTORS CONTINUE TO SURVIVE A VERY DIFFICULT ECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT DUE TO THE CONTINUED IMPACTS OF THE C OVID 19 PANDEMIC. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          NA THERE. 
          NAIR OR NADER? JANIE, BARRERA. 
          GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. 
          JANIE BARRETA WITH LIFTFUND. 
          I'M JUST HERE. 
          AND TO SUPPORT, UM, WHAT EVERYTHING'S ALREADY BEEN SAID, UH, THAT WE NEED TO BE TRANSPARENT. 
          WE DO NEED TO BE, UM, WORKING TOGETHER. 
          UM, IT'S WONDERFUL TO HEAR ABOUT THIS B D O ORGANIZATION, LIFTFUND, WE WANNA BE PART OF IT AND LET'S SEE HOW WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT IT IS ALLOCATED THE WAY IT SHOULD BE. 
          UH, I KNOW WE WILL, YOU KNOW, BE TALKING ABOUT CONTRACTS AND SO ON, BUT YOU KNOW, THE, YOUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TEAM HAS DONE AN EXCELLENT JOB OF TRYING TO FIX, TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THE BEST WAY TO APPROACH THESE SMALL BUSINESSES IN THE GRANT FUNDING. 
          AND SO, I'M, I AM, YOU KNOW, I JUST WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT WE'RE LIFT FUND IS TOTALLY OPEN TO FIGURING OUT THE BEST EQUITABLE WAY TO DO THIS. 
          UM, THE OTHER THING IS THAT I KNOW WE HAVE A CRUNCH TIME AND, AND, AND BECAUSE OF TIMELINE, SO IN THIS FIRST PHASE, YOU WANT TO BE ABLE TO DO IT IN THIS BUDGET YEAR FOR THE GRANTS. 
          WE'RE ALL, WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA DO IT THE SECOND, BUT THE POINT WOULD BE THAT YOU, THESE OTHER COLUMNS THAT YOU HAVE THAT, THAT THAT'S BEING PROPOSED IN TERMS OF THE NEXT CALENDAR YEAR, I'M WONDERING IF WE COULD FIGURE OUT ON THE, ON THE OUTREACH PART, HOW CAN WE MOVE SOME OF THOSE MONIES TO NOW IN SOME WAY SO THAT THESE ORGANIZATIONS CAN GET THE DOLLARS THAT THEY NEED FOR THE OUTREACH, RIGHT? BECAUSE THERE, RIGHT NOW IT'S VERY LIMITED WHAT WE HAVE IN THERE FOR OUTREACH. 
          SO I WONDER IF WE CAN JUST THINK A LITTLE BIT ON, NO, I KNOW WE'RE TIGHT ON ON TIME, BUT LET'S TRY TO FIGURE THIS OUT. 
          SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR ALLOWING ME TO SPEAK MARINA GONZALEZ. 
          WELL, GOOD MORNING. 
          THANK YOU FOR HAVING US. 
          MY NAME'S MARINA GONZALEZ, I'M THE PRESIDENT AND C E O OF THE HISPANIC CHAMBER HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. 
          I WANNA THANK YOU. 
          AND I ALSO WANNA THANK 
          [00:15:01]
CITY STAFF FOR ALL THE WORK THAT'S GONE IN TO GET US THIS FAR. 
          WE'VE CERTAINLY HAD A SEAT AT THE TABLE AND WE APPRECIATE EVERYONE, UH, WELCOMING US TO DO SO. 
          AND OTHER, ALONG WITH OTHER ORGANIZATIONS. 
          AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, WE REPRESENT OVER 900 SMALL MINORITY AND LOCALLY OWNED BUSINESSES HERE IN SAN ANTONIO AT THE CHAMBER. 
          AND I'M HERE TODAY TO EXPRESS NOT ONLY OUR SUPPORT FOR THE GENERAL CRITERIA OF WHAT WE'VE COME UP WITH AS A CITY, BUT ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT OUR FOCUS REMAINS ON THE IMMEDIATE RELIEF FOR OUR SMALL BUSINESSES. 
          WE KNOW THAT SO MANY THAT WERE HARD HIT AND CONTINUE TO BE HARD HIT BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC ARE STILL SUFFERING. 
          SO THOSE IMMEDIATE GRANTS AND RELIEF AND DIRECT RELIEF EFFORTS ARE VERY IMPORTANT. 
          UM, WE ALSO WANNA EMPHASIZE THAT, UH, WE ARE EXCITED TO, UH, LEARN MORE ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON TODAY AND THEN ALSO EMPHASIZE THAT OUR PARTNERS AT LIFTFUND AND OTHER CDFIS, WE DO AGREE THAT THAT IS THE BEST APPLICATION PROCESS AS THEY ARE ABLE TO HELP STREAMLINE THAT PROCESS AND MAKE SURE THAT IT'S NOT CUMBERSOME IN THE APPLICATION AS MOST OF OUR SMALL BUSINESSES AND THE OWNERS WEAR MANY HATS, AND WE DON'T WANT IT TO BECOME A CUMBERSOME PROCESS OR SOMETHING THAT, UM, WOULD LEAD TO THAT. 
          SO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR WORK AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO CONTINUING OUR PARTNERSHIP TOGETHER AND, AND COMING UP WITH THE BEST SOLUTION FOR OUR CITY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          WE HAVE ONE MORE SPEAKER, MICHELLE LU HOLLAND. 
          UM, THAT WAS FOR SAGE AND ALL THE, OKAY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANKS MICHELLE. 
          ALRIGHT, THAT CONCLUDES, UM, THE COMMENTS FROM OUR SPEAKERS. 
          ALEX. 
          UH, 
          [Briefing and Possible Action on the following items
 ]
WE HAVE A LOT OF GROUND TO COVER TODAY, SO TURNING IT OVER TO YOU. 
          I BELIEVE WE ARE STILL GONNA TAKE THEM IN REVERSE ORDER FROM WHAT WAS POSTED, CORRECT. 
          SO THE FIRST PRESENTATION IS GONNA BE FROM ANNA BRADSHAW IN OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, THE OTHER ONE AS THEY PULL UP THE PRESENTATION. 
          AGAIN, GOOD MORNING, UH, COMMITTEE. 
          MY NAME'S ANNA BRADSHAW, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. 
          AND SO I'M PLEASED TODAY TO BRING AN UPDATE ON WHAT WAS PRESENTED BACK AT THE MAY 24TH MEETING. 
          SO THERE WERE SOME, UH, AT THAT TIME WE HAD COMMITTED TO BRINGING ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE CRITERIA FOR THE PROPOSED GRANT FUND, UH, PROGRAM TO BE FUNDED BY ARPA, AS WELL AS ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE PROPOSED ALLOCATION TO IMPLEMENT THE FINDINGS FROM THE SAN ANTONIO SMALL BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM ASSESSMENT. 
          AND ONE THING I WANNA EMPHASIZE IS THAT THIS FUNDING ALLOCATED IS FOR SMALL BUSINESS SUPPORT. 
          UM, EVERY DOLLAR ALLOCATED HERE WILL GO TO EITHER DIRECTLY TO BENEFIT SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS OR THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT SUPPORT THEM. 
          SO AGAIN, IN TERMS OF PLAN DEVELOPMENT, SO, UM, EVERY ONE OF THESE IDENTIFIES A COVID IMPACT. 
          AND THEN WE HAVE IDENTIFIED PROGRAMS AND STRATEGIES BASED ON THE, THE PRIORITIES IDENTIFIED AND APPROVED BY SPAC C THAT ADDRESS THOSE SPECIFIC COVID IMPACTS. 
          AND FOR EACH ONE OF THESE PROGRAMS AND STRATEGIES, WE'VE IDENTIFIED EQUITABLE OUTCOMES AND METRICS TO MEASURE THOSE. 
          AND MANY OF THOSE METRICS WERE IDENTIFIED WITHIN THE SMALL BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM ASSESSMENT. 
          UM, IN MANY WAYS THAT ASSESSMENT PROVIDED THE, THE CONCEPTUAL PLAYBOOK, AS WE'VE CALLED IT, TO ADDRESSING SOME OF THESE ISSUES THAT EXISTED LONG BEFORE C O V I D. 
          UM, AND IF WE DO NOT TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS THEM, WE'LL CONTINUE TO EXIST AFTER COVID. 
          SO THIS PRESENTS A SIGNIFICANT OPPORTUNITY TO NOT ONLY ADDRESS THOSE IMMEDIATE NEEDS, THE NEEDS THAT WE'VE HEARD FROM THE COMMUNITY THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS, BUT ALSO TO ADDRESS THE SYSTEM, THOSE SYSTEMIC ISSUES THAT UNDERLIE A LOT OF THE CHALLENGES THAT ARE FACED. 
          SO TO TRULY LOOK TO BE TRANSFORMATIONAL, BUT AGAIN, MEETING THOSE IMMEDIATE NEEDS ALONG THE WAY. 
          AND OUR PLAN, UM, WILL NOT EXCEED THE FOUR, FOUR YEAR IMPLEMENTATION PLAN DICTATED IN THE ARPA LEGISLATION. 
          SO AGAIN, THESE ARE THE FIVE PRIORITIES THAT WERE IDENTIFIED BY SPAC AND APPROVED BACK IN THE FALL. 
          UM, FUNDING ALLOCATED, YOU'LL SEE BELOW THIS REFLECTS THE, THE COMMITTEE'S RECOMMENDATION AT THE LAST MEETING THAT THE 1 MILLION PREVIOUSLY ALLOCATED FOR STAFF ADMINISTRATION BE REALLOCATED INTO ACCESS CAPITAL AND MORE DIRECTLY INTO THE C OVID IMPACT GRANT PROGRAM THAT I'LL BE DESCRIBING TODAY. 
          AND SO, AS YOU LOOK AT IS AT A PIE CHART, MORE THAN HALF OF THE FUNDING IS ALLOCATED FOR ACCESS TO CAPITAL. 
          AND WITHIN THAT, THE MAJORITY 12.5 MILLION GOING TOWARDS THE COVID IMPACT GRANTS PROGRAM IN CAPACITY BUILDING. 
          AGAIN, THOSE SERVICES THAT HELP SMALL BUSINESSES BECOME THEIR GREATEST ACHIEVE THEIR GREATEST POTENTIAL HAS AN ALLOCATION HERE, ECOSYSTEM ENHANCEMENTS, WHICH REALLY ARE AN EXTENSION OF CAPACITY BUILDING. 
          THEY ENABLE THAT CAPACITY BUILDING AND HELP SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS ADDRESS THOSE DAY-TO-DAY ISSUES, AS WELL AS PLAN FOR THE LONG TERM, HAVE AN ALLOCATION OF $6.2 MILLION. 
          UM, THEN FUNDING FOR LOCALISM, SOMETHING THAT HELPS CAPTURE OUR AMAZING 
          [00:20:01]
CULTURAL HERITAGE AND SUPPORT PURCHASES OF LOCAL GOODS, UH, OF THE 2% ALLOCATION AND GEOGRAPHIC PLACEMAKING, UM, WHICH MORE YOU'LL HEAR ABOUT IN THE, IN THE NEXT PRESENTATION IN, UM, ON THE UPDATE OF OUR STRATEGIC PLAN, REALLY LAYING THE FOUNDATION FOR SOME OF THAT PLACE-BASED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, INVESTING IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND THOSE SMALL BUSINESSES IN ALLOCATING $6.25 MILLION. 
          SO WITHIN ACCESS TO CAPITAL, AGAIN, AS I I PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED, WE RECOMMEND ALLOCATING $12.5 MILLION FOR THE COVID IMPACT GRANTS, AND I'LL BE GOING INTO DETAIL ON THOSE CRITERIA SHORTLY. 
          UM, AS WELL AS ALLOCATING $3 MILLION FOR A GROWTH FUND. 
          YOU KNOW, THERE ARE A NUMBER OF FOLKS WHO TOOK SIGNIFICANT STEPS TO STARTING A BUSINESS DURING THE PANDEMIC, UM, AND, AND AS WELL AS SOME OF THOSE, AND AS WELL AS SOME OF THOSE OTHER BUSINESSES WHO ARE ABLE TO, TO SURVIVE. 
          AND THEY'RE PERHAPS LOOKING TOWARDS MOVING INTO A GROWTH MODE, SOME OF THOSE SECOND STAGE COMPANIES THAT WE HEAR A LOT ABOUT. 
          AND SO HOW CAN WE ALLOCATE FOR THEM AS WELL AS AN EMERGENCY FUND FOR THOSE WHO HAVE DEPLETED THEIR RESOURCES TO SURVIVE C O D AND ARE ONE SMALLER MAJOR DISASTER AWAY FROM HAVING TO SHUT THOSE DOORS. 
          HOW CAN WE USE SOME OF THIS FUNDING TO HELP PROVIDE A SAFETY NET AS THEY, AS THEY RECOVER TO COVER SOME OF THOSE POTENTIAL DISASTERS THAT MAY HAPPEN ALONG THE WAY? SO AS FAR AS THE IMPACT GRANTS PROGRAM, AGAIN, WE KNOW SMALL BUSINESSES SUPPORT NEED SUPPORT NOW. 
          THEY NEED THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AS THEY, AS THEY SUPPORT IT TO SUPPORT THEIR RECOVERY, UM, BUT ALSO WITH AN AIM IN TERMS OF BUILDING LONG-TERM RESILIENCY. 
          AND SO WHAT THIS MAJOR GOAL OF THIS PROGRAM IS, IS TO PROVIDE MEANINGFUL AND EFFICIENT SUPPORT AS THEY WORK TOWARDS THAT RECOVERY. 
          WE'VE, WE'VE HEARD THE STORIES, YOU'VE ALL HEARD, YOU KNOW, THE STORIES FROM THOSE RESILIENT SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS WHO HAVE KEPT THEIR DOORS OPEN THROUGH, THROUGH REALLY AMAZING WORK. 
          AND, AND THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO HELP PROVIDE THAT IMMEDIATE SUPPORT AS THEY LOOK TOWARDS RECOVERY AND FUTURE RESILIENCY. 
          SO IN TERMS OF ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED, UH, STAFF DID A LOT OF RESEARCH OF OTHER GRANT PROGRAMS. WE LOOKED AT LESSONS LEARNED FROM OUR PRIOR GRANT PROGRAMS AND HAVE IDENTIFIED CRITERIA FOR THIS PROGRAM. 
          SO BUSINESSES MUST MEET THE FOLLOWING C OVID IMPACT CRITERIA. 
          SO BE IN AN INDUSTRY THAT HAS EXPERIENCED AT LEAST FIVE MINUTE 5% EMPLOYMENT LOSS. 
          UM, OVER THE COURSE OF THE PANDEMIC, WE WORKED WITH DR. 
          STEVE NIVAN TO IDENTIFY THOSE INDUSTRIES, UH, BASED ON NS CODES, WHICH ARE INDUSTRY CODES, UH, FOR BUSINESSES, UH, AND, AND IDENTIFIED 5% AS THE THRESHOLD OF EMPLOYMENT LOSS. 
          IN ADDITION TO THAT, HAVING A REDUCTION IN GROSS REVENUES FOR BOTH 2020 AND 2021 AS COMPARED TO 2019. 
          SO 20 20, 20 19 IN THIS SENSE, ACTS AS THE BASELINE. 
          SO WE WANT TO CAPTURE THOSE BUSINESSES WHO HAVEN'T PERHAPS HAD THAT V-SHAPED RECOVERY WHERE THEY MAY HAVE BOTTOMED OUT IN 2020, BUT IN 2021 WERE ALREADY SURPASSED THEIR 2019 LEVELS. 
          BUT WHERE THOSE BUSINESSES RATHER WE WANT TO CAPTURE ARE THOSE THAT CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE THOSE, UH, INDUSTRIES THAT CONTINUE TO HAVE CHALLENGES SUCH AS OUR HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY, UM, IN ORDER, IN TERMS OF RECOVERY. 
          AND OVERALL, WHEN COMPARING 2019 TO 2021, HAVING EXPERIENCED A 25% REDUCTION IN GROSS REVENUES. 
          IN ADDITION, UM, AGAIN, WE NEED TO ENSURE THAT THIS ASSISTANCE IS GOING TO ONLY SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS, AND AS SUCH, WE'LL BE USING S B A SIDE STANDARDS FOR THE INDUSTRY. 
          SO THOSE VARY, UH, ACROSS INDUSTRIES, BUT AGAIN, THEY ARE LINKED TO THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION AND WE WANT TO USE THAT AS OUR CRITERIA. 
          UH, THEY WILL NEED TO HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED PRIOR TO 2020 WITH DEMONSTRATED REVENUE IN 2019, UM, BE IN, IN OPERATION AND NOT HAVE FILED FOR BANKRUPTCY AT TIME OF APPLICATION, UH, BE LOCATED WITHIN THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. 
          AND, UH, WE ARE ADDITIONALLY RECOMMENDING THAT THEY HAVE NOT APPLIED, THAT THEY ARE NOT ELIGIBLE IF THEY HAVE APPLIED FOR OTHER CITY OF SAN ANTONIO ARPA FUNDED GRANT PROGRAMS. AND THEN ON THE RIGHT, YOU'LL SEE THOSE EXCLUDED INDUSTRIES, INCLUDING GAMBLING, FRANCHISERS, PAYDAY LOANS, UM, VERY SIMILAR TO THE CRITERIA WE UTILIZED FOR THE PRIOR GRANT PROGRAMS. UM, IN TERMS OF IDENTIFYING THOSE IMPACTED INDUSTRIES, AS I MENTIONED, WE WORKED WITH DR. 
          NIVAN. 
          UM, WE HAVE IDENTIFIED 43 IMPACTED INDUSTRIES. 
          YOU'LL SEE SOME OF THOSE LISTED HERE, INCLUDING ACCOMMODATIONS. 
          UM, SEVERAL RETAIL TAIL CATEGORIES INCLUDING CLOTHING, UM, SPORTING GOODS, IN ADDITION, PERSONAL AND LAUNDRY SERVICES. 
          THAT INCLUDES HAIR SALONS, DRY CLEANERS, UH, FOOD SERVICES, SO ALL OF OUR HOSPITALITY INDUSTRIES AND AMUSEMENT AND RECOMMENDATION, UM, AND RECREATION. 
          UH, THIS 
          [00:25:01]
MATRIX PROVIDES OUR SCORING CRITERIA THAT WE ARE RECOMMENDING, AGAIN, WANTING TO EMPHASIZE THOSE HARDEST HIT IN TERMS OF LOSS IN REVENUE, AS WELL AS THE INDUSTRY'S HARDEST HIT. 
          AS YOU SEE, THOSE TWO CATEGORIES HAVE THE HIGHEST POTENTIAL, UH, POINTS ALLOTTED TO THEM. 
          IN ADDITION, RECOGNIZING THAT THERE ARE CERTAIN AREAS OF OUR COMMUNITY THAT WERE HARDEST HIT, UH, WE WANT TO APPLY ADDITIONAL POINTS TO BOTH MINORITY WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES, VETERAN-OWNED BUSINESS AND DISABLED OWNED BUSINESSES. 
          IN ADDITION, WE WANT TO, AGAIN, UTILIZE OUR EQUITY ATLAS. 
          AGAIN, A LOT OF THE COMMUNITIES IDENTIFIED ON THE EQUITY ATLAS AS HAVING HIGHER SCORES WERE THOSE MOST IMPACTED BY C O V I D. 
          SO APPLYING ADDITIONAL POINTS FOR THAT, AND ALSO EMPHASIZING WANTING TO GET THESE DOLLARS TO THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN MOST, UH, IMPACTED AND NOT RECEIVED SUPPORT. 
          SO, APPLYING POINTS TO THOSE WHO HAVE NOT RECEIVED FUNDING, BOTH THROUGH CITY GRANT PROGRAMS AND THE SS B A GRANT PROGRAM SUCH AS P P P, IDLE RESTAURANT REVITALIZATION FUND. 
          SO ANYONE IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY, BUT WE WANNA PRIORITIZE THOSE WHO HAVE NOT RECEIVED SUPPORT AND CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE. 
          SO GOING BACK TO MY PRIOR CON UH, COMMENT ON WANTING TO PROVIDE MEANINGFUL SUPPORT. 
          SO WE SEE THESE RECOMMENDED ALLOCATIONS AS PROVIDING MEANINGFUL SUPPORT. 
          UM, SEVERAL OF THE PROGRAMS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, WE LOOKED AT PROVIDED SMALLER AMOUNTS, BUT AGAIN, WE KNOW OUR BUSINESSES HAVE STRUGGLED. 
          WE WANNA PROVIDE THAT SUPPORT, HOPEFULLY THAT LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL TO GET THEM ON A PATH TO RECOVERY AND RESILIENCY. 
          SO WE WOULD RECOMMEND AWARDING BASED ON THEIR REDUCTION IN GROSS REVENUE, AGAIN, WHEN COMPARING 2019 TO 2021 AND PROVIDING THAT SUPPORT. 
          IN ADDITION, WE, WE HEARD A LOT FROM OUR SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITY, UM, THAT THERE ARE, THAT CONSTRUCTION IN A LOT OF WAYS SERVED AS A DOUBLE WHAMMY FOR THEIR BUSINESSES. 
          SO IF THEY WERE SURVIVING DURING C O V I D, THIS CONSTRUCTION ADDED AN ADDITIONAL CHALLENGE. 
          SO RECOGNIZING THIS, WE WANNA RECOMMEND AN ADDITIONAL $10,000 TO BE AWARDED TO THOSE, OR TO BE AVAILABLE TO THOSE BUSINESSES LOCATED WITHIN A MAJOR CITY INITIATED CONSTRUCTION ZONE. 
          SO AGAIN, THE COMPANY WOULD NEED TO QUALIFY, THE BUSINESS WOULD NEED TO QUALIFY UNDER THE, THE COVID IMPACT, BUT THIS WOULD BE A SUPPLEMENT THAT COULD BE POTENTIALLY ADDED. 
          AND SO WE DEFINED WORKING WITH PUBLIC WORKS, THESE MAJOR PROJECTS AS THOSE HAVING STARTED BETWEEN OCTOBER, 2019 AND DECEMBER OF 2021 AND PROJECTS LASTING 18 MONTHS OR GREATER. 
          AND SO WE IDENTIFIED 19 PROJECTS THROUGHOUT THE CITY, AND YOU'LL SEE SOME OF THOSE LISTED, INCLUDING LOWER BROADWAY, WEST COMMERCE STREET, UM, COMMERCE STREET, RIGHT OUTSIDE OF HERE, UM, NORTH NEW BRAUNFELS, GILEAD ROAD AND FREDERICKSBURG ROAD. 
          BUT AGAIN, THERE ARE 19 IDENTIFIED AREAS. 
          SO STAFF DOES RECOMMEND PARTNERING, AGAIN WITH LIFT FUND FOR PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION. 
          UM, MAJOR COMPONENTS OF THE PROGRAM WOULD INCLUDE OUTREACH AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. 
          UM, UNDER THE CURRENT PLAN, WE WOULD BE WORKING FOR UP UPWARDS OF A MONTH ON OUTREACH AND, AND REALLY GETTING OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY, IDENTIFYING THOSE AREAS HARDEST HIT, UNDERSTANDING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE AND GETTING OUT THERE TO PROVIDE THAT ASSISTANCE. 
          WORKING WITH, UM, PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS, IT WOULD INCLUDE THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. 
          SO ONE THING I DIDN'T MENTION ABOUT THE DATA REQUIRED IS WE REALLY WANTED TO LEVERAGE WHAT WOULD SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS LIKELY HAVE ON HAND AND NOT CREATE EXTRA BURDEN FOR COLLECTING DATA AND WANTING TO UTILIZE TAX RETURNS. 
          BUT IN THE EVENT THOSE WEREN'T AVAILABLE, BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE THAT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO GATHER THE NECESSARY DATA IN ORDER TO, UH, BE ABLE TO APPLY, UM, THE FUND WOULD BE DOING THE APPLICATION REVIEW BASED ON THE CRITERIA DISTRIBUTING THE FUNDS AND CONDUCTING OUTCOME SURVEYS. 
          SO WE WOULD LIKE TO CONDUCT THREE OUTCOME SURVEYS, WON AT SIX MONTHS AFTER AWARD WON IT, UM, WON IT 18 MONTHS AFTER AWARD AND WON IT THREE YEARS AFTER AWARD. 
          SO WHEN WE'RE UP HERE IN 2027, PUTTING A BOW ON OUR ARPA FUNDING TO BE ABLE TO SAY, THIS IS THE IMPACT THAT THESE GRANTS MADE, AND TRACK THOSE, THOSE OUTCOMES OVER A LONGER TERM AS OPPOSED TO A ONE TIME, UH, SURVEY AFTER SIX MONTHS. 
          AND THE PROGRAM WOULD REQUIRE AN 8% ADMINISTRATION FEE, WHICH WE WOULD, UH, PAY TO LIVE FUND ADMINISTER THE PROGRAM. 
          SO IN TERMS OF TIMELINE, UM, CURRENTLY WE ARE TARGETING THE JUNE 23RD CITY COUNCIL MEETING TO APP FOR COUNCIL TO APPROVE BOTH THE SMALL BUSINESS PLAN AS A WHOLE, BUT ALSO THE CRITERIA AND AUTHORIZE THE CONTRACT WITH LIFTFUND FOR ADMINISTRATION OF THIS GRANT PROGRAM. 
          WE WOULD RAPIDLY GO INTO THE DEVELOPMENT MODE WORKING WITH LIFTFUND, UM, TO, FOR THEM TO BUILD OUT THEIR SYSTEM, BUT ALSO BEGINNING THAT OUTREACH IN THE MONTH OF JULY, LEADING UP TO THE APPLICATION OPENING ON AUGUST 1ST, WE'D RECOMMEND THE APPLICATION BEING OPEN FOR 15 DAYS, UM, IS ACTUALLY INCLUSIVE OF TWO WEEKENDS. 
          UNDERSTANDING SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS ARE VERY BUSY, SO WE WANTED TO PROVIDE AT LEAST TWO WEEKENDS TO HAVE THAT APPLICATION OPEN, UM, WITH A GOAL OF BEGINNING 
          [00:30:01]
TO NOTIFY AWARDS AT THE END OF AUGUST AND HAVE ALL FUNDING DISPERSED BY NOVEMBER 7TH. 
          SO, UM, AS, AS, UH, JANIE ALLUDED TO EARLIER, WE ARE WORKING WITH THAT SENSE OF URGENCY, UNDERSTANDING THAT THE ASSISTANCE IS NEEDED NOW AND ANY DELAY COULD MEAN AN ADDITIONAL SMALL BUSINESS CLOSING AS A RESULT OF THIS FUNDING NOT GETTING OUT TO THOSE SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS WHO NEED IT MOST. 
          AGAIN, IN THE AREA OF CAPACITY BUILDING, AND I KNOW I REVIEWED THESE AT OUR LAST MEETING, BUT WE DO WANT TO NOT ONLY ADDRESS THOSE IMMEDIATE NEEDS, BUT THOSE LONGER TERM NEEDS. 
          SO IF A GRANT IS ABLE TO HELP KEEP THE DOORS OPEN, HOW DO WE HELP THEM ADDRESS THOSE OTHER ISSUES TO GROW TOGETHER, TO GROW IN THE FUTURE? AND SO WE ARE RECOMMENDING THESE THREE PROGRAMS, INCLUDING INVESTING IN OUR LAUNCH SA SPACE, UM, WORKING WITH A PARTNER TO DEVELOP A, A LARGER BACK OFFICE SUPPORT PROGRAM, AS WELL AS HELPING THEM INCREASE THEIR WEB PRESENCE, NOT ONLY PROVIDING THE SERVICE UPFRONT, BUT PROVIDING THAT ONGOING ASSISTANCE TO UPDATE, WHETHER IT'S A WEBPAGE, A E-COMMERCE PORTAL, OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. 
          UM, BUT TO BRIDGE THOSE DIGITAL DIVIDES WE SEE IN OUR SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITY IN THE AREA OF ECOSYSTEM. 
          AND THIS IS AREA, ANOTHER AREA I'M GONNA GO INTO FURTHER. 
          UM, AGAIN, GETTING AT SOME OF THE PUBLIC COMMENT EARLIER, THIS IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS THE SYSTEM AND, AND THOSE THAT PROVIDE THE SUPPORT, THE SAFETY NET TO OUR SMALL BUSINESSES. 
          IT WAS A VERY LARGE LESSON LEARNED FROM OUR GRANT PROGRAM WHEN WE DEPLOYED RESOURCES AND A LOT OF OUR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS WEREN'T FAMILIAR WITH THE SUPPORT THAT WAS OUT THERE FOR THEM. 
          UM, AND SO HOW CAN WE HELP BUILD THOSE RELATIONSHIPS AND ADDRESS THOSE SYSTEMIC ISSUES ASSOCIATED, UM, IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT WERE OUTLINED BY THAT SAN ANTONIO SMALL BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM, UM, THAT WAS CONDUCTED BY NEXT STREET IN EARLY 2020. 
          IN ADDITION, WE WOULD RECOMMEND THE FUNDING FOR THE ECOSYSTEM MAPPING TO UNDERSTAND WHO ARE OTHER PLAYERS. 
          SO WE KNOW WE HAVE A, A, A BURGEONING SMALL BUSINESS, UH, OR B D O ALLIANCE, BUT ARE THERE OTHER PLAYERS OUT THERE IN OUR COMMUNITY WHO WANT TO CONTRIBUTE TO THIS EFFORT? OTHER MEMBERS OF OUR ECOSYSTEM COULD INCLUDE CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE. 
          THEY'RE, THEY'RE HEAVILY INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY, UM, OTHER COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS WHO ARE INTERESTED IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND IN SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT. 
          BUT HOW CAN WE IDENTIFY THEM, THEIR ASSETS, THEIR, THEIR DEFICIENCIES AND IDENT AND START TO ALIGN WHAT WE ARE DOING WITH PEOPLE'S STRENGTHS AND, AND LEVERAGING ALL OF THE RESOURCES, CREATING THAT NO FRONT, UH, NO WRONG FRONT DOOR APPROACH. 
          SO THE SMALL, THE SMALL BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM DID A LOT OF GREAT THINGS, BUT REALLY ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS IT DID WAS IT HELPED TO IDENT TO DEFINE THE PROBLEM. 
          WE KNEW THERE WERE CHALLENGES, BUT SOMETIMES DEFINING THE PROBLEM IS, IS A CRITICAL STEP IN DEVELOPING THE STRATEGIES TO MOVE FORWARD. 
          SO WE KNOW THAT C OVID 19, UM, WAS HARDEST HIT, UH, HARDEST HIT OUR BLACK AND HISPANIC OWNED BUSINESSES. 
          UM, MANY OF THEM SHUT THEIR DOORS OR THEY WERE, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE THE ONES WHO ARE CONTINUE TO OPERATE BUT ARE, UH, SURVIVING. 
          IN ADDITION, WE KNOW WE HAVE A HISTORIC UNMET DEMAND FOR CAPITAL FOR SMALL BUSINESSES, AND A LOT OF THAT IS CONCENTRATED IN OUR BLACK AND LATINO COMMUNITIES. 
          SO HOW CAN WE START TO ADDRESS THOSE ISSUES TO SEE WHERE INVESTMENTS ARE BEING MADE IN OUR SMALL BUSINESSES IN A MORE EQUITABLE MANNER? IN ADDITION, WE KNOW THAT SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS OF COLOR, UM, THEY, THEY LACKED AWARENESS OF THOSE SERVICES AVAILABLE IN GOOD TIMES. 
          AND SO WHEN WE HIT HARD TIMES THERE, THERE WAS A LOT OF MISTRUST AND DOUBT THAT THESE SERVICES WERE AVAILABLE AND LACK OF ACCESS TO THEM. 
          SO WE WANT TO WORK TO CREATE THAT ACCESS AND NETWORKS TO HAVE A MORE CONNECTED SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITY. 
          AND THEN OUR B D O ECOSYSTEM LACKED OF THE COORDINATION IN MANY WAYS. 
          THEY WERE FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT SEPARATELY. 
          AND SO HOW COULD THEY, WE BRING THEM TOGETHER THROUGH THIS AND, AND CREATE A MORE, UH, UNIFIED ALIGNED B D O COMMUNITY THAT PROVIDED THOSE RESOURCES SEAMLESSLY SO THAT A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER WOULDN'T EVEN KNOW WHICH ORGANIZATION THEY WERE WORKING WITH. 
          ALL THEY WOULD KNOW IS THAT THEY'RE PROVI GETTING THE HELP THEY NEED TO GROW AND THRIVE. 
          SO THIS REPORT PRESENTED THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE SOME STRATEGIC INVESTMENTS, PRIMARILY IN THE FOUR AREAS YOU'LL SEE HERE, UM, IN ACCESS TO CAPITAL ADDRESSING WHAT WE'VE COINED, CAPITAL DESERTS, AREAS WHERE WE SEE INCONSISTENT LENDING, REMO AND REMOVING THOSE OBSTACLES TO ACCESSING THE CAPITAL. 
          BUT AT THE SAME TIME, BUILDING SUSTAINABILITY AND RESILIENCY, GROWING OUR B D O PARTNERS, BUT ALSO STANDARDIZING THE CONTENT THEY PROVIDE AND THE DATA THAT WE'RE COLLECTING. 
          OFTENTIMES WE GET ASKED, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT FOR FOR OUR B D O COMMUNITY? AND WHILE IT'S NOT ALWAYS A NUMBER GAME, THE, THE, THE, THE WINS ARE INDIVIDUALS, WE CAN DO, UH, THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES TO BETTER COLLECT DATA TO DEMONSTRATE BOTH QUANTITATIVELY AND QUALITATIVELY THE IMPACT OF THAT WORK. 
          AND THEN CREATING ACCESS AND NETWORKS, UM, ACCELERATING GROWTH IN OUR SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITY, PARTICULARLY IN THOSE AREAS. 
          HARDEST HIT, AS I MENTIONED, A A LOT OF FOLKS DECIDED COVID WAS THE TIME TO, TO START THEIR SMALL BUSINESS. 
          THEY WANTED A CHANGE. 
          AND SO HOW CAN WE ACCELERATE THAT GROWTH AND CONNECT THEM TO BOTH NEW AND 
          [00:35:01]
EXISTING BUSINESS OWNERS? AND THEN AGAIN, CREATING THAT NO WRONG FRONT, NO WRONG FRONT DOOR APPROACH ACROSS OUR ECOSYSTEM. 
          SO HERE'S ONE EXAMPLE I WANTED TO SHOW IN TERMS OF HOW WE COULD USE THE $6.2 MILLION ALLOCATED TO ADDRESS A PROBLEM IDENTIFIED IN THE SMALL BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM. 
          AND SO THIS, THESE MAPS ARE TAKEN DIRECTLY FROM THE REPORT. 
          AND SO YOU'LL SEE THE TWO AREAS IN THE CIRCLES, UM, ARE AREAS WHERE, WHERE THE CONSULTANTS IDENTIFIED THERE WAS A, A LACK OF SMALL BUSINESS LENDING. 
          SO IN THE GREEN MAP, THAT'S, THAT'S SMALL BUSINESS LOANING, UH, SMALL BUSINESS BANK LOANS UNDER A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS. 
          AND IN THE, THE PINKISH SHADED MAP THAT'S C D F I LENDING. 
          AND SO YOU CAN SEE WE HAVE, AGAIN, THOSE CAPITAL DESERTS, UM, THROUGHOUT OUR COMMUNITY WHERE THERE'S NOT FUNDING BE BEING ALLOCATED. 
          AND SO HOW CAN WE WORK TO IDENTIFY A PARTNER WHO CAN EITHER BRING PROGRAMMING IN THERE? THERE'S SEVERAL, UH, PROGRAMS EITHER THROUGH BANKS OR CDFIS OR JUST IN THE COMMUNITY THAT NOT ONLY DO THEY PROVIDE THAT EDUCATION, BUT A LOT OF TIMES THEY'LL PROVIDE SOME STARTUP CAPITAL, AND THAT'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS A DEFICIENCY. 
          SO HOW CAN WE USE THIS FUNDING TO PERHAPS TARGET THESE AREAS AND GET THE FUNDING OUT THERE TO ACCELERATE THESE PROGRAMS AND EXPAND THEM TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE? ANOTHER EXAMPLE IS STRENGTHENING THOSE B D O PARTNERS. 
          SO THIS GRAPHIC IDENTIFIED SEVERAL KEY AREAS FOR STRONG B D O ORGANIZATIONS FROM THE REPORT WITH EQUITY BEING AT THE HEART OF EVERYTHING. 
          AND SO HOW CAN WE MAKE INVESTMENTS IN OUR B D O COMMUNITY TO HELP SUPPORT THEIR GROWTH GROWTH? THERE ARE A NUMBER OF ORGANIZATIONS THAT WORK DIRECTLY WITH BDOS TO HELP STRENGTHEN THEM AS OPERATIONS SO THAT THEY CAN SERVE MORE, SO THAT WE CAN BROADEN OUR SAFETY NET TO COVER MORE OF THE CITY. 
          AND THEN THIS MAP, THE STARS IDENTIFY WHERE THERE ARE EXISTING B D O AND SUPPORT TYPE ORGANIZATIONS THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY. 
          AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE THEY ARE CONCENTRATED CENTRALLY IN THE CITY WITH MANY GAPS ON THE WEST SIDE, THE SOUTHEAST SIDE, UM, BUT EVEN IN THE NORTH SIDE, UH, NORTHEAST SIDE AS WELL. 
          AND SO, HOW CAN WE UTILIZE RESOURCES TO EXPAND OUR BDOS SCOPE, UM, SCOPE AND OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE? SO WE KNOW, UM, FOR EXAMPLE, SOUTH SIDE FIRST HAS ONE OF THE LARGEST SERVICE AREAS, HOWEVER, THEY OPERATE OUT OF ONE LOCATION. 
          SO FOR EXAMPLE, HOW COULD WE INVEST WITH A PARTNER TO IDENTIFY ADDITIONAL SPACES UTILIZING LIBRARIES, COMMUNITY CENTERS TO GET, TO GET THAT CONNECTIVITY OUT IN AN AREA WHERE A WEBSITE ISN'T GOING TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM, BUT WHETHER IT'S THE PHYSICAL PRESENCE IN THE COMMUNITY TO PROVIDE THAT SUPPORT. 
          SO AGAIN, WE ESTABLISH THOSE RELATIONSHIPS WITH SMALL BUSINESS O OWNERS BEFORE THERE'S ANOTHER, ANOTHER C OVID 19 OR ANOTHER ECONOMIC DOWNTURN ON OUR HANDS. 
          SO AT THE HEART OF THIS ECOSYSTEM WORK IS WANTING TO MEASURE OUTCOMES. 
          UM, AND, AND AGAIN, THE REPORT GIVES US A NUMBER OF TOOLS THAT WE WANNA MEASURE OUR, WHAT IS OUR ULTIMATE GOAL OF ACHIEVING A STRONGER, MORE RESILIENT ECONOMY. 
          SO IN THE SHORT TERM, ARE WE SEEING MORE BUSINESSES ACCESSING THESE B D O SERVICES? ARE WE SEEING REFERRALS HAPPENING THROUGHOUT THE ECOSYSTEM? AGAIN, HELPING PEOPLE NAVIGATE THEIR, ARE WE SEEING BDOS RE UH, INCREASING THEIR FUNDING SO THAT THEY CAN SERVE MORE? UM, BUT ALSO MOVING INTO MORE OF THE MEDIUM TERM RESORTS. 
          ARE WE SEEING THAT THAT CAPITAL ACCESS MAP, THE CAPITAL DESERTS MAP, FILLING IN THOSE SHADES OF GREEN, THE SHADES OF PINK BEING MORE EVEN THROUGHOUT OUR CITY, UM, ARE WE LEVERAGING OTHER FUNDING? SO WE, WE KNOW THAT PHILANTHROPY THAT BANKS THROUGH THEIR COMMUNITY REINVESTMENT ACT DOLLARS, THEY WANT TO BE REIN, THEY WANT TO INVEST IN SAN ANTONIO, BUT OFTENTIMES THEY WANT TO SEE WHERE, WHERE THE MATCH IS COMING FROM. 
          HOW ARE THEIR DOLLARS BEING LEVERAGED? WELL, WE WANNA SEE HOW WE CAN LEVERAGE THOSE OTHER DOLLARS. 
          CAN WE TAKE THIS $6 MILLION INVESTMENT AND TURN IT INTO A $36 MILLION INVESTMENT? UM, BUT ARE WE SEEING ALSO INCREASES IN REVENUE FOR BUSINESS JOB GROWTH? AND THEN MORE IN THE LONG TERM, ARE WE SEEING AN INCREASE IN CAPITAL DEMAND? UM, AS CAPITAL DEMAND GOES UP, WE KNOW THAT'S A SIGN OF A, OF A THRIVING ECONOMY BECAUSE BUSINESSES ARE WANTING TO GROW. 
          AND SO WE'RE GETTING THAT CAPITAL IN HERE. 
          ARE WE SEEING MORE BUSINESSES CREATED? UM, ARE WE SEEING CASH BALANCES GOING UP? SO AGAIN, WE WANT TO MEASURE OUTCOMES. 
          THIS REPORT GAVE US A LOT OF BASELINES. 
          AND SO HOW CAN WE TAKE OPPORTUNITIES, IDENTIFY WHICH ONE OF THESE OUTCOMES THEY CAN IMPACT, INVEST IN THEM, AND THEN MEASURE THAT IMPACT AND BE ABLE TO REPORT ON IT ALONG THE WAY. 
          UM, SO LOCALISM, WE ARE RECOMMENDING THE, UM, TO IMPLEMENT AND SUSTAIN THE EFFORTS THAT WERE, UM, RECOMMENDED BY OUR CONSULTANTS. 
          AGAIN, I TALKED ABOUT THIS LAST TIME, SO I WON'T GO INTO IT TOO MUCH AGAIN, BUT THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO CREATE THAT INTERNAL DEMAND TO KEEP THOSE DOLLARS LOCAL JUST CIRCULATING THROUGH OUR ECONOMY AND RECOGNIZING THE AMAZING GOODS THAT, THAT OUR SMALL BUSINESSES PRODUCE, UM, AND THE SERVICES THEY PROVIDE. 
          AND THEN AGAIN, IN THE PLACEMAKING AREA WHERE THIS 
          [00:40:01]
IS, THIS IS BEGINNING THE NEIGHBORHOOD OR THE PLACE, PLACE-BASED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UM, WHICH IS A LOT OF, OF WHAT WE HEAR FROM, FROM THE COMMUNITY, FROM COUNCIL MEMBERS ALONG THE WAY OF WE WANNA INVEST IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS, AND THAT NECESSARILY MEANS INVESTING IN OUR SMALL BUSINESSES IN THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS. 
          SO FUNDING FOR, UH, BRINGING BACK OPERATION FACELIFT, INVESTING IN OUTDOOR SPACES, AND THAT CORRIDOR PILOT PROGRAM, WHICH IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS AT LEAST TWO OF THE MANY CORRIDORS THAT NEED IMPROVEMENT. 
          SO THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR PROOF OF CONCEPT TO HOPEFULLY SPUR FUTURE INVESTMENT IN THE REVITALIZATION OF OUR CORRIDORS. 
          SO AGAIN, WANTED TO PROVIDE THAT HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW OF THE INVESTMENTS THAT WE ARE RECOMMENDING TODAY, EMPHASIZING THE URGENCY OF, OF, OF WANTING TO GET THESE THINGS IN MOTION, PARTICULARLY, MOST PARTICULARLY THE GRANTS PROGRAM. 
          UM, UNDERSTANDING THAT THE NEED EXISTS NOW AND THAT MAKING THESE INVESTMENTS, WHILE IT MAY SEEM THAT WE'RE MAKING THEM ACROSS LOTS OF CATEGORIES AND LOTS OF PROGRAMS, THAT IS INDEED VERY STRATEGIC IN NATURE, UNDERSTANDING THAT SMALL INVESTMENTS AND BIG INVESTMENTS ARE NEEDED IN THIS AREA, AND THAT IN CONCERT AS A PORTFOLIO, WE EXPECT TO SEE THE RESULTS THAT WE WILL BE, UM, THAT WE HAVE IDENTIFIED AS THE EQUITABLE OUTCOMES AND MEASURING THOSE ALONG THE WAY. 
          SO, EXCUSE ME. 
          IN TERMS OF NEXT STEPS, AGAIN, WE ARE TARGETING JUNE 23RD FOR COUNCIL CONSIDERATION, UM, WITH THE GOAL OF OPENING OR BEGINNING OUR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GRANTS PROGRAM IN JULY WITH THE APPLICATION OPENING UP ON AUGUST 1ST. 
          AND THEN IN AUGUST, WE WOULD LOOK TO PROVIDE A, A DEEP DETAILED IMPLEMENTATION PLAN TO E W D C TO INCLUDE, UH, THE, THE SCOPE FOR THE PROPOSED, UM, R F P FOR THE ECOSYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION. 
          AND THAT CONCLUDES MY PRESENTATION, UM, OF COURSE HERE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THAT'S, WE CAN START OVER ON THIS END. 
          COUNCILWOMAN, THANK YOU CHAIR, AND THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO, WHO CAME OUT AND TO VOICE THEIR, THEIR, UM, CONCERNS AND ALWAYS, UH, READY TO GIVE US SOME FEEDBACK. 
          UM, THANK YOU, UH, CHAIR FOR ALLOWING ME TO START. 
          I, UM, I'M, I'M REALLY TORN ABOUT THIS ONE. 
          I HAVE BEEN SINCE LAST TIME I DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO TALK ABOUT IT LAST, GO AROUND AND WANNA CAPITALIZE THE MEETING. 
          SO I'M GLAD THAT WE BROUGHT THIS BACK, BUT I'M HAVING AN ISSUE WITH THE $6.2 MILLION FOR AN ECOSYSTEM THAT I THINK SHOULD BE FUNDED OUT OF GENERAL FUND, ESPECIALLY WHEN OUR BUSINESSES NEED THE HELP RIGHT NOW. 
          AND I REALLY THINK THAT OUR SMALL BUSINESSES CAN BENEFIT ASAP. 
          WE HAVE IN THE 6.2 THAT IT STARTS IN 2023. 
          I THINK THAT THERE'S THE ABILITY TO LOOK AT OUR GENERAL FUND AND FIGURE OUT HOW WE, WE DO THIS LATER. 
          UM, THERE'S SOME OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARE COMING UP IN THE FUTURE, ALSO THROUGH THE STATE WITH SOME GRANTS THAT THAT MIGHT HELP US BUILD THAT ECOSYSTEM. 
          SO THOSE, THAT'S WHAT I'M GONNA FOCUS MY QUESTIONS ON TODAY. 
          AND LEMME GIVE YOU THE EXAMPLE. 
          SO SPECIFICALLY FOR INSTANCE, IN C O V I D, UH, IMPACT GRANTS, UM, BY THREE, WELL, THREE TO $6 MILLION, RIGHT? IF WE'RE LOOKING AT THE TOTAL, THE GRANTS RANGE FROM 15,000 TO 35,000 AS IS RECOMMENDED IN THE GUIDELINES. 
          BUT IF THE GRANT PROGRAM INCREASED BY $3 MILLION, THAT WOULD MEAN THAT WE WOULD SUPPORT AN ADDITIONAL 85 TO 200 ADDITIONAL BUSINESSES. 
          AND IF WE DOUBLE THAT AMOUNT, WE, UM, INC OR WE DOUBLE THAT AMOUNT, OBVIOUSLY BY INCREASING IT TO THE $6 MILLION. 
          SO LAST MONTH, SPEAKERS AT E W D C AND SOME OF YOU ALL WERE HERE, HIGH RECURRING THEME. 
          WE HEARD ACCESS TO CAPITAL, SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS NEED HELP. 
          NOW, THE WILLINGNESS TO HELP AND BUILD A RECOVERY PLAN, BUT AGAIN, AN URGENCY TO ACT. 
          NOW, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY MORE MEETINGS WE HAVE TO HAVE TO SHOW THAT WE NEED TO, UM, DO THIS ASEP, RIGHT? AND SO PEOPLE KEEP TELLING US TO DO THIS. 
          IT'S NOT TWO YEARS FROM NOW, IT'S NOT THREE YEARS FROM NOW, IT'S TODAY. 
          WE, WE HAVE TO ACT ASEP. 
          UM, THIS IMMEDIATE ACTION, I THINK, UH, THAT IS RECOMMENDED IN THE ECOSYSTEM REPORT. 
          IT TALKS ABOUT LOW HANGING FRUIT. 
          IT SAID IT, WE, WE'VE, WE'VE READ IT, WE'VE ALL READ IT. 
          BUT CONTINUING, UM, THIS, THIS SAME KIND OF PROCESS, THE SAME CONVERSATIONS, I THINK IT'S HOLDING THE RELIEF BACK THAT WE SHOULD BE DOING. 
          SO THAT'S WHY I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT THIS TODAY. 
          SO I HAVE SOME QUESTIONS SPECIFICALLY, UM, IN THAT SMALL BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM, WE DID IT DURING JULY TO OCTOBER OF 2020. 
          WAS THERE ANY DELAY IN THE, UM, INFORMATION? ALEX, WAS THERE ANY DELAY IN THE, THE REPORT FROM THE ORIGINALLY PROJECTED DATE? A DELAY? SORRY? A DELAY AS FAR AS PRESENTING IT OR COMPLETING IT? COMPLETING IT. 
          SORRY. 
          UM, I'M, I DON'T BELIE, I'M, I'M NOT SURE I KNOW IT, IT TOOK PROBABLY ABOUT SIX, MAYBE EIGHT MONTHS. 
          OKAY. 
          WELL, AND, AND MAYBE LET ME GET TO, TO, UM, WHAT I WAS TRYING TO SAY, WOULD THIS REPORT STILL HAVE BEEN CONDUCTED REGARDLESS OF C OVID 19, OR WAS IT BECAUSE OF THE PANDEMIC? 
          [00:45:01]
I WOULD SAY THAT THE IDEA OF DOING THIS STUDY WAS EXPLORED EVEN BEFORE THE PANDEMIC LAUNCHED. 
          OKAY. 
          SO IF THE STUDY OF THIS ECOSYSTEM WAS SCHEDULED BEFORE WE WERE TALKING ABOUT IT, UM, IF WE DIDN'T HAVE CARES, IF WE DIDN'T HAVE ARPA, HOW WOULD THE RECOMMENDATIONS IN THIS REPORT HAVE BEEN FUNDED THERE? UM, I DON'T KNOW THAT THERE WAS NECESSARILY A SINGLE STRATEGY FOR FUNDING. 
          OKAY. 
          I, I WILL SHARE, UM, PERSONALLY MY EXPERIENCE WITH DEVELOPING THE REPORT, AND SELFISHLY, MY MY REASON FOR WANTING TO BE A PART OF IT IS BECAUSE IT WAS, UM, A PHILANTHROPIC ENTITY THAT WAS FUNDING IT, THE RESEARCH, THE DATA COLLECTION AS A WAY OF, UM, IDENTIFYING PERHAPS ENT, UM, PROGRAMS THAT THEY WOULD BE INTERESTED IN FUNDING. 
          AND THAT'S WHY YOU, YOU SEE SOME REFERENCE TO LEVERAGING DOLLARS. 
          YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. 
          SO THEN, AND I WAS GONNA GO TO THAT POINT AS WELL, AND I FIGURED GENERAL FUNDING, SO IT WOULD'VE HAPPENED ANYWAY. 
          UM, AND SO UNDER THE ENVISIONING ECOSYSTEM COALITION BUILDING, WE HAVE AN EXAMPLE THAT WAS LISTED. 
          IT'S THE CHICAGO INCLUSIVE GROWTH COALITION IS LED BY TWO ECOSYSTEM BUILDERS, AND IT'S MADE UP OF A NETWORK OF LOCAL STAKEHOLDERS WITHOUT A FORMAL GOV, OR SORRY, WITHOUT A FORMAL LEGAL GOVERNANCE. 
          AND IT'S FUNDED THROUGH LONG-TERM COMMITMENTS BY LOCAL PHILANTHR PHILANTHROPISTS. 
          SO THAT'S WHY I WAS ASKING, UM, OH, LAST SUMMER I MET WITH THE POLKS BROTHERS FOUNDATION, AND IT WAS A MICHELLE ALIA, UM, IS, IS HERE IN THE AUDIENCE AND HELPED WITH, WITH SOME OF THOSE EFFORTS. 
          UM, WE, I WOULD LOVE TO MAYBE HAVE A FOLLOW-UP MEETING WITH THEM TO SEE HOW, HOW THEY DID THIS. 
          BUT ANOTHER MODEL THAT WAS MENTIONED WAS A DC BASED COALITION FOR NONPROFIT HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND THE ATLANTA WEALTH BUILDING INITIATIVE. 
          BOTH HAVE FORMAL GOVERNANCE AND FINANCING STRUCTURES, AND THEY HAVE AN APPOINTED BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND SUSTAINED MEMBERSHIP REVENUE MODELS. 
          AND SO DEFINITELY THAT LEVERAGE FUNDING, THAT'S WHAT I THINK THAT WE SHOULD BE FOCUSED ON GETTING THIS, THIS REPORT FUNDED ON THE CHICAGO INCLUSIVE GROWTH COALITION, THE EFFORTS BY ITS INDUSTRY STRATEGIES WORKSHOP AND THE INDUSTRY TASK GROUPS IS ALSO SUPPORTED BY THE POLK POLKS BROTHER, POLK BROTHERS FOUNDATION, CHICAGO COMMUNITY TRUST, COLEMAN FOUNDATION, AND JP MORGAN CHASE FOUNDATION, THE CITY OF CHICAGO'S BUSINESS AFFAIRS, UH, CONSUMER PROTECTION DEPARTMENT IS ALSO LISTED AS A SUPPORTER. 
          SO I THINK THAT WE HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES TO LEVERAGE FUNDING WITH, UM, YES, UH, OTHER ENTITIES AND, AND WITH OTHER PHILANTHROPISTS. 
          BUT TO ME, THE WAY THAT WE HAVE THIS RIGHT NOW, IT'S LIKE PLANTING FOR THE FUTURE WHEN OUR PEOPLE ARE STARVING. 
          NOW THEY NEED HELP TODAY. 
          AND SO YES, SUSTAINABLE FUNDING IS GONNA BE ONE OF THE KEY, UM, BUILDING, UM, BLOCKS THAT I THINK THAT WE NEED. 
          BUT ARPA, IT'S A ONE-TIME INFUSION. 
          IT'S NOT REALLY SUSTAINABLE. 
          IF WE INCREASE THE E D D BUDGET, THOUGH, I KNOW ALEX AND, AND E D D TEAM WOULD LIKE THIS, UH, WE HAVE A BETTER CHANCE OF SUSTAINING THE, THIS ECOSYSTEM. 
          AND THEN SPECIFICALLY WORKING MAYBE WITH BEXAR COUNTY, HAS THERE BEEN A DISCUSSION ALREADY WITH THE COUNTY TO SEE HOW THEY'RE HELPING WITH THE FILLERS OR, UM, HAVE THEY BEEN TALKING TO THE PRIVATE SECTOR OR MAJOR EMPLOYERS OR PHILANTHROPISTS? DO YOU KNOW? I, I'M NOT SURE ABOUT THAT, MA'AM. 
          I KNOW THEY WERE A PART OF IT, OF DEVELOPING THE REPORT, BUT I'M NOT SURE ABOUT IMPLEMENTATION SIDE. 
          OKAY. 
          SO I THINK THAT'S ANOTHER CONVERSATION WORTH HAVING. 
          RIGHT? AND SO, PHILANTHROPIC, UM, SUPPORT OF COURSE FOR THE BDOS VSOS, HOW WAS A $6.2 MILLION FIGURE DEVELOPED INITIALLY? WAS IT BASED ON COMPARABLE CITIES AND REGIONS, OR HOW DID WE, UM, IDENTIFY SPECIFICALLY THE $6 MILLION OR 6.2 COUNCILMAN? WE DID NOT SEE ANY OTHER ENTITIES FUNDING BDOS IN A SIMILAR MANNER THAT WE WANTED TO, AGAIN, WE WANTED TO MAKE A SIGNIFICANT INVESTMENT, UM, IN IT, BECAUSE AS YOU MENTIONED, THESE ARPA DOLLARS ARE A ONE-TIME INFUSION AND CAN NOT ONLY ADDRESS IMMEDIATE NEEDS, BUT ALSO TO ACCELERATE SOME OF THESE THINGS. 
          UM, I THINK AS, AS MUCH AS WE'D LIKE TO SEE THESE FUNDED THROUGH OUR GENERAL FUND BUDGET, UNDERSTANDING THAT THAT COULD TAKE MULTIPLE YEARS. 
          AND SO IF WE COULD ACCELERATE THIS AT A MUCH FASTER RATE, WE COULD, AGAIN, CONTINUE TO GROW WHILE ADDRESSING IMMEDIATE NEEDS. 
          SURE. 
          AND THIS ONE STARTS IN 2023 AS PLANNED. 
          SO, UM, IF WE PLAN FOR THE BUDGET FOR 2023 AND 2024, LIKE WE HAVE IT HERE, $3 MILLION, AND THEN I THINK YOU ALL HAVE TWO OR SOMETHING, UM, WE, I THINK THAT WE STILL HAVE SOME TIME TO LEVERAGE THAT PHILANTHROPIC ASPECT OR THOSE OTHER STAKEHOLDERS AS WELL. 
          BUT I THINK THAT RIGHT NOW WE ONLY HAVE A LIMITED WAY OF PROVIDING SUPPORT TO OUR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS. 
          AND I THINK THAT'S WHY I KEEP HARPING ON THIS POINT, THAT, UM, WE SHOULD DO, DO THIS NOW. 
          UM, I UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S A PERCEPTION, UM, THAT THE PHILANTHROPIC COMMUNITY HAS NOT BEEN SUFFICIENTLY EN ENGAGED. 
          SO ANYTHING THAT WE COULD DO, I THINK, UM, AS A, AS AS A COMMITTEE WOULD BE IMPORTANT. 
          BUT WE SHOULD ALSO BE, UM, LOOKING AT OUR, UH, OUR BDOS AND OUR BSOS, UM, STRATEGIES, RIGHT? LIKE HOW ARE THEY PLANNING FOR GROWTH, ET CETERA. 
          UM, AND, AND I THINK THOSE ARE, THOSE ARE, THAT'S THE REASON. 
          AND THERE'S SEVERAL NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS ALL OVER, UM, THE 
          [00:50:01]
UNITED STATES THAT HAVE A BUDGET BIGGER THAN OURS. 
          SO, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, ST. 
          LOUIS HAS A $3.7 MILLION BUDGET. 
          THE AVERAGE BUDGET SIZE FOR B D O B S O IN SAN ANTONIO SEEMS TO BE ABOUT $2 MILLION. 
          THAT'S FROM, UH, PUBLIC, UH, INFORMATION. 
          AND SO I'M JUST AGAIN, WORRIED THAT WE MIGHT NOT BE, UM, USING THE FUNDING FOR THE IMMEDIATE NEEDS. 
          AND I DON'T THINK THAT I CAN BE SUPPORTIVE OF THE FULL $6.2 MILLION GOING TO AN ECOSYSTEM PLAN. 
          UM, I TALKED TO ERIC WALSH ABOUT IT ALSO. 
          I WAS, UM, AGAIN, I'M TORN, BUT I THINK THAT WE NEED TO MOVE THAT $6 MILLION AND USE IT NOW. 
          WE CAN'T WAIT UNTIL 2023 AND I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT MY, MY COLLEAGUES HAVE TO OFFER. 
          BUT THAT'S IT. 
          THANK YOU, CHAIR. 
          THANK YOU, COUNCILWOMAN. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I WANNA THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE AND ADVOCATING, AND I WANNA THANK THE SMALL BUSINESS ADVISORY COMMISSION FOR THEIR WORK. 
          AND I, I AM GOING TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE FACT THAT THIS IS NOT ENOUGH MONEY. 
          AND WHEN WE LOOK AT THE BUCKETS, AND I SIT ON EVERY COMMITTEE THAT'S LOOKING AT THE BUCKETS, UH, THERE ARE, AND THE MENTAL HEALTH IS ONE WHERE I WOULD'VE LIKED TO SEE MORE OF THAT MOVED TOWARDS, BUT MY COUNCIL HAD A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE AND VIEW. 
          SO WE ARE HERE TODAY WITH WHAT, UM, I THINK TOOK A LONG TIME TO GET TO. 
          AND I KNOW THAT IT, IT'S DIFFICULT RIGHT NOW, BUT AS WE COME OUT OF THIS RECOVERY, I THINK THE S THE SMALL BUSINESS ADVISORY COMMISSION DID A GREAT JOB OF IDENTIFYING FIVE SPECIFIC AREAS THAT WE NEEDED TO LOOK ON IF WE WERE GONNA HOLISTICALLY GET OUT OF THIS PANDEMIC. 
          UM, I, IN TERMS OF ACCESS TO CAPITAL, UH, TO MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES, IF WE COULD TAKE FROM SMALL BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM AND GEOGRAPHIC PLACEMAKING, I WOULD, I WOULD BE SUPPORTIVE OF AN IDEA OF THAT IF YOU COULD GIVE ME EXACTLY HOW MANY MORE BUSINESSES WE COULD SERVICE. 
          BUT I AM NOT, UM, OKAY WITH, WITH MOVING, WITH TAKING ANY ONE OF THESE, UM, FIVE PRIORITIES AWAY BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT OUR, UM, WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESS AND OUR MINORITY-OWNED BUSINESSES HAVE BEEN SO SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED. 
          AND IF WE DON'T LOOK AT THE ECOSYSTEM NOW, THINGS ARE JUST NOT GOING TO CHANGE. 
          IT IS GOING TO STAY THE SAME. 
          AND WE AREN'T GOING TO SEE GROWTH. 
          WE ARE JUST GOING TO SEE US. 
          WHAT I LIKE, TRIAGE A SITUATION INSTEAD OF GROW OUT OF A SITUATION. 
          AND, AND I REALLY DO WISH WE, WE HAD MORE MONEY FOR, FOR THIS. 
          AND WE HAD, WE HAD TAKEN MORE TIME IN HOW WE WERE GONNA PRIORITIZE, UM, AND HAD THE ABILITY TO MOVE THINGS AROUND AS NOW WE ARE, UH, LOOKING AT EACH COMMITTEE. 
          BUT, UH, MY, MY PERSPECTIVE IS DIFFERENT 'CAUSE I GET TO SIT ON, ON, UM, EACH COMMITTEE. 
          SO, UM, I'M CONCERNED, ANNA, ABOUT THE, UH, EX EXCLUSION PORTIONS. 
          SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE LIQUOR STORES, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT'S REGISTERED OR A LIQUOR STORE, OR IS THAT SOME OF MY CONVENIENCE STORES. 
          UM, BECAUSE, AND THE REASON I ASK IS 'CAUSE COME OF, SOME OF MY CONVENIENCE STORES IN DISTRICT THREE ARE, UH, HEALTHY NEIGHBORHOOD FOOD STORES TOO. 
          SO I DON'T WANT THEM TO GET EXCLUDED IF THEY PROVIDE LIQUOR OR BEER. 
          NO. 
          SO THIS WOULD BE BUSINESSES THAT ARE IDENTIFIED AS A LIQUOR STORE BY THE, THE NSS CODE THAT THEY SELECT. 
          SO THERE'S A SEPARATE INDUSTRY CODE FOR CONVENIENCE TYPE STORES. 
          AND SO THOSE WOULD, I DON'T RECALL OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD IF THOSE WERE IN OR OUT, BUT I BELIEVE MOST SMALL RETAIL WAS LIKE THAT. 
          AND THEN THE, THE EXCLUSION OF THE FRANCHISERS. 
          UM, DO WE HAVE DATA TO KNOW HOW MANY OF THESE FRANCHISORS ARE VETERAN OWNED OR WOMEN OWNED? NO. 
          AND THESE ARE FRANCHISORS. 
          SO SOMEONE WHO HAS A BUSINESS THAT THEY ARE FRANCHISING OUT AND LOCATIONS, NOT A FRANCHISEE WHO MAY FRANCHISE, UM, A, YOU KNOW, A, A SMOOTHIE KING LOCATION OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. 
          OKAY, THANK YOU. 
          I WAS, I WAS GETTING A LITTLE CONCERNED 'CAUSE I WAS LIKE, I KNOW THERE ARE WOMEN THAT INVESTED THEIR RETIREMENT IN, IN A FRANCHISE. 
          SO, SO WE SPECIFICALLY WANTED TO INCLUDE FRANCHISEES UNDERSTANDING THAT A LOT OF OUR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS, UH, IN THE, THE, UH, FOOD SERVICE, OUR FRANCHISEES. 
          AND I DO WANT TO THANK YOU FOR LOOKING AT THE IMPACTED, UH, INDUSTRIES, ESPECIALLY THE FITNESS CENTERS AND, UM, AND THOSE THAT THE HAIR SALONS AND THING AND THE SERVICE INDUSTRIES THAT WERE IMPACTED. 
          UH, BECAUSE I THINK, AND THIS GOES BACK TO MY SUPPORTING THE ECOSYSTEM AND IF WE CAN MOVE DOLLARS TO GET THE MESSAGING OUT, BECAUSE MY HAIR SALON, MY GYM OWNERS, THEY ARE WORKING LIKE 24 7 TO KEEP THEIR BUSINESSES GOING. 
          AND IF WE DON'T GO OUT TO THEM AND TELL THEM THESE RESOURCES AVAILABLE, THEY'RE NOT GONNA FIND THE TIME TO, TO COME. 
          I THINK OF, UM, I THINK OF ONE THAT'S 
          [00:55:01]
LIKE FROM 6:00 AM TO LIKE 8:00 PM DOING THINGS. 
          AND I'M LIKE, WHEN DID, WERE THEY GOING TO HAVE TIME? SO I WANNA MAKE SURE IF WE CAN GET THAT OUT TO THEM, THE INFORMATION AND THE RESOURCES THEY HAVE AVAILABLE, UH, I THINK THAT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL. 
          AND WE SEE A WHOLE BUNCH OF MORE PEOPLE, AND I THINK THE CHAMBERS COULD HELP WITH THAT ALSO, UM, AS THEY LOOK AT MEMBERSHIP AND RECRUITMENT, IF THEY LOOK AT OUR SERVICE INDUSTRIES TO BE PART OF THAT. 
          UM, AND I, I'M GLAD THAT WE HAD THE CONSTRUCTION IMPACT FUNDING. 
          I THINK WE HEARD STORIES FROM THE, THE RESTAURANT, UH, PEOPLE THAT ARE IMPACTED THAT, AND OUR SMALL BUSINESSES THAT ARE IMPACTED AS WE MOVE FORWARD INTO OUR PRODUCTION, UH, INTO OUR GROWTH AND OUR STREETS. 
          ALEX, YOU KNOW THAT IN OUR GENERAL FUND, I WANT TO SEE THAT WE TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THAT THE, UH, CONSTRUCTION IMPACT FUNDING, BUT I THINK TO START HERE WITH THESE DOLLARS, UM, IN THE ARPA OPPORTUNITY, WE CAN, WE CAN DO THAT. 
          UM, AGAIN, I WISH WE HAD MORE, MORE MONEY, UM, TO, TO GIVE TO THE IMMEDIATE FUNDS. 
          AND I, I AM NOT, IF WE DO WANNA LOOK AT THE SMALL BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM AND, AND GEOGRAPHIC PLACE MAKING TO TAKE A FEW FROM THERE AND, AND THEN LOOK AT SEEING ON THAT FOURTH QUARTILE, BUT I DON'T WANNA REMOVE ANY OF THE FIVE PRIORITIES THAT OUR BUSINESS COMMISSION HAVE FOCUSED ON FOR THIS PROCESS. 
          I THINK WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY, I THINK WE CAN LEAD OUT OF THIS PANDEMIC. 
          I NEED THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY TO CONTINUE TO COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER. 
          THE OTHER THING THAT I'M COMMITTED AND, AND I KNOW THAT MORE EXPENSES ARE COMING DOWN THE LINE, WE ARE LOOKING AT UTILITY WITH UTILITIES, WITH SUPPLY CHAIN, WITH, UH, GROWING PROPERTY TAXES. 
          WE NEED TO TAKE THAT ALL INTO CONSIDERATION. 
          AND THAT'S WHY I'M, I AM EXCITED ABOUT MOVING THIS FORWARD BECAUSE WE HAVE A CHUNK OF ACCESS TO CAPITAL THAT WE CAN MOVE RIGHT NOW. 
          AND I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS, IS, IS, UM, A MOVING PROCESS. 
          SO IF WE CAN LOOK AT THE OTHER PRIORITIES AND SEE IF WE NEED TO, UM, MOVE FROM THEN. 
          BUT I'D LIKE TO GET THIS PROCESS STARTED FIRST AND SEE WHERE WE NEED TO TO KIND OF GIVE AND MOVE FROM. 
          UM, SO THANK, THANK Y'ALL SO MUCH AGAIN FOR SHARING. 
          AND THAT'S ALL MY COMMENTS. 
          THANK YOU, CHAIR. 
          THANK YOU COUNCILMAN. 
          THANK YOU CHAIR. 
          THANK YOU ANNA, FOR THE PRESENTATION AND TO WHOEVER RAISED THE AIR HERE, THE REAL M V P, I'M DEFROSTING OVER HERE, UM, AS WELL AS TO THE SMALL BUSINESS ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR, UM, HELPING SHAPE WHAT THIS PROPOSAL LOOKS LIKE. 
          I'M PLEASED WITH THE SCORING FOR THE GRANT CRITERIA. 
          I BELIEVE IT'S FAIR AND IMPACTFUL. 
          I'VE BEEN HITTING UP SOME OF THE SMALL BUSINESSES WITHIN MY DISTRICT TO CHECK IN AND SEE, UM, TO, TO, TO GAIN THEIR INPUT, UH, ON THIS PROPOSAL. 
          AND, UH, WHAT I CONTINUE TO HEAR AND WHAT WE'VE BEEN HEARING FROM PUBLIC COMMENT, RIGHT, IS THE IMMEDIATE NEED FOR ASSISTANCE IN ORDER TO KEEP THESE BUSINESSES AFLOAT. 
          UM, I'M PLEASED TO SEE THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE THAT ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATION FOR CONSTRUCTION IMPACTED AREAS. 
          UH, EARLIER THIS WEEK, UH, OUR OFFICE HAD A SITE VISIT, UH, DOWN THE STREET, UM, WITH THE GOLDEN STAR WHO GAVE PUBLIC COMMENT, RIGHT? AND WE HAD THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES, THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT, UH, WE HAD PD THERE AND WE WALKED AWAY WITH AN UNDERSTANDING, RIGHT, THAT THERE ISN'T A SILVER, SILVER BULLET TO ADDRESS ALL OF THESE COMPONENTS. 
          UM, BUT WITH THE FISCAL YEAR 2023 AND WITH THESE ARPA DOLLARS IN THIS PROPOSAL, THERE'S OPPORTUNITY, UH, TO TACKLE MANY OF THOSE CONCERNS AND, UH, GIVE THE GOLDEN STAR A SENSE OF SECURITY TO KEEP GOING. 
          RIGHT? THEY'VE BEEN IN BUSINESS FOR OVER 90 YEARS, RIGHT. 
          AND I LOOK FORWARD TO DECADES TO COME AND SUPPORTING THEM. 
          UM, MY, MY ONLY QUESTION IS, UM, YOU KNOW, ONE THING THAT WAS BROUGHT UP IS THE STOREFRONT GRANT. 
          AND I KNOW THAT'S SOMETHING OUR OFFICE HAS BEEN ASKING FOR SINCE, UH, LAST YEAR'S BUDGET BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT CAN BE VERY IMPACTFUL FOR MANY OF OUR SMALL BUSINESSES. 
          UM, BUT UNDERSTANDING THAT THE LAST, UH, ROUND OF OPERATION FACELIFT, THERE ARE SOME ISSUES. 
          UM, I WOULD LIKE TO WORK TOGETHER ON HOW WE CAN TEASE OUT SOME OF THOSE KINKS SO THAT WAY WE CAN ENSURE IT'S SUCCESSFUL WHEN WE CAN CONTINUE TO INVEST IN OPERATION FACELIFT. 
          UM, BASED OFF THE CONVERSATION THAT I'M HEARING, UM, I, I DO HAVE SOME CONCERNS AND WOULD BE OPPOSED TO, UH, REMOVING THE GEOGRAPHIC PLACEMAKING COMPONENT. 
          UM, BUT WITH THE SMALL BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM, THAT'S A TOUGH ONE. 
          I I UNDERSTAND THE URGENCY OF STAFF WANTING TO GET OUR DUCKS IN A ROW TO ENSURE THAT WE CAN LEAD AND ADDRESS THOSE SYSTEMIC ISSUES THAT ANNA TOUCHED ON. 
          UM, HOWEVER, I DON'T WANNA LOSE SIGHT OF THAT URGENCY THAT WE'VE HEARD FROM OUR SMALL BUSINESSES THAT, UM, ARE CALLING OUR OFFICES THAT WE'RE VISITING AND HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH, AND THOSE WHO HAVE COME, UH, TO THE PAST, UH, ECONOMIC AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE MEETINGS TO EXPRESS THAT URGENCY AND NEED, UM, TO HAVE THOSE, UH, GRANTS ISSUED IMMEDIATELY. 
          SO WITH THAT, RIGHT, I WOULD SUPPORT A REDUCTION 
          [01:00:01]
TO THE ECOSYSTEM, UM, PIECE, THE SMALL BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM, AND WITH A SHIFT TO THE SMALL BUSINESS GRANTS AS WELL AS TO OPERATION FACELIFT. 
          UM, BASED OFF THE CONVERSATIONS AND THE PUBLIC COMMENT THAT WE'RE HEARING FROM THE SMALL BUSINESS EXPERTS IS THAT THERE'S IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE NOW. 
          UM, AND I THINK THAT MEANS ENSURING THAT OUR BUILDINGS ARE UP TO CODE SO OUR SMALL BUSINESSES AREN'T HAVING TO ADDRESS THOSE CODE COMPLIANCE VIOLATIONS AND FEES, UM, ALL WHILE TRYING TO, UH, KEEP THEIR BUSINESS RUNNING. 
          SO THOSE ARE MY THOUGHTS ON, UM, THE SMALL BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM IS IF WE CAN REDUCE THAT AND SHIFT FUNDING TO THE GRANTS AS WELL AS THE OPERATION PHASE SIX PIECE. 
          UH, BUT AGAIN, UH, A COUPLE OF CONCERNS THAT I HAVE WITH THE ECOSYSTEM AS WELL, RIGHT? IS I CAN ALREADY ENVISION THE CONVERSATION WHEN IT GOES TO FULL COUNCIL, AND THERE MAY BE CONCERN ABOUT, UH, NOT GIVING THAT IMMEDIATE ASSISTANCE TO OUR SMALL BUSINESSES. 
          UM, HOWEVER, UM, WITH THE SMALL BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM PIECE, UM, SOUTHSIDE FIRST HAS BEEN PHENOMENAL, RIGHT? AND IT WAS ONE INDIVIDUAL, JUDITH, AND NOW IT'S GABRIELA. 
          AND THEY ARE DOING AMAZING GRASSROOTS EFFORTS WITH OUR SMALL BUSINESSES. 
          THEY'RE IN THOSE SMALL BUSINESSES IN OUR COMMUNITIES, IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATIONS DOING THAT OUTREACH AND DOING THAT CONNECTION, RIGHT? AND THAT'S JUST ONE INDIVIDUAL. 
          UH, SO MY HOPE WOULD BE IS THAT WE CAN PROVIDE SUPPORT TO SOUTHSIDE FIRST WITH THE, WITH THE SMALL BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM SYSTEM PIECE. 
          AND THOSE ARE ALL MY COMMENTS. 
          CHAIR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I WANNA START OFF BY SAYING, UH, I'M IN VERY, UH, MUCH AGREEMENT WITH ALL, UH, OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS AND WHAT THEY'VE COMMENTED ABOUT. 
          MY PREFERENCE IS THAT MORE MONEY GETS IN THE HANDS OF SMALL BUSINESSES THAN INTO AN ORGANIZATION OR A STRUCTURE, SO TO SPEAK. 
          I DO WANT TO COMMEND THE WORK OF THE SMALL BUSINESS ADVISORY COMMITTEE. 
          I THINK THEY DID A GOOD JOB. 
          I THINK THEY'VE GIVEN US, UH, YOU KNOW, FIVE PILLARS TO CONSIDER THAT ARE GOING TO HELP NOW AND IN THE FUTURE. 
          BUT I THINK WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS HOW WE MIGHT IMMEDIATELY FUND THOSE. 
          AND I'M, I'D LIKE TO SEE, UM, SLIDE 24 BROUGHT UP IF I COULD, WHICH GIVES US AN OVERVIEW OF THE FUNDING FOR, UH, EACH OF THOSE. 
          AND I KNOW A MAJOR SECONDARY FUNDING, UH, PILLAR WAS SMALL BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM ASSESSMENT. 
          OKAY? AND, AND THAT WAS 6.2 MILLION. 
          BUT ALSO WE HAVE LOCALISM 625,000, UH, AND I WAS, I WAS WONDERING IF WE CAN'T FIND SOME MONEY OUT OF BOTH OF THOSE TOGETHER THAT WOULD ENABLE SOME OF, UH, THE ECOSYSTEM PARTNERS, UH, LIKE SOUTH SIDE FIRST, OR THE EAST SIDE AND WEST SIDE ORGANIZATIONS THAT WORK ON THIS TO GIVE THEM SOME MONEY TO HELP SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY. 
          UH, YOU KNOW, IF THEY GOT A COUPLE OF HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS EACH, THEY COULD THEN GO OUT AND, AND DO MORE ADVERTISING AND EDUCATION TO BUSINESSES IN THEIR COMMUNITY. 
          UH, AND I THINK THAT THAT'S GONNA BE AN IMPORTANT PART OF WHAT WE DO. 
          BUT I'D MUCH RATHER SEE THAT, UH, A GOOD $6 MILLION OF THAT GO VERY DIRECTLY, UH, TO ADDING CAPITAL ACCESS. 
          16.42 MILLION SOUNDS LIKE A LOT OF MONEY, BUT IF YOU'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, $15,000 PER BUSINESS, AND YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT HELPING 1100 BUSINESSES, UH, OR EXCUSE ME, UH, YEAH, THAT'S ABOUT RIGHT, ABOUT 1100 BUSINESSES, AND THERE'S A LOT MORE BUSINESSES THAN THAT THAT NEED HELP. 
          SO I THINK THAT, UH, WE NEED TO ADD MORE MONEY, UH, TO THAT PART OF THE FUND. 
          SO WHAT I MIGHT SUGGEST, BASED ON WHAT WE'RE SAYING HERE, AND IF THE CHAIR KIND OF CONCURS WITH SOME OF THIS, WE MIGHT ASK, UH, SBA C AND E D D TO MEET ONCE MORE AND TALK ABOUT THEIR BEST EFFORT AND MAYBE OFFERING SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR REALLOCATION. 
          NOW, WHEN IT COMES TO THE SMALL BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM, LONG TERM, I AGREE, WE SHOULD PUT $6 MILLION INTO THAT. 
          I THINK IT SHOULD COME OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND. 
          AND, YOU KNOW, RIGHT NOW, AS UNPOPULAR AS IT MAY BE FOR ME TO SAY THIS, WE HAVE ABOUT A $45 MILLION WINDFALL OVER AND ABOVE WHAT WE HAD BUDGETED IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET. 
          NOW, THAT MAY NOT BE THE FINAL NUMBER, UH, COME SEPTEMBER, BUT THAT'S WHAT IT IS RIGHT NOW. 
          SO TO ME, THERE'S NO REASON WHY WE CAN'T PLAN ON ALLOCATING, YOU KNOW, $6 MILLION TO COVER THAT ECOSYSTEM GOING FORWARD. 
          AND WE'D JUST BE TALKING ABOUT STARTING A COUPLE OF MONTHS LATER. 
          BUT IF WE GIVE THEM A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY NOW TO 
          [01:05:01]
START DOING THE EDUCATIONAL PART OF IT, I THINK WE CAN MAKE ALL OF THIS WORK. 
          SO, AS FAR AS HOW THAT WOULD BE AFFECTED IN THE PILLAR THAT SBA C HAS DEVELOPED, I'D JUST SAY THAT 6.2 MILLION WOULD BE CHANGED OVER INTO IMMEDIATE FUNDING. 
          AND SBA C WOULD REQUEST THAT $6 MILLION BE PART OF THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET. 
          AND I THINK YOU MIGHT FIND RIGHT HERE, FOUR OR FIVE OF US AS COUNCIL MEMBERS WHO ARE READY TO SAY, YEAH, IT SOUNDS LIKE A GOOD PLAN. 
          SO THAT'S MY THOUGHT ABOUT THIS WHOLE PROCESS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          OKAY. 
          I'M GONNA, AGAIN SAY THAT NONE OF THE PILLARS NEED TO BE REMOVED, UH, UNTIL WE GET THE ACCESS TO CAPITAL ROLLING. 
          I'M ALSO GONNA SAY, AS A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER, IF I WAS STILL A SMALL FAMILY, BUSINESS OWNED BUSINESS, AND THESE ARE THE BUSINESSES YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, AND I WENT IN AND I APPLIED, AND I GOT THAT $25,000 GRANT, I WOULD NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH IT. 
          I WOULD NEED A SAGE, I WOULD NEED A SOUTH SIDE FIRST. 
          UM, I WOULD NEED A PROSPER WEST OR MY ESTRO TO HELP ME, BECAUSE AS A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER AND MY SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS IN THE SOUTH SIDE, THEY ARE JUST GOING TO, THEY'RE GONNA GET APPROACHED BY PEOPLE THAT SAY, HEY, LET'S PUT UP A NEW AWNING, OR LET ME SPEND MONEY ON THE WEBSITE. 
          I NEED THOSE AGENCIES TO MEET WITH. 
          AND THAT'S WHY I'M, I'M SAYING THIS IS WHY WE NEED THAT ECOSYSTEM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE ACCESS TO THE CAPITAL, BECAUSE IF NOT, IF THEY SPEND IT ON A NEW WEBSITE, ON A DRIVE-THROUGH, ON AN ADDITION, WITHOUT GETTING THE HELP FROM THESE AGENCIES THAT WE HAVE TASKED WITH, AND THEY CANNOT DO IT FOR FREE, THAT THEN I'M STUCK AND I'M TAKING OUT A LOAN, OR I'M GOING OUTTA BUSINESS IN ANOTHER TWO TO THREE YEARS. 
          THIS IS WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THE BUSINESSES ON THE SOUTH SIDE. 
          AND I CAN GIVE YOU EXAMPLES OF RESTAURANTS THAT HAVE WAITED GENERATIONS AND YEARS FOR GROWTH, BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN THAT SLOW, AND I'LL SAY IT NIETZCHE, AND, AND WE'RE STILL WORKING ON, ON MAKING THEIR EXPANSION. 
          BUT WITH THE HELP OF GROW OF, OF THIS, OF THIS ECOSYSTEM, IF THE ECOSYSTEM WAS IN PLACE, IT WOULD NOT BE THIS HARD AND WOULD NOT TAKE THIS LONG. 
          SO I DON'T WANT, I WANT TO BE ABLE TO GIVE THEM ACCESS TO CAPITAL, BUT I WANT THEM TO HAVE THE RESOURCES TO BE ABLE TO GROWTH. 
          AND AS A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER OWNER, I KNOW THAT IF I GOT THAT 25,000, IT WOULD, IT WOULD GO TO WHATEVER SLICK SALESPERSON COMES AND TRIES TO SELL ME SOMETHING NEW INSTEAD OF INVESTING IT BACK INTO WHAT, UM, WHAT SAGE SOUTHSIDE FIRST PROSPER WEST AND CENTRO WOULD HELP WITH. 
          SO, I, AGAIN, THE, I THINK THE FIVE PILLARS NEED TO STAY IN PLACE. 
          I THINK WE HAVE A VERY TALENTED SMALL BUSINESS ADVISORY COMMISSION. 
          THAT'S WHY WE'RE LOOKING FOR THEM. 
          I THINK IF WE START GETTING THE ACCESS TO CAPITAL AND WE SEE THAT WE'VE RUN OUT, LET'S GO AHEAD AND LOOK AT THE OTHER, LET'S LOOK AT REDUCING THOSE 20%, WHICH IS THE GEOGRAPHIC PLACEMENT AND THE SMALL BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM, BUT TO MAKE CHANGES NOW AFTER THEY, THEY'VE WORKED SO HARD AND, AND TO SAY, THIS IS WHAT IT, IT IS, IT IS, IT IS STOPPING THE BLEED, BUT IT IS, IT IS NOT RESCUING THE BUSINESS. 
          SO THAT, THAT, AGAIN, THOSE, THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY ON THAT THANK YOU CHAIR. 
          AND I THINK THAT, UM, TO COUNCILMAN COURAGES POINT, WE CAN DO BOTH. 
          AND WE HAVE ENOUGH MONEY, I THINK, IN THE GENERAL BUDGET, AND WE HAVE THE APPETITE AS A COUNCIL TO SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES. 
          SO I THINK WHAT WE SHOULD DO IS PUSH FOR THAT $6 MILLION, IF THAT'S WHAT IS INDEED NEEDED TO BE BUDGETED OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF, UH, CYCLES, SPECIFICALLY INTO THE E D D BUDGET. 
          UM, I STILL THINK THAT OUR SMALL BUSINESSES NEED SOME ADDITIONAL ACCESS TO CAPITAL. 
          NOW, WE SAW HOW THE P P P WAS SO SUCCESSFUL, BUT NOT A LOT OF BUSINESSES TOOK ADVANTAGE OF IT IN DISTRICTS. 
          LIKE, LIKE THE ONES THAT I REPRESENT, I WOULD BE IN FAVOR OF MOVING $6 MILLION, OR THAT WOULD BE MY, MY, MY RECOMMENDATION TO ACCESS TO CAPITAL. 
          I LOVE COUNCILMAN COURAGES IDEA, MAYBE KEEPING THE POINT TO, AND SPECIFICALLY GIVING IT TO THE, UM, ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE SUPPORTING LIKE SAGE, UM, LIKE PROSPER WEST AND SOUTH SIDE FIRST. 
          UM, FOR MARKETING SPECIFICALLY, AND IF I, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY TOTAL, IT SOUNDS LIKE THERE'S ABOUT FOUR OF THEM, BUT, BUT DIVIDING THAT UP SPECIFICALLY INTO MARKETING AND OUTREACH EFFORTS, SO THAT WHAT HAPPENED WITH P P P DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN, THAT EVERYBODY GETS A FAIR SHOT AT IT, THAT THERE'S ENOUGH, UM, INFORMATION OUT THERE FOR THEM TO KNOW WHERE TO GO. 
          BUT THE CAPACITY BUILDING ASPECT, THE 1.4, UH, $5 MILLION, I THINK THIS IS ANOTHER AREA WHERE WE CAN CONSIDER HELPING SOME, SOME ADDITIONAL SUPPORT. 
          UM, I KNOW THAT 
          [01:10:01]
ONE PERSON IS NOT ENOUGH TO DO ALL OF THE WORK, AND A LOT OF NONPROFITS, THAT'S WHAT THEY ARE. 
          IT'S A ONE PERSON DOING ALL OF THE WORK. 
          SO WE DEFINITELY NEED TO DO THIS, BUT I DON'T THINK THIS IS AN EITHER OR SITUATION. 
          I THINK THAT IF WE REALLY WANT TO SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES, WE HAVE THE UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY THROUGH ARPA FUNDING TO DO THAT NOW, TO MOVE THIS OVER, TO ACCESS TO CAPITAL, AND THEN TO FIGHT IN THE BUDGET FOR OUR SMALL BUSINESSES. 
          WE KEEP SAYING THAT WE SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES, BUT LET'S DO IT AND LET'S DO IT THROUGH THE GENERAL FUND, AND LET'S DO IT OVER THE NEXT TWO TO THREE YEARS JUST AS PLANNED IN THIS PLAN. 
          BUT THOSE ARE ALL MY COMMENTS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND, AND LET ME, UH, JUST REINFORCE WHAT WE'RE SAYING ABOUT, UH, HELPING AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN. 
          THE AWARD NOTIFICATION AND THE FUNDS DISBURSEMENTS ARE SCHEDULED FROM SEPTEMBER THROUGH NOVEMBER. 
          AND IF WE ARE WORKING ON OUR BUDGET BY SEPTEMBER, WE'LL KNOW WHAT WE'RE GONNA BE SPENDING TO SUPPORT THESE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS. 
          UH, AND SO I DON'T THINK BY REALLOCATING THAT $6 MILLION TO IMMEDIATE AWARDS, WE ARE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO STILL SUPPORT THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT WILL EDUCATE AND HELP THOSE BUSINESSES ONCE THEY GET THEIR MONEY. 
          SOME OF THEM ARE NOT EVEN GONNA GET THEIR MONEY UNTIL OCTOBER, NOVEMBER. 
          BY THEN, WE WILL HAVE APPROVED A BUDGET THAT WILL PUT MONEY INTO THE HANDS OF SOME OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS, PROVIDED THE COUNCIL HAS THE WILL TO ALLOCATE $6 MILLION. 
          AND I THINK WE WILL. 
          BESIDES THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, I, I KNOW WE'RE CONCERNED THAT THESE BUSINESSES DON'T WASTE THE MONEY, BUT LET ME ASK IF I MAY, OUR, OUR LIFT FUND REPRESENTATIVE, IF SHE'LL COME UP AND TALK WITH US, WHEN, UH, A BUSINESS COMES TO YOUR ORGANIZATION AND ASKS FOR FUNDING, DO THEY HAVE TO SHOW YOU SOME KIND OF A BUSINESS PLAN ON HOW THEY INTEND ON SPENDING THAT MONEY? YES, SIR. 
          THEY DO. 
          AND IT DEPENDS ON THE SIZE OF THE LOAN, HOW DETAILED THAT BUSINESS PLAN MUST BE. 
          SO A $25,000 LOAN WOULD PRETTY WELL DETAILED. 
          CORRECT. 
          SO IT'S NOT LIKE PEOPLE ARE JUST GONNA BE GIVEN MONEY AND WASTED. 
          YOU ARE GOING TO EXPECT THEY'RE GONNA FOLLOW THE PLAN. 
          THIS IS DIFFERENT, SIR, BECAUSE IT'S NOT A LOAN, RIGHT? THIS IS A GRANT. 
          IT'S A GRANT, AND WE'RE FOLLOWING THE CRITERIA OF THE CITY MM-HMM. 
          , AND YOU SAW THE CRITERIA. 
          MM-HMM. 
          . 
          SO OUR ROLE IN THIS IS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE CREATE THE MODEL WITHIN OUR SYSTEMS TO CALCULATE ALL THAT INFORMATION AND SAY, YES, THEY'RE, THEY'VE, THEY'VE MET THE CRITERIA OR NO. 
          MM-HMM. 
          , RIGHT? AND THEN TO DO THE FOLLOW UP OVER SIX MONTHS, 12 MONTHS, YOU KNOW, SO ON. 
          THAT'S DIFFERENT. 
          WE'VE NEVER ACTUALLY DONE THAT, BUT THAT'S PART OF THE, THIS CONTRACT. 
          NOW GOING FORWARD, WHAT I SEE IN THE CONVERSATION IS WHAT IF WE WERE TO ADD INTO, UM, THE REQUIREMENTS UPFRONT IS IF THAT PERSON GETTING THE GRANT WOULD SAY, IF I GET A GRANT, I WILL WORK WITH WEST SIDE. 
          I MEAN, UM, UH, UH, SS, RIGHT? SAGE LAUNCH SA, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THOSE FOLKS, BUT I WILL, AND THEN WE COULD ASSIGN THEM WITH THESE EXTRA DOLLARS THAT WOULD BE COMING TO THAT. 
          YOU, IT'S NOT PART OF OUR CONTRACT, BUT YOU COULD PUT IT INTO, YOU KNOW, UH, THE DOLLARS EXTRA DOLLARS THAT YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT GIVING IT DIRECTLY TO THE, THE NOT-FOR-PROFIT. 
          RIGHT. 
          AND THEY CAN, AND WE COULD ASSIGN THEM. 
          YES. 
          THESE, UM, PEOPLE CAME IN, GOT A GRANT, YOU'RE ASSIGNED TO THIS ONE, YOU'RE ASSIGNED TO THAT ONE, YOU'RE, AND EVERYBODY WOULD BE ACCOUNTABLE, AND WE COULD MEET AS A GROUP MONTHLY TO TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALL BEING, YOU KNOW, COLLECTING THE INFORMATION THAT WE NEED. 
          YEAH. 
          AND I'M NOT, I'M NOT SAYING WE SHOULDN'T, WE SHOULD BE TELLING BUSINESSES HOW TO OPERATE, BUT I THINK THAT IF THEY COME WITH A PLAN AND WE GIVE THEM THE FUNDING TO HELP THEM SUPPORT THEIR BUSINESS ACCORDING TO THAT PLAN, THEN I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO HELP THEM MEET, MEET THEIR OWN PLAN. 
          SURE. 
          ALONG THE WAY. 
          NOW, THE, THERE, NOW AGAIN, UNDER THIS CONTRACT, WE'RE NOT REQUIRING, THE CITY IS NOT REQUIRING A PLAN OF HOW THEY'RE GOING TO USE IT. 
          YOU COULD ADD THAT TO THE CRITERIA, BUT WE COULD, WE COULD ADD THAT. 
          YES, SIR. 
          AS WE MOVE FORWARD. 
          YES, SIR. 
          OKAY. 
          YES, SIR. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          MM-HMM. 
          . 
          OKAY. 
          UM, THIS IS THE WORK OF, OF COMMITTEE MEETINGS. 
          AND, UM, THE POLICY IS, IS, UH, FASHIONED HERE. 
          HOWEVER, UH, A A COUPLE OF A COUPLE OF COMMENTS. 
          UM, CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS ARE ACCUSED OF ALL SORTS OF THINGS. 
          UH, BUT THE ONE THING THAT WE'LL NEVER BE ACCUSED OF IS, UH, BEING SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS ON BUSINESS ECOSYSTEMS. UH, AND, UH, AND YOU KNOW, HOW TO, HOW TO FIX WHAT'S WRONG WITH AN ECONOMY. 
          UM, WE GOT, WE GOT THE BEST OF INTENTIONS, UH, BUT THE REASON WE EMPANELED THE SBA WAS TO GIVE US, UH, THIS EXPERT ADVICE. 
          RIGHT. 
          UM, I'M HEARING THAT THERE'S AN APPETITE TO SEND THIS BACK FOR A VERY QUICK MEETING, JEREMY, UM, FOR YOU GUYS TO CATCH WHAT WE'RE PITCHING AT YOU AND DISCUSS IT 
          [01:15:01]
AMONG YOURSELVES, AND THEN BRING BACK SOME ADVICE TO US ON HOW TO PROCEED. 
          UM, I THINK IT WOULD BE UNFAIR FOR THIS COMMITTEE TO TAKE THIS, THIS VERY THOROUGH AND VERY VETTED AND SCRUBBED PLAN AND, UH, UNDO ONE BIG COMPONENT OF IT WITHOUT Y'ALL WEIGHING IN ONE MORE TIME. 
          SO, WITH THAT, UM, I, I AM GONNA RECOMMEND, UH, THAT, THAT WE, THAT WE DO THAT. 
          THE SECOND THING I'LL TELL YOU FROM THIS CONVERSATION IS, UM, MARIA VILLA GOMEZ HAVE SEEN, HAS, WE, WE WENT TO ST. 
          MATTHEWS CHURCH ONE TIME OVER ON, UH, IN, IN DISTRICT EIGHT TO CELEBRATE THE COMPLETION OF ONE OF THEIR GYMS. UH, IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL, BEAUTIFUL EVENT. 
          AND AT THE VERY END, UH, THE ARCHBISHOP AND I WERE CHALLENGED TO THROW A BASKETBALL INTO THE HOOP. 
          AND MARIA HAS SEEN HOW TERRIBLE A BASKETBALL PLAYER I AM. 
          UM, AND THE REASON I I BRING THAT UP IS BECAUSE I PLAYED BASKETBALL THROUGHOUT ALL OF HIGH SCHOOL, AND MY COACH KNEW HOW TERRIBLE I WAS, UM, AND AT IT. 
          AND HE, I WOULD TELL HIM, EVERY GAME, COACH PUT ME IN. 
          I'M READY, COACH. 
          PUT ME IN, I'M READY. 
          RIGHT? AND HE'D SAY, NO, SIT ON THE BENCH AND YOU KEEP PRACTICING. 
          WE'VE GOT, UH, BDOS ARE STEPPING UP AND SAYING, PUT ME IN. 
          I'M READY. 
          AND THEY'LL NEVER BE READY UNTIL WE ACTUALLY TAKE THE CHANCE ON THEM, UM, TO EXECUTE. 
          AND, UM, THEY ON THEIR OWN, HAVE GROWN TO BE WHAT I CONSIDER TO BE ELITE ORGANIZATIONS WHO ARE READY TO BE GIVEN THIS CHANCE. 
          RIGHT. 
          UM, BUT AGAIN, I NEED TO HEAR FROM SBA WHAT YOU GUYS THINK ABOUT THAT. 
          RIGHT. 
          AND SO, UH, WITH THAT, UM, WE'LL BE ENTERTAINING A MOTION TO DO EXACTLY THAT. 
          UM, AND I HAVE A FEELING, COUNSEL, AND YOU, YOU'RE THE ONE THAT WANTS TO DO THAT, SEND IT BACK TO . 
          SURE. 
          THANK AND SEND IT BACK TO  CHAIR. 
          IF I COULD REALLY QUICK BEFORE COUNCILWOMAN RIGHT HERE, BEFORE SHE MAKES THAT MOTION. 
          AT OUR LAST MEETING, THERE WAS A MOTION TO CONCEPTUALLY APPROVE, UM, THE PLAN AS PRESENTED BY STAFF. 
          SO WE WOULD FIRST NEED A MOTION TO RECONSIDER THE ALLOCATIONS. 
          SO JUST ONE QUICK MOTION BEFORE, SO CHAIR, I MOVE THAT WE RECONSIDER THE ALLOCATIONS AS, AS STATED MM-HMM. 
           AND REFER TO SPAC C AND REFER TO SPAC. 
          SURE. 
          AND I'LL SECOND THAT. 
          OKAY. 
          AND THEN NOW WE'VE GOT SOME DISCUSSION. 
          COUNCILWOMAN, UH, ANNA OR ALEX, WHAT, WHAT DOES THIS DO TO THE TIMELINE? WHEN CAN WE, WHEN WOULD BE THE EARLIEST WE COULD SEE THIS ON? WOULD THIS HA ONE, WOULD IT HAVE TO GO TO B SESSION BEFORE IT GOES TO A SESSION? AND WHAT DOES THE TIMELINE LOOK LIKE NOW IF WE DO THIS? SO, UM, COUNCIL MEMBER, I BELIEVE THERE IS AN SBAC MEETING EARLY NEXT WEEK THAT THEY COULD CONSIDER THIS AT. 
          HOWEVER, UM, TO COME BACK TO E W D C, WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO COME BACK, UM, UNTIL THE END OF THE MONTH. 
          WE DO HAVE ANOTHER MEETING SCHEDULED AT THE END OF THE MONTH, UM, FOR COUNCIL CONSIDERATION, THOUGH IT PROBABLY WOULDN'T BE UNTIL AUGUST. 
          SO I, I NEED THE TIMELINE TO, TO THEN WHEN, WHEN WE CAN ACTUALLY GET THIS ACCESS TO CAPITAL TO OUR SMALL BUSINESSES. 
          'CAUSE I FELT WE WERE MOVING THIS FAST SO WE COULD GET IT OUT TO THEM BY AUGUST. 
          BUT NOW WHAT I'M HEARING IS THAT'S GOING TO LOOK MORE LIKE SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER. 
          YES. 
          COUNCILMAN. 
          SO WERE THIS ITEM TO SLIDE TO THE AUGUST 4TH FOR FULL COUNCIL CONSIDERATION. 
          AGAIN, THAT WILL SLIDE OUT EVERYTHING A MONTH. 
          SO INSTEAD OF OPENING AN APPLICATION ON AUGUST 1ST, WE WOULD BE OPENING IT LIKELY IN EARLY SEPTEMBER. 
          AND ANA, IS, IS THERE A POSSIBILITY IF WE START DOING ACCESS, OH, I'M SORRY. 
          IT'S, IT WOULD BE A SIX WEEKS LAG TIME WHEN, WHEN IT IS APPROVED, WHEN THE APPLICATION WOULD OPEN. 
          SO, UH, BUT IS IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO MOVE THIS, APPROVE THIS TODAY, AND THEN IF WE SEE THAT ACCESS TO CAPITAL, AND WE ARE GONNA NEED $20 MILLION THAT WE MOVE IT FROM THE OTHER? OR IS IT STUCK? UH, IS IT IN THOSE PLACEMAKING AND, AND SMALL BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM BUCKETS? IF COUNCIL WERE TO APPROVE THE PLAN TODAY, OR AT LEAST APPROVE MOVING FORWARD WITH THE CRITERIA FOR THE GRANTS PROGRAM AND THAT ADMINISTRATION, UM, IT WOULD BE WITHIN COUNCIL'S RIGHT, TO THEN REALLOCATE FUNDING AT A LATER DATE. 
          SHOULD WE BRING BACK ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THE ECOSYSTEM OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT? AND, AND THAT NOT BE WHERE THE INVESTMENT WANTS TO BE MADE, THAT COULD BE REALLOCATED INTO THE GRANTS PROGRAM? UM, WE WOULD BE OPERATING OFF THE SAME LIST OF APPLICANTS. 
          SO ESSENTIALLY IT WOULD JUST BE ABLE TO GO FURTHER DOWN THE LIST OF APPLICANTS. 
          SO BE I, BECAUSE WE'RE LOOKING AT A NEW BUDGET AND A NEW QUARTER. 
          AND, AND THAT'S WHY I WANTED TO GET THIS TO COUNCIL BEFORE WE WENT ON BREAK. 
          UM, AND IF SO, IF WE MOVED IT TODAY TO COUNCIL FOR HOPEFULLY WHAT WILL, WILL PROBABLY NOT 
          [01:20:01]
BE CONSENT AGENDA, BUT IF WE DID THAT AND IT APPROVED, IT WENT THROUGH COUNCIL, WHEN COULD WE START DIS DISTRIBUTING THESE GRANTS? IF IT WERE APPROVED IN, ON THE 23RD, THE GRANT PROGRAM, THE APPLICATION WOULD OPEN AUGUST 1ST. 
          AND IF YOU CAN BRING UP THE TIMELINE SLIDE, UH, WE WOULD BE LOOKING TO GET AWARDS OUT IN EARLY SEPTEMBER. 
          AND I'LL BRING UP THE TIMELINE SLIDE AGAIN JUST FOR ILLUSTRATIVE PURPOSES. 
          AND IF WE WERE, SORRY, THIS IS ALEX. 
          I'M JUST JUMPING IN HERE. 
          SO IF WE WANNA, IF WE WERE TO BRING IT BACK TO THE E W D C WITH SBAS FEEDBACK, IT WOULD JUST DELAY IT, UM, A MONTH FROM THE 23RD TO, TO THE FIRST COUNCIL ACTION IN AUGUST INSTEAD. 
          BUT THEN THEY WOULDN'T GET THEIR DOLL, THE DISBURSEMENT WOULDN'T HAPPEN UNTIL DECEMBER? WELL, NO, THEY START SIX WEEKS AFTER THE CONTRACT IS APPROVED. 
          IF I, IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, RIGHT, APPLICATIONS WOULD START, THEN ON THE CALENDAR IT SAYS DISBURSEMENT IS NOVEMBER 7TH. 
          SO THEN DISBURSEMENT WOULD BE DECEMBER, DISBURSEMENT COMPLETED BY NOVEMBER. 
          SO WE WOULD START DISBURSEMENT IN, UM, EARLY SEPTEMBER. 
          SO APPLICATION OPEN FOR TWO WEEKS, THEN REVIEW, AND THEN THEY WOULD START BEING NOTIFIED OF AWARD IN EARLY SEPTEMBER. 
          BUT AGAIN, THEY'RE WORKING THROUGH THE LIST OF APPLICANTS SCORING THEM. 
          SO THEN THAT'S WHY WE WOULD, WE WOULD BE DONE BY THE END OF NOVEMBER, BUT THAT WILL START IN SEPTEMBER. 
          SO CAN YOU COME UP AND TELL ME, UH, UH, I MEAN, I HAVE A QUESTION FOR JEREMY. 
          I'M SORRY, . 
          JEREMY, CAN YOU COME UP AND TELL ME, UM, IS A MONTH GOING TO, UH, ADVERSELY IMPACT OUR SMALL BUSINESSES IF WE DON'T GIVE THEM THE ACCESS TO CAPITAL? OR IS IT, I'D BE REMISS TO SAY IT DOESN'T, I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY YEAH, IT WOULD OBVIOUSLY AFFECT SMALL BUSINESSES IF WE WAIT ANOTHER MONTH. 
          JUST SO YOU KNOW, I WAS GONNA SAY THAT WE MEET ON TUESDAY AT 10:00 AM SO WHATEVER HAPPENS NOW, WE HAVE AN AGENDA ITEM, UM, TO DISCUSS THIS JUST IN CASE. 
          SO WE, WE, WE PRE PREEMPTIVELY ASSUME THAT SOMETHING WAS GONNA HAPPEN. 
          SO WE'RE READY TO MAKE THAT CHANGE. 
          WELL, AND, AND THANK YOU. 
          AND I, I WON'T BE SUPPORTING THIS, THIS MOTION TO SEND IT BACK BECAUSE I, MY PRIORITY IS TO GET IT TO THE INDIVIDUALS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. 
          UH, AND I, I'VE HEARD FROM THE, UH, SMALL BUSINESSES THAT YOU CAN'T, WE CAN'T WAIT ANOTHER MONTH. 
          WE CAN'T WAIT ANOTHER MONTH. 
          AND NOW WE'RE TELLING YOU WE CAN WAIT ANOTHER MONTH. 
          SO I'M NOT FOR WAITING ANOTHER MONTH, SO I WON'T BE SUPPORTING THIS. 
          BUT IF THE REST OF MY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES WANNA SEND IT FORWARD, THEY'RE MORE THAN WELCOME TO. 
          THANK YOU. 
          STILL ASK MORE, MORE QUESTIONS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UH, GOOD, GOOD CHAIR. 
          I, YES, CHAIR, I AGREE WITH YOU A HUNDRED PERCENT. 
          I DON'T WANNA WAIT ON THIS AT ALL, BUT IF THEY'RE GONNA MEET ON TUESDAY CHAIR, COULD WE HAVE AN ADDITIONAL MEETING TO ACCEPT THEIR REPORT AND ACT ON IT SO THAT IT CAN BE ON A COUNCIL AGENDA BY THE 23RD? WE, WE CAN WORK TO SCHEDULE ANOTHER MEETING. 
          OKAY. 
          SO IT CAN BE DONE. 
          WE JUST GOTTA BE WILLING TO SPEND OUR TIME TO COME BACK AND HEAR WHAT THEY SAY BASED ON OUR RECOMMENDATIONS. 
          I DON'T THINK THAT'S TOO MUCH TO ASK. 
          SO I WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE MOTION THAT WE HAVE ON THE FLOOR. 
          THANK YOU CHAIR. 
          I WAS GOING TO MAKE A SIMILAR RECOMMENDATION, UM, RIGHT. 
          IF WE CAN ASK THE SPAC TO PROVIDE COUNSEL WITH THE RECOMMENDATION FOR, UM, THAT COMPONENT. 
          UH, IN ORDER TO GIVE COUNSEL DIRECTION ON JUNE 23RD, I WAS GOING TO BE RE MY RECOMMENDATION. 
          HOWEVER, I AGREE WITH COUNCILMAN COURAGE. 
          UM, IT'S OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO BE AVAILABLE TO MEET, TO DISCUSS AND SUPPORT OUR SMALL BUSINESSES. 
          CHAIR. 
          I AGREE THAT WE SHOULD, UM, I, I, I LIKE COUNCILMAN COURAGES RECOMMENDATION IF WE COULD MAKE IT HAPPEN. 
          BUT, UM, IF NOT, THE ALTERNATIVE WOULD BE, I WOULD, UH, MAYBE MOVE THAT WE, UH, AS AN ECONOMIC WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE ASK SPEC SPECIFICALLY TO LOOK AT $6 MILLION TO BE MOVED TO ACCESS TO CAPITAL. 
          AND THAT THEY ALSO, UM, MAKE A FORMAL RECOMMENDATION THAT ANOTHER $6 MILLION BE ALLOTTED OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS IN THE GENERAL FUND FOR THE ECOSYSTEM BUILDING. 
          SO IT WOULD BE TWO THINGS THAT, THAT E THAT THEY WOULD TAKE UP, SORRY, THREE YEARS. 
          THANK YOU, COUNCILMAN. 
          COURAGE. 
          SO $2 MILLION A YEAR IN FROM THE GENERAL FUND. 
          BUT THOSE WOULD BE MY RECOMMENDATIONS. 
          EVERYBODY WINS. 
          IT'S A WIN-WIN FOR ALL. 
          YOU GET BOTH, UM, AND YOU STILL GET THE SUPPORT TO SMALL BUSINESSES NOW. 
          OKAY, JEREMY. 
          OH, OKAY. 
          UH, THANK YOU FOR THE APPLAUSE, MARINA. 
          UH, THE, UH, JEREMY, YOU GOT YOUR, YOUR, YOUR MARCHING ORDERS. 
          IF THIS MOTION PASSES, UM, I URGENCY IS WHAT YOU'RE HEARING UP HERE. 
          UM, AND I THINK THE WAY WE'RE ECHOING IS THE URGENCY WE HEARD FROM Y'ALL. 
          UH, AND SO, UM, HURRY UP AND GET IT RIGHT, PLEASE. 
          . 
          ALL RIGHT, WITH THAT, WE GOT A MOTION AND A SECOND 
          [01:25:01]
ON THE FLOOR. 
          ALL THOSE IN FAVOR? AYE. 
          OKAY. 
          WITH ONE, ONE PERSON OPPOSING THE MOTION PASSES. 
          THE, UH, THE NEXT TOPIC, ALEX, THANKS TO, TO ALL OF YOU WHO, WHO SHOWED UP? WHAT ARE WE, THE NEXT ARPA PIECE, RIGHT? UM, ACTUALLY NO, WE'RE MOVING ON TO THE, THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA, SIR. 
          UM, ACTUALLY BEFORE WE GO THERE, REALLY QUICK, I JUST WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE, UM, ANNA BRADSHAW, WHICH I KNOW YOU'VE HEARD A LOT FROM TODAY ALREADY, BUT SHE IS ACTUALLY HEADING OVER TO BASTROP TO SPEAK AT THE TEXAS CITY MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE LIKE TODAY. 
          UM, SO SHE'S HEADING OUT FROM HERE. 
          SHE'S ACTUALLY GONNA BE PRESENTING ON THE CITY AND THE ECONOMIC IMPACT AND COVID RECOVERY. 
          BEFORE SHE CAME TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, SHE WAS OUR COVID OFFICER. 
          AND SO WE WE'RE REALLY EXCITED THAT SHE'S IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT NOW, BUT WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT HER SHARING SOME OF OUR STORIES AS WELL WITH THE REST OF THE STATE. 
          SO SHE'S GONNA BE GOING THERE LATER ON. 
          AND I, I APOLOGIZE FOR THAT. 
          I APPRECIATE YOUR PATIENCE. 
          AND WE CAN MOVE ON TO ITEM NUMBER THREE. 
          GO, GO DO IT. 
          GO. 
          CONGRAT THREE IS A PRESENTATION, AN UPDATE ON OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS. 
          GOOD MORNING. 
          THANK YOU. 
          CHAIRMAN PEZ AND E W D C MEMBERS, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT IS CURRENTLY IN THE MIDST OF A STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS. 
          I WOULDN'T LIKE TO TAKE THIS MOMENT TO THANK EACH OF YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION. 
          THUS FAR, OUR FOCUS HAS NOT BEEN TO RECREATE THE WHEEL, BUT REALLY TO FOCUS ON THOSE EXISTING PLANS SUCH AS THE GREATER SS A T X REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY AND SA TOMORROW, JUST TO NAME A FEW WITH THE FRESH SHUT OF EYES, PARTICULARLY IN LIGHT OF THE GO GLOBAL PANDEMIC. 
          YOU'LL HEAR THIS LATER. 
          BUT THE PROJECT GOAL, AND I NEED TO REITERATE THIS, IS TO POSITION THE CITY ON THE PATH TOWARDS A MORE RESILIENT ECONOMY, TO PROVIDE DIRECTION ON COMPETING WITH NATIONAL AND GLOBAL PEERS. 
          AND TO SPECIFICALLY DEFINE THE ROLE E D D SHOULD PLAY IN THAT EFFORT. 
          I WOULD LIKE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PARTNERSHIP WITH GREATER S A T X IN THIS ENDEAVOR AS THEY PROVIDED LEADERSHIP TO THE PERCEPTION SURVEY, WHICH YOU WILL HEAR A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT SHORTLY, AND CONTINUE TO PARTNER AND COLLABORATE ON A NUMBER OF THE PIECES. 
          LIKEWISE, MANY OF THE PARTNERS THAT WERE HERE IN THE ROOM TODAY HAVE ACTIVELY HAVE BEEN ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN THE DISCUSSIONS, AND I WOULD LIKE TO THANK THEM AS WELL. 
          T I P STRATEGIES WILL PROVIDE A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE FINDINGS FROM THE DISCOVERY PHASE, AS WELL AS DISCUSS NEXT STEPS. 
          HOWEVER, BEFORE I TURN IT OVER TO T I P STRATEGIES, I WOULD LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT THAT WHILE THIS WORK HAS BEEN HAPPENING, WE ALSO HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH DR. 
          STEVE NIVAN TO COMPLETE AN ANALYSIS OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVE PORTFOLIO THROUGH 2021. 
          THIS WORK WAS LAST DONE THROUGH IN 2018 THROUGH PERFORMANCE YEAR 2017. 
          THE CURRENT EFFORT IS ANTICIPATED TO BE WRAPPED UP LATER THIS SUMMER. 
          AND THE FINDINGS PRESENTED TO E W D C AT THAT TIME, WE WILL UTILIZE BOTH THAT WORK AND THE STRATEGIC PLANNING EFFORTS TO PREPARE A REVISED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVE POLICY. 
          THE CURRENT POLICIES EXPIRE AT THE END OF THE YEAR, AND WE ANTICIPATE BRINGING THAT FORWARD FOR CONSIDERATION SHORTLY AFTER THIS STRATEGIC PLAN. 
          AGAIN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION IN THE STRATEGIC PLANNING EFFORTS THUS FAR. 
          AND WITH THAT, I'D LIKE TO TURN IT OVER TO JOHN CARIS WITH THE T I P TEAM. 
          GOOD MORNING, UH, COUNCIL MEMBERS, UH, GREAT TO SEE YOU ALL AGAIN. 
          UH, THANK YOU BRENDA, FOR THE INTRODUCTION. 
          SO WE, UH, I'M JOHN CARIS WITH T I P STRATEGIES JOINED BY MY COLLEAGUE KATRINA PARKEY, WHO I'LL ASK TO COME UP HERE IN JUST A MINUTE. 
          AND OUR C E O TOM TELMAN. 
          AND WHAT WE HAVE DONE IS WE HAVE TRIED TO TAKE A, UH, ESSENTIALLY A TWO HOUR PRESENTATION ON THE FINDINGS WHERE WE ARE IN THE PROCESS. 
          WE'RE APPROACHING THE MIDPOINT IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN AND CONDENSE IT DOWN INTO ABOUT A 10 TO 15 MINUTE PRESENTATION HERE. 
          SO I'M GONNA JUST GIVE YOU A, A VERY QUICK OVERVIEW OF WHERE WE ARE IN THE PROJECT AND WHAT WE'VE BEEN LEARNING SO FAR. 
          AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, WHERE IT IS LEADING TO. 
          AND AS BRENDA MENTIONED, UH, HOW THIS STRATEGIC PLAN CAN HELP DEFINE AND IDENTIFY THE ROLE OF THE CITY'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT IN DRIVING AND CREATING A MORE SUSTAINABLE, MORE RESILIENT ECONOMY IN THE CITY, IN COLLABORATION WITH MANY OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS AND LOCAL AND REGIONAL PARTNERS. 
          SO, JUST AGAIN, AS AS BACKGROUND, YOU ALL, YOU ALL KNOW WHO WE ARE. 
          WE'RE, WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO BE CONTINUING THIS, THIS WORK WITH THE CITY. 
          AND THIS IS OUR TEAM, ALONG WITH OUR PARTNER FIRMS AT ADE VAN DEPU AND THE RETAIL COACH THAT ARE REALLY HELPING WITH ENGAGEMENT AND LOOKING AT SPECIFIC NEIGHBORHOOD AND DISTRICT BUSINESS GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES THAT WE'LL SHARE WITH YOU A LITTLE BIT OF THAT HERE IN A MINUTE. 
          THANK YOU CHAIR AS WELL. 
          UM, SO AGAIN, AS BRENDA MENTIONED, THIS IS REALLY ABOUT COMPETING ON THE NATIONAL STAGE AND ENSURING 
          [01:30:01]
THAT THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT IS PROPERLY EQUIPPED, RESOURCED, AND HAS THE RIGHT TOOLS AND STRATEGIES AND ACTIONS TO HELP THE CITY CONTINUE ITS ECONOMIC GROWTH AND BENEFIT ALL BUSINESSES LARGE AND SMALL, AND ALL RESIDENTS TO PROVIDE GREATER OPPORTUNITIES. 
          THE GUIDING PRINCIPLES FOR THE PLAN, WE STAND BEHIND EVERY ONE OF THESE FIVE. 
          EVERYTHING FROM THE INVESTMENT AND GROWTH THAT YOU NEED TO CONTINUE TO ATTRACT FROM PRIVATE SECTOR COMPANIES THAT EXIST HERE AND BRINGING NEW ONES FROM OUTSIDE. 
          UM, NEIGHBORHOOD-BASED AND PLACE-BASED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, RESILIENCE, BOTH ENVIRONMENTAL AND EQUITY AND THE TAX BASE. 
          WE'RE REALLY FOCUSED ON BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE CITY AND A SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY. 
          SO I'LL, I'LL HAND IT OFF TO KATRINA TO SHARE A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT WHAT WE'VE BEEN LEARNING FROM THE VERY COMPREHENSIVE, UH, STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT THAT WE'VE DONE SO FAR. 
          THANK YOU, JOHN. 
          YES. 
          SO, AS YOU ALL KNOW, WE HAVE BEEN TALKING TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS WE POSSIBLY CAN TO HELP GUIDE THE STRATEGIC PLAN. 
          SO WE'VE HOSTED 22 ROUND TABLES FOCUSED ON TOPICS FROM WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT TO INDUSTRIES LIKE AEROSPACE. 
          WE'VE ALSO HELD INTERVIEWS, INCLUDING INTERVIEWS WITH ALL OF YOU. 
          UM, BUT THIS SLIDE IS REALLY THE KEY TAKEAWAYS OF THE THEMES THAT WE'VE HEARD. 
          SO, AS YOU ALL KNOW, SAN ANTONIO IS A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE. 
          UM, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TOOLS IN THE CITY, UM, CAN BE LEVERAGED FOR GREATER IMPACT. 
          BUT I REALLY WANNA FOCUS IN ON THAT THIRD KIND OF KEY THEME THAT WE'VE HEARD ABOUT AN EITHER OR MINDSET. 
          UM, THIS THEME CAME UP IN A LOT OF OUR ROUND TABLES AND INTERVIEWS, UH, BUT WE THINK THAT THE STRATEGIC PLAN ITSELF CAN BE APPROACHED THROUGH A BOTH AND MINDSET. 
          UM, SO YOU'LL SEE A QUOTE HERE FROM ONE OF OUR ROUND TABLE PARTICIPANTS THAT YOU CAN HAVE A TECHNOLOGY HUB IN PORT SAN ANTONIO AND IN DOWNTOWN, IT IS NOT AN EITHER OR. 
          UH, BUT THAT'S A VERY, VERY QUICK OVERVIEW OF SOME OF THE KEY TAKEAWAYS WE'VE HEARD. 
          WE'VE GOT A LOT TO GET THROUGH. 
          SO I'M GONNA TURN IT BACK OVER TO JOHN. 
          THANK YOU, KATRINA. 
          AND SHE'S GONNA GIVE A LITTLE BIT OF AN OVERVIEW OF THE, UH, REAL ESTATE SITE SELECTION AND, UH, REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER AND BROKER PERCEPTION SURVEY SINCE WE GOT SOME GOOD QUAL QUALITATIVE INPUT FROM AN OUTSIDE PERSPECTIVE AS WELL. 
          AND WE REALLY DID GET A LOT OF, OF INPUT FROM, UH, THE, THE ROUNDTABLE PARTICIPANTS. 
          AND THIS IS GONNA BE A KEY PART OF THE PLAN. 
          WE ALSO WANTED TO LOOK AT WHAT THE, THE DATA TELLS US. 
          AND I'M, I'M NOT GONNA SHARE WITH YOU THE 75 DIFFERENT  DATA, INTERACTIVE DATA SLIDES THAT WE'VE, WE'VE BEEN DEVELOPING THAT WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME PREVIEWING WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STAFF AND DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS LAST WEEK. 
          JUST WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU A FEW OF THE, THE KEY DATA FINDINGS THAT WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT SO FAR. 
          SO AS, AS YOU ALL KNOW, AND WE'VE HEARD MANY TIMES, SAN ANTONIO IS ONE OF THE 10 LARGEST CITIES IN THE COUNTRY FROM A POPULATION STANDPOINT, UH, ON PATH TO BECOME SIXTH LARGEST WITHIN A MATTER OF YEARS OVERTAKING PHILADELPHIA. 
          SO THAT DOES MATTER. 
          THAT IS IMPORTANT. 
          WHAT ALSO MATTERS IS THE, THE REGIONAL MARKET STANDPOINT FROM A LABOR PERSPECTIVE, FROM A BUSINESS ATTRACTION AND RETENTION PERSPECTIVE. 
          AND WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE 30 LARGEST METROPOLITAN AREAS AND WHERE SAN ANTONIO STACKS UP YOUR NEAREST PEERS ARE PLACES LIKE CHARLOTTE, ORLANDO, PORTLAND, AUSTIN. 
          WHAT MAKES SAN ANTONIO STAND OUT, JUST LOOKING AT THE SIZE AND SHARE AND IMPORTANCE OF THE CENTRAL CITY, IS YOU'RE THE ONLY CITY AMONG THE CITIES, CENTRAL CITIES WITHIN THE 30 LARGEST METROS THAT MAKES UP MORE THAN HALF OF THE REGIONAL POPULATION. 
          SO THAT MATTERS FROM A LAND USE STANDPOINT, IT MATTERS FROM A TAX-BASED STANDPOINT. 
          AND MANY OF THE REGIONS, IF YOU COULD ARGUE ALL OF THE REGION'S MOST SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC ASSETS FROM THE MILITARY TO MAJOR UNIVERSITIES, U T S A, THE CULTURAL AND ARTS INSTITUTIONS, THEY'RE IN THE CITY. 
          SO THE CITY DOES MATTER, BUT THE METRO AREA AND THE REGIONAL MARKET REALITIES ALSO MATTER. 
          SO WE ALSO HEARD A LOT ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE AND THE NEED TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESS. 
          SO WE LOOKED AT THIS DATA, AND THE CAVEAT TO THIS IS IT'S A LAG TIME OF A COUPLE OF YEARS. 
          SO THIS DATA IS BEFORE THE PANDEMIC, AND THIS IS AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL. 
          WHEN WE LOOK AT THE SHARE OF NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR, THE SMALL BUSINESS DEFINED AS SMALL FIRMS THAT HAVE FEWER THAN 500 EMPLOYEES, THAT SHARE OF TOTAL EMPLOYMENT HAS DECLINED. 
          AS SOME OF THE LARGER PRIVATE SECTOR EMPLOYERS MAKE UP A LITTLE BIT MORE THAN 50% OF THE US PRIVATE SECTOR EMPLOYMENT BASE. 
          SO WE WANTED TO LOOK AT THIS LOCALLY. 
          AND THIS IS NOT EXACTLY ALIGNED WITH THE CITY LIMITS. 
          THIS IS AT THE COUNTY LEVEL. 
          AND WHAT YOU SEE IS, ALTHOUGH SMALL 
          [01:35:01]
BUSINESSES MAKE UP ALMOST 93% OF THE TOTAL NUMBER OF FIRMS, AGAIN DEFINED AS 500 EMPLOYEES ARE SMALLER, THEY ARE ABOUT A LITTLE LESS THAN 40% OF THE TOTAL EMPLOYMENT. 
          AND AGAIN, CAVEAT THAT THIS IS BEFORE THE PANDEMIC THAT MAY HAVE MADE THE MATTERS WORSE FOR SOME OF THOSE SMALLER BUSINESSES THAT WE, WE HEARD FROM HONEST PRESENTATION, THAT THEY HAVE BEEN STRUGGLING WITH SOME OF THOSE ACCESS TO CAPITAL AND THOSE ISSUES, UH, FOR MANY DECADES. 
          SO WE WANTED TO LOOK AT THIS, AND THIS REALLY CALLS ATTENTION TO THE NEED TO BRING IN ADDITIONAL SUPPORT TO EXISTING SMALL BUSINESSES, BUT ALSO TO KATRINA'S POINT ABOUT THE EITHER OR MINDSET, WE REALLY BELIEVE THAT YOU NEED TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT ATTRACTION OF OUTSIDE COMPANIES, INCLUDING THOSE LARGER NAVI STARS AND TOYOTAS AND OTHERS. 
          BUT YOU REALLY DO NEED TO CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON SUPPORTING YOUR EXISTING SMALL BUSINESS BASE. 
          THE, THIS IS, I PROMISE, THE LAST DATA SLIDE, UH, THAT WE WILL SHARE. 
          WE THOUGHT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT, UH, THE ROLE OF PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYMENT. 
          AND THIS IS AT THE METROPOLITAN AREA LEVEL. 
          WE COMPARED, AGAIN, THOSE, THOSE 30 LARGEST METRO AREAS AND WANTED TO LOOK AT WHAT DOES THE SHARE OF TOTAL EMPLOYMENT LOOK LIKE THAT'S IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR VERSUS THE PUBLIC SECTOR. 
          AND YOU CAN SEE THAT PROBABLY NO SURPRISE, THE TWO METRO AREAS THAT HAVE A SIGNIFICANTLY LARGER RELIANCE ON PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYMENT. 
          THERE ARE NATION'S CAPITAL DC AND THERE ARE THE CAPITAL OF THE LARGEST STATE SACRAMENTO. 
          UH, SAN ANTONIO HAS EVEN HIGHER DEPENDENCE ON PUBLIC SECTOR EMPLOYMENT THAN THE STATE CAPITAL UP THE ROAD AUSTIN. 
          AND OF COURSE, THE MILITARY IS A HUGE PART OF THAT, BUT ALSO THE CITY, THE COUNTY, LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS, THEY ALL FALL WITHIN THIS. 
          SO AGAIN, IT SPEAKS TO THE NEED FOR CONTINUING TO ATTRACT ADDITIONAL AND SUPPORT ADDITIONAL GROWTH OF PRIVATE SECTOR, LARGE AND SMALL COMPANIES. 
          SO I MENTIONED THE, UH, THE 75 DATA SLIDES THAT WE, UH, HAVE IN DEVELOPMENT LOOKING AT EVERYTHING FROM REAL ESTATE TO NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, ECONOMIC CONDITIONS, VERY CLOSELY ALIGNED WITH SA TOMORROW AND SOME OF THE WORK THAT HAS ALREADY HAPPENED. 
          THERE'S A LOT OF WORK THAT WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS PLAN ALIGNS WITH THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT AND OTHER CITY DEPARTMENTS. 
          WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT GLOBAL CONNECTIVITY, EVERYTHING FROM AIRPORT OPPORTUNITIES ON PASSENGERS AND FREIGHT TO FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT, UH, IMMIGRATION. 
          UH, I'M NOT GONNA GO INTO ANY OF THAT, BUT JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW THAT WE ARE LOOKING AT ALL OF THAT DATA AND IT WILL INFORM THE PLAN, BUT I'LL HAND IT BACK TO KATRINA TO SHARE, UH, SOME OF OUR FINDINGS THAT WE'VE HEARD FROM THAT EXTERNAL REAL ESTATE PERSPECTIVE. 
          YES, THANK YOU, JOHN. 
          UM, SO AS YOU ARE ALL ARE AWARE, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT WORKED WITH GREATER S A T X TO SEND OUT A PERCEPTION SURVEY TO SITE SELECTORS AND REAL ESTATE BROKERS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY. 
          AND SO, UM, THAT SURVEY IS NOW CLOSED. 
          WE GOT OVER 70 RESPONSES TO IT. 
          UM, AND YOU'LL SEE HERE ON THIS SLIDE THAT OF THOSE 70 RESPONSES, 92% OF THE RESPONSES WERE FROM DECISION MAKERS. 
          SO THESE ARE THE PEOPLE WHO ARE ACTUALLY HELPING COMPANIES DECIDE WHERE TO LOCATE, WHERE TO FIND A SITE AND WHERE TO EXPAND THEIR BUSINESS. 
          UM, SO ABOUT HALF OF THOSE RESPONSES CAME FROM WITHIN THE STATE OF TEXAS. 
          HALF OF 'EM CAME FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY, OUTSIDE OF THE STATE. 
          AND SO THIS IS AN IMPORTANT POINT TO KEEP IN MIND, UM, FOR SOME OF OUR OTHER FINDINGS LATER ON. 
          BUT FIRST, YOU KNOW, WHAT DO SITE SELECTORS AND REAL ESTATE BROKERS THINK OF SAN ANTONIO? OF COURSE, YOU'LL SEE THE RIVER WALK IN THE ALAMO UP THERE AS SOME PROMINENT RESPONSES, BUT YOU ALSO SEE DIVERSE QUALITY OF LIFE AND GROWING. 
          UM, SO SPECIFICALLY THE GROWING COMPONENT, THAT WAS THE NUMBER ONE RESPONSE FROM THOSE SITE SELECTORS AND REAL ESTATE BROKERS. 
          AND THAT PRESENTS AN INCREDIBLE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO TO LEVERAGE THAT PERCEPTION TO CONTINUE INVESTING AND GROWING. 
          SO WITHIN THE STATE OF TEXAS, WE ASKED, UM, THE SITE SELECTORS AND THE REAL ESTATE BROKERS ABOUT THEIR PERCEPTIONS ON SAN ANTONIO'S STRENGTHS WHEN IT COMES TO CERTAIN INDUSTRIES. 
          SO AGAIN, THIS IS LOOKING AT THOSE RESPONSES FROM IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. 
          YOU SEE, THEY KNOW THAT SAN ANTONIO IS A CYBERSECURITY HUB. 
          THAT IS AN INCREDIBLE ASSET. 
          UM, THEY ALSO RANKED HIGHLY MANUFACTURING, FINANCIAL SERVICES AND BIOSCIENCES. 
          HOWEVER, IF WE LOOK AT THE RESPONSES FROM THOSE SITE SELECTORS AND BROKERS FROM OUTSIDE OF TEXAS, THEY AREN'T AS AWARE OF SAN ANTONIO AS A CYBERSECURITY HUB. 
          THEY KNOW THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AS A MANUFACTURING HUB, UM, IN LARGE PART BECAUSE OF TOYOTA NAVISTAR, UM, COMPANIES LIKE THAT. 
          SO AS WE LOOK TOWARDS OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE STRATEGIC PLAN TO ADDRESS MARKETING, THE STRENGTHS OF THE CITY IN TERMS OF THESE INDUSTRY ASSETS, IS GOING TO BE A KEY COMPONENT. 
          UM, ONE OF THE OTHER QUESTIONS THAT 
          [01:40:01]
WE ASKED WAS ABOUT BARRIERS AND CONSTRAINTS. 
          SO WHAT ARE THOSE BARRIERS FOR THOSE SITE SELECTORS AND REAL ESTATE BROKERS CHOOSING SAN ANTONIO FOR, UM, BUSINESS EXPANSION? THE NUMBER ONE ANSWER WAS WORKFORCE. 
          AND WE RECOGNIZE THAT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO HAS BEEN MAKING INCREDIBLE INVESTMENTS IN WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS. 
          UM, BUT YOU ALSO SEE THE AVAILABILITY, AVAILABILITY OF SHOVEL-READY SITES. 
          SO AGAIN, HAVING A SITE THAT IS READY FOR A BUSINESS TO COME IN AND START WORK ON DAY ONE WAS ANOTHER BIG BARRIER THAT WAS IDENTIFIED. 
          SO ALL OF THIS PERCEPTION SURVEY RESULTS, UM, QUALITATIVE INPUT IS GOING TO FORM THE STRATEGIC PLAN. 
          IT HELPED, UM, FIGURE OUT THE SWOT, UH, FOR THE, FOR THE PLANS OR THE STRENGTHS, WEAKNESSES, OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS. 
          SO I'LL TURN IT OVER TO JOHN TO TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THOSE. 
          GREAT. 
          THANKS. 
          THANKS, KATRINA. 
          AND, AND SHE JUST SHARED SOME HIGHLIGHTS FROM THAT PERCEPTION SURVEY. 
          THERE'S A LOT MORE GOOD INFORMATION THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT. 
          AND, UH, I KNOW WE'RE GETTING CLOSE TO OUR TIME HERE, SO I'LL BE FAIRLY BRIEF. 
          AS, AS ANY GOOD CONSULTING FIRM, YOU WOULD EXPECT US TO DO A SWOT ANALYSIS. 
          BUT AS, AS YOU KNOW, SAN ANTONIO DOES NOT LIVE IN A BUBBLE. 
          SO WE WANTED TO PUT THE SWAT INTO CONTEXT AND LOOK AT LOCAL, BUT ALSO HOW ARE THERE THE LARGER STATE, NATIONAL, AND EVEN GLOBAL FACTORS INFLUENCING OPPORTUNITIES AS WELL AS SOME OF THE, THE THREATS, UH, FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MOVING FORWARD IN THE NEXT FIVE TO 10 YEARS. 
          I, I'M NOT GONNA SPEND A TON OF TIME ON ANY OF THESE. 
          UH, WE'VE HAD SOME VERY IN-DEPTH CONVERSATIONS WITH THE STAFF AND THE DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS ON, UH, THE STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES AS WELL AS THE THREATS AND OPPORTUNITIES. 
          I'LL JUST POINT OUT SOME OF THE, THE, THE ONE THAT REALLY STANDS OUT TO ME, IF WE HAD TO PICK ONE, IS THE GROWTH AND CONTINUED IMPROVEMENT OF YOUR HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS, U T S A IN PARTICULAR, BUT EVERYTHING FROM THE ALAMO COLLEGES TO THE OTHER INSTITUTIONS, THAT REALLY STANDS OUT AS A STRENGTH WORTH LEVERAGING FURTHER. 
          AND IT RELATES DIRECTLY TO ONE OF THE WEAKNESSES THAT WE HEARD A LOT ABOUT, WHICH IS YOU ARE NOT RETAINING OR ATTRACTING BACK AS ANYWHERE NEAR AS MANY OF THE COLLEGE STUDENTS AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AND LOCAL TALENT THAT YOU PRODUCE HERE. 
          SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GONNA BE PAYING VERY CLOSE ATTENTION TO. 
          THE THREATS. 
          UM, , WE LIVE IN A VERY, UH, UNCERTAIN WORLD RIGHT NOW. 
          SO MANY OF THE THREATS ARE REALLY EXTERNAL THERE. 
          THERE'S NOTHING THAT YOU CAN DO, UH, PER SE ABOUT FUTURE PANDEMICS, UH, THE, THE WARS AND THE, THE THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON OUTSIDE OF THE COUNTRY. 
          UM, BUT THEY DO AFFECT, UH, YOUR LOCAL BUSINESSES AND YOUR WORKFORCE. 
          ONE OF THE LOCAL THREATS THAT WE REALLY SAW THAT WE DO FEEL OBLIGED TO ADDRESS VERY CLOSELY IS THOSE DISPARITIES IN ECONOMIC AND EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT IN PARTICULAR ALONG RACIAL AND ETHNIC LINES HERE IN THE CITY. 
          UM, WE REALLY WANTED TO LOOK MOST AT THE OPPORTUNITIES AND THINGS THAT WE, MANY OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT, THE MARKETING AND BETTER TELLING THE STORY OF THE OPPORTUNITIES HERE, THE INDUSTRY OPPORTUNITIES AROUND SUPPORTING THE GROWTH OF EXISTING COMPANIES, LARGE AND SMALL, THE INNOVATION OPPORTUNITIES. 
          UH, ONE OF THE OTHER POINTS THAT WE LOOKED AT WITH THE SITE SELECTION SURVEY WAS BIOSCIENCES WITHIN THE STATE. 
          SAN ANTONIO DOES HAVE SOME RECOGNITION AS BEING A HUB FOR BIOSCIENCES. 
          UH, BUT EXTERNALLY OUTSIDE OF TEXAS, THERE'S SEEMS LIKE THERE'S REALLY NOT, THAT STORY IS NOT BEING TOLD. 
          BUT THAT'S A HUGE OPPORTUNITY THAT WE SEE. 
          UM, THE PLACE-BASED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AGAIN, BACK TO THE EITHER OR, UH, CONVERSATIONS THAT WE HEARD, THERE IS TREMENDOUS POTENTIAL DOWNTOWN TO CONTINUE. 
          UH, IT WASN'T JUST A DECADE. 
          IT'S REALLY THE, THE FUTURE OF THE CITY. 
          BUT THE SAME CAN BE SAID ABOUT EVERY OTHER DISTRICT FROM THE NEAR WEST SIDE, THE NEAR EAST SIDE, THE SOUTH SIDE, MANY OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY THAT REALLY NEED THAT PLACE-BASED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND ALIGNING THE CITY'S TOOLS AND RESOURCES TO DO THAT. 
          SO AS WE MENTIONED, THIS IS WHERE THE DIRECTION THAT WE ARE HEADED WITH THE PLAN FRAMEWORK OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS, WE'LL BE STARTING TO BUILD OUT POTENTIAL STRATEGIES AND WE'LL BRING THOSE BACK TO YOU ONCE WE HAVE MUCH MORE, UH, MUCH MORE RESEARCH AND SUPPORT, BUT ALSO THOSE DISCUSSIONS AROUND ALIGNING RESOURCES AND PRIORITIES. 
          THESE ARE THE CATEGORIES THAT WE'RE STARTING TO LOOK AT THAT WE BELIEVE STRATEGIES WILL BE INCLUDED IN WHEN WE THINK ABOUT TALENT AND WORKFORCE. 
          THAT'S REALLY LEVERAGING WHAT'S HAPPENING ALREADY WITH SA READY TO WORK. 
          IT'S THAT ADDRESSING THAT CHALLENGE OF GROWING AND RETAINING AND ATTRACTING TALENT THAT COMES OUT OF LOCAL SCHOOLS, INCLUDING K THROUGH 12, BUT HIGHER EDUCATION AND ALIGNING THE POTENTIAL FUTURE JOBS THAT INDUSTRY'S CREATING WITH THE EDUCATIONAL 
          [01:45:01]
OPPORTUNITIES LOCALLY, THE INDUSTRY, WE KNOW THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE EMPHASIS ON ATTRACTION AND RETENTION OF LARGE EMPLOYERS, BUT WE KNOW THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE MUCH MORE ATTENTION FOCUSED ON SMALL BUSINESSES AS WELL. 
          SO THAT ALL FITS IN ALONG WITH THE INNOVATION PIECE INTO THAT SECOND GOAL AREA. 
          AND THE PLACEMAKING IN REAL ESTATE, THAT'S ANOTHER ONE WHERE YOU NEED MORE MEGA SITES, YOU NEED MORE LARGE SCALE SITES TO ATTRACT BIG INDUSTRY, BUT YOU ALSO, YOU COULD PROBABLY, WE COULD THINK OF 10 OR MORE AREAS WITHIN THE CITY THAT ARE MORE NEIGHBORHOOD AND PLACE-BASED GROWTH, UH, THAT REALLY CAN ATTRACT AND RETAIN THAT INVESTMENT IN THOSE COMMERCIAL CORRIDORS. 
          AND WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING MORE CLOSELY AT THOSE. 
          AND YOU'LL SEE THERE'S KIND OF A FOURTH CATEGORY THAT SUPPORTS ALL OF THIS. 
          AND THAT GETS BACK TO THE INCENTIVES AND SUPPORTING THOSE PARTNERS TO BUILD CAPACITY, UH, BOTH LOCALLY, BUT ALSO AS BRENDA MENTIONED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH GREATER SS A T X AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS THAT REALLY ARE OUT THERE, MARKETING SAN ANTONIO ON A NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL SCALE. 
          UM, IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THAT I MISSED, TOM OR KATRINA, THAT YOU WANTED TO TOUCH ON? WELL, I GUESS WE CAN JUST, UH, ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS, BUT WANTED TO POINT OUT THAT THE NEXT STEPS IN OUR PROCESS ARE REALLY TO MOVE MORE FULLY INTO THAT OPPORTUNITY PHASE WHERE WE'LL START TO IDENTIFY SOME OF THOSE STRATEGIES, CONTINUE TO FINALIZE OUR RESEARCH, AND ULTIMATELY IMPLEMENTATION IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART. 
          SO THAT'S ALL WHERE WE'RE HEADED IN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS. 
          TERRIFIC. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          UM, IT VERY INTERESTING. 
          I'LL, I'LL, UM, I'LL COMMENT RIGHT NOW BEFORE, UH, WE HAND IT OFF TO COUNCILMAN COURAGE. 
          UM, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND PUTTING ONE OF THESE PLANS IS, UM, IS A LOT OF FUTURE PREDICTION, RIGHT? UH, AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S, WHAT IS GONNA BE IN PLACE 10 YEARS FROM NOW, 20 YEARS FROM NOW. 
          UM, AND I THINK EVERYBODY'S BEST LAID ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLANS HAVE BEEN SCRAPPED IN REACTION TO, YOU KNOW, THE COVID CRISIS, AND WE'RE ALL HAVING TO START ANEW. 
          SO THIS IS, THIS IS GOOD THAT WE'RE DOING THIS. 
          NOW, THE, THE SECOND THING IS, IS THE PROBLEM WITH FORECASTING IS THAT, YOU KNOW, EVEN THE WEATHERMAN FINDS HIMSELF CAUGHT IN THE RAIN EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE. 
          UH, AND SO, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE, WE WILL BE CRITICIZED AT ONE POINT FOR NOT HAVING THOUGHT OF THAT ONE THING THAT WE SHOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF, RIGHT? AND I, I THINK THAT WE HAVE TO GET COMFORTABLE WITH THE DISCOMFORT OF KNOWING THAT THERE'S JUST THOSE THINGS OUT THERE. 
          WE DON'T KNOW, UH, BUT WE'RE TRYING TO CAPTURE IT. 
          I THINK THAT WITH T D I, UH, YOU KNOW, AT, AT, UM, AT THE READY TO HELP US FASHION, THIS I THINK IS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT. 
          BUT I AM WORRIED. 
          UM, AND ONE OF THE THINGS, AND WE HAD TALKED ABOUT IT, UM, IS THAT, YOU KNOW, WITH OUR, I I I'M WORRIED THAT WE'RE NOT DOING ENOUGH, AND THAT WE'VE NEVER DONE ENOUGH TO IDENTIFY WHO THE NEXT C E O IS WHO LIVES HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, RIGHT? WHO IS GOING TO BE THAT ENTREPRENEUR WHO IS GONNA BE TAKING OVER U S A A, WHO'S GONNA BE THE NEXT SITE SELECTOR? WHO'S GONNA BE THE NEXT, UH, PERSON WITH FAMILY MONEY TO LEAVE HERE AS OPPOSED TO DEPLOY IT SOMEWHERE ELSE, RIGHT? UM, I, I, I'M WORRIED, UH, S A T X GREATER S A T X HAS A PLAN. 
          I LOVE THE PLAN, UH, WHERE THEY'RE FINALLY GONNA START DOING IDENTIFYING, YOU KNOW, COLLEGE STUDENTS ON THEIR WAY OUT, UM, AND TOUCHING THEM A FEW TIMES AND REMINDING THEM, SAN ANTONIO IS THE PLACE YOU NEED TO BE. 
          WE'VE NEVER DONE THAT. 
          UH, AND WE'RE FINALLY GONNA DO IT. 
          WHAT WORRIES ME ABOUT THIS PLAN, HOWEVER, IS THAT THEY'RE GONNA BE FOCUSING ON STEM ONLY. 
          AND IF YOU GO BACK TO ONE OF THOSE SLIDES, RIGHT? YOU, WE SAW THERE THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A CITY WHERE WE ARE IDENTIFIED AS A CITY WITH FINANCIAL STRONG FINANCIAL SERVICES, STRONG CREATIVE CLASS SERVICES, RIGHT? AND SO THAT PROGRAM WON'T TOUCH THOSE YOUNG FOLKS, RIGHT? AND IF WE DEVELOP A PROGRAM OUT THAT DOES NOT ALSO IDENTIFY THE NEXT KATRINA, RIGHT? I, YOU AND I GOT TO VISIT KATRINA WITH, WITH THE TEAM, I'M VERY IMPRESSED BY YOU. 
          UM, AND, AND I THINK YOU'RE EXCELLENT. 
          BUT IF OUR PLAN IS ALLOWING THE KATRINAS TO SLIP THROUGH OUR FINGERS, RIGHT? UM, THE NEXT GEN CELO, THE NEXT RENEE DOMINGUEZ IS THE NEXT ALEX'S, RIGHT? THE NEXT, UM, UH, MS. ROCHE GAR, DR. 
          ROCHE GARCIA'S. 
          IF WE'RE NOT, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE NOT AT IDENTIFYING THESE THOUGHT LEADERS AT A VERY, VERY EARLY AGE AND REMINDING THEM, SAN ANTONIO IS, IS YOUR HOME, AND LET US SHOW YOU WHAT YOUR FUTURE LOOKS LIKE HERE, WE'RE GIVING THEM AWAY TO THOSE OTHER CITIES THAT ARE KIND OF KICKING OUR BUTTS, UH, WHEN IT COMES TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. 
          AND SO, UM, I I'M HOPING THAT WHEN THIS PLAN IS FINALLY DRAFTED TO US, THAT WE ARE, UM, F FORECASTING, RIGHT? LIKE I STARTED, UH, AT THE BEGINNING OF MY COMMENT THAT WE'RE FORECASTING FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF US BEING ABLE TO RETAIN THIS TALENT HERE. 
          RIGHT? I HEAR THE REACTIONS LOUD AND CLEAR, RIGHT? UH, FROM, FROM THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY TOO. 
          WE NEED A WORKFORCE THAT CAN READ AND WRITE AND ADD AND SUBTRACT. 
          WE NEED A WORKFORCE THAT IS HEALTHY AND 
          [01:50:01]
RESILIENT CAN SHOW UP TO WORK. 
          UH, AND YOU KNOW, WE NEED PLACEMAKING, WE NEED SHOVEL READY JOBS, BUT I HEAR THEM ALSO, RIGHT? WE NEED KATRINA'S, UH, AND WE NEED THE NEXT MARIA VILLA GOMEZ'S, AND WHERE ARE THEY? AND WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT IDENTIFYING THEM. 
          SO I THINK WE DO OURSELVES A DISSERVICE IF WE'RE ONLY FOCUSING ON, WHAT I'M SAYING IS IF WE'RE ONLY FOCUSING ON STEM, AND, UH, I, UH, UH, BECAUSE THAT'S NOT WHAT BOSTON IS CHASING. 
          THAT'S NOT WHAT CHICAGO'S CHASING, RIGHT? AND THOSE ARE THE JOBS THAT ACTUALLY PRODUCE A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF WEALTH, UH, IN THE CITIES THAT THEY'RE AT. 
          SO, COUNCILMAN, COURAGE, WHAT DO YOU THINK? THANK YOU CHAIR. 
          UH, THERE WERE SOME SLIDES. 
          YOU HAD 13 AND 14. 
          COULD YOU BRING THOSE UP AGAIN? THANK YOU. 
          OKAY. 
          THESE TALK ABOUT, UH, SMALL BUSINESSES AND, AND THIS IS SHOWING US THAT THERE ARE 62% OF, LET ME HELP MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND. 
          62% OF ALL THE EMPLOYEES WHO WORK IN THE COUNTY WORK FOR BUSINESSES WITH 500 OR MORE EMPLOYEES. 
          IS THAT RIGHT? YES. 
          SO THIS IS ABOUT 800,000 TOTAL PRIVATE SECTOR JOBS IN BAYER COUNTY AS OF, AGAIN, 2019 THAT WERE IN FIRMS WITH 500 OR MORE EMPLOYEES. 
          SO I THINK IT'S SAFE TO SAY THAT AS, AS WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS EARLIER, WE WERE SAYING, BOY, SMALL BUSINESSES EMPLOY SO MANY PEOPLE. 
          ACTUALLY IT'S BIG BUSINESSES THAT EMPLOY MORE THAN 60% OF THE PEOPLE IN THE CITY AND IN THE COUNTY. 
          THAT'S, THAT'S KIND OF SURPRISING. 
          UH, CAN YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE? 14. 
          UH, THIS IS ONE I WANTED TO ASK ABOUT. 
          YOU SAID, UH, OR YOU SHOW THAT 18% OF THE WORKING POPULATION WORK IN PUBLIC SECTOR, WHICH IS GOVERNMENT, RIGHT? BUT AS YOU INDICATED, A PRETTY BIG SLICE OF THAT IS THE MILITARY. 
          NOW, NOT EVERY ONE OF THESE CITIES HAVE MILITARY LIKE WE DO. 
          COULD WE, UH, TAKE THAT OUT AND UNDERSTAND WHERE WE FIT TO BE A LITTLE MORE IN LINE OR UNDERSTAND HOW WE REALLY FIT WITH A LOT OF THESE OTHERS? IF YOU ELIMINATED THE MILITARY, HOW DO WE FIT AS FAR AS PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT? AND DO YOU, DO YOU HAVE THAT? YEAH, WE, WE, WE HAVE, UM, WE WANTED TO BE SENSITIVE TO TIME. 
          SO THERE WAS AN ADDITIONAL SLIDE THAT SHOWED BY INDUSTRY AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, MILITARY AND CIVILIAN, AND DIFFERENT CATEGORIES OF 'CAUSE. 
          PUBLIC SECTOR, YOU'RE RIGHT. 
          THAT'S, THAT'S BROAD. 
          THAT INCLUDES EVERYTHING FROM THE MILITARY TO, UH, K THROUGH 12 SCHOOL DISTRICTS. 
          AND THIS, THIS ONE IS AT THE METROPOLITAN AREA LEVEL. 
          SO THIS INCLUDES THE ENTIRE, UH, MULTI-COUNTY REGION. 
          SO JUST LOOKING AT THAT NUMBER, 18% AND KNOWING, KNOWING THAT JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO COLLECTIVELY IS ANYWHERE, WHAT, 70 TO 80,000 JOBS, IF YOU TOOK THAT OUT? YES. 
          THAT PERCENTAGE WOULD, WOULD GO WAY DOWN TO PROBABLY CLOSER IN LINE WITH SOME OF THE OTHER METRO AREAS. 
          OKAY. 
          I, I JUST WANTED TO CHECK ON THAT. 
          'CAUSE YOU GO TO SLIDE 15. 
          UM, WE TALK ABOUT ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT, UH, DATA POINTS THAT YOU LOOKED AT. 
          UM, WHICH DO YOU THINK IS THE MOST SIGNIFICANT THAT WE NEED TO BE LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW OR GOING FORWARD? THAT'S A FANTASTIC QUESTION. 
          AND, AND WE SPENT, WE SPENT A COUPLE HOURS, UH, DIVING INTO EVEN JUST PROBABLY 20% OF THE DATA WITH THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TEAM AND SOME OF THE DEPARTMENT DIRECTORS LAST WEEK. 
          UM, A COUPLE OF THE ONES THAT JUMP OUT TO ME, AND I'LL LET KATRINA JUMP IN AS WELL, IS THE, UH, EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT LEVELS. 
          AND WE HEARD THIS WHEN WE ASKED EVERY ONE OF THE ROUND TABLE MEETINGS. 
          WE ASKED, WHAT ARE YOUR TOP PRIORITIES IN TERMS OF DEFINING SUCCESS? WHAT ARE THE METRICS THAT WE NEED TO REALLY IMPROVE SAN ANTONIO MOVING FORWARD? EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT AND MEDIAN INCOME, OR THE TWO THAT WERE AT THE VERY TOP, WAS THERE ANYTHING ELSE I'M MISSING THERE? SO THOSE, AND THEN THE REAL ESTATE OPPORTUNITIES IS SOMETHING THAT LOOKING IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE, BUT ALSO MOVING FORWARD, WE'RE IN A GOLDEN AGE OF INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AND SAN ANTONIO IS BENEFITING FROM THAT. 
          UH, BUT THERE'S SIGNIFICANT OPPORTUNITIES AROUND SECTORS LIKE AUTOMOTIVE AND ELECTRIC VEHICLES AND OTHERS GOING FROM HERE ALL THE WAY UP THE I 35 CORRIDOR TO DALLAS-FORT WORTH. 
          THERE'S WAY MORE DEVELOPMENT, ACTIVITY, AND INVESTMENT GOING IN THAN ANY OTHER PART OF THE COUNTRY. 
          SO THAT'S SOMETHING ELSE THAT WE WOULD WANNA LOOK AT. 
          AS WELL AS THE, THE NEIGHBORHOOD BASED RETAIL AND RESTAURANT, WHICH WE HAVE, ONE OF OUR PARTNERS IS GONNA BE LOOKING MUCH MORE CLOSELY AT SOME OF THAT DATA. 
          SO THERE'S, THOSE ARE SOME OF THE ONES THAT I THINK WE WOULD LOOK AT. 
          [01:55:01]
ONE OF THE DISAPPOINTMENTS I HAD AS YOU WERE PRESENTING THIS WHEN YOU TALKED ABOUT LOOKING AT, UH, I GUESS PEOPLE, UH, INFLUENCERS OR, OR PEOPLE WHO THINK ABOUT THE CITY AS PART OF THE NATIONAL VIEW OR THE LOCAL VIEW. 
          YOU SAID YOU HAD 75 RESPONSES TO ME, THAT THAT DOESN'T REALLY GIVE US A VERY GOOD REPRESENTATION OF THE NATIONAL PICTURE, OR EVEN LOCAL. 
          I MEAN, IF HALF OF THEM ARE LOCAL, YOU'RE SAYING 37 PEOPLE TELL US WHAT THEY THINK. 
          NOW GRANTED, THEY MAY BE PEOPLE OF SIGNIFICANCE IN OUR COMMUNITY, UH, BUT I DON'T THINK THAT'S A STRONG ENOUGH BASE TO REALLY HELP US UNDERSTAND, PARTICULARLY NATIONALLY FROM OUTSIDE OF SAN ANTONIO. 
          UH, ONE OF THE THINGS I WAS DISAPPOINTED IN ALSO WAS THAT, UM, PEOPLE DON'T UNDERSTAND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF OUR HEALTH AND BIOSCIENCE INDUSTRY THAT IS A 40 PLUS BILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY, PROBABLY FIRST OR SECOND IN OUR COMMUNITY. 
          BUT YOU'RE SAYING PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF OF TEXAS DON'T RECOGNIZE IT AS, AS A VALUE OF SIGNIFICANCE. 
          'CAUSE I SAW IT IN THERE. 
          UH, AND SO I WOULD ASK IF IT'S POSSIBLE WORKING WITH THE CITY FOR YOU TO DO THIS, THAT YOU GO TO BI UH, BIOMED SA, WHICH IS A BOARD MADE UP OF PEOPLE IN THE HEALTH AND BIOSCIENCE INDUSTRY, AND YOU SHARE THAT INFORMATION WITH THEM BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY THEY ARE NOT GETTING THAT MESSAGE OUT AROUND THE COUNTRY THAT THEY SHOULD IT BEING THE SECOND LARGEST INDUSTRY IN OUR, IN OUR AREA. 
          SO THOSE ARE SOME OF MY COMMENTS AND THOUGHTS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND IT SEEMS LIKE ALEX WANTS TO JUMP IN. 
          I I, I DID. 
          JUST VERY QUICKLY, COUNCIL MEMBER ON YOUR FIRST COMMENT ABOUT THE RESPONSES THAT WERE RECEIVED, AND I, I JUST WANNA BE CLEAR, JOHN, THESE WERE REGIONAL SITE SELECTORS, RIGHT? OR PEOPLE WHO MAKE THE DECISIONS ON, YOU KNOW, WHAT KIND OF PROJECTS TOBIN TO BRING TO OUR COMMUNITY, UM, AND FROM A PERCENTAGE PARTICIPATION PERSPECTIVE, SHOULD WE TRY TO GET MORE OR DO YOU THINK THIS WAS A GOOD REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE. 
          YEAH. 
          AND MAYBE WE DIDN'T DO A GOOD ENOUGH JOB OF DESCRIBING WHAT THAT, THAT COMPONENT OF, OF OUR ANALYSIS WAS. 
          WE, WE'VE GOT A LOT MORE INPUT FROM LOCAL LEADERS AND STAKEHOLDERS, BUT WE DID WANT TO GO OUT TO THOSE NATIONAL SITE SELECTORS AND FOLKS THAT ASSIST IN SITING LARGE INDUSTRIAL AND OFFICE LOCATION PROJECTS AROUND THE COUNTRY. 
          AND WHAT WAS THE TOTAL, IS IT 200 OR A LITTLE MORE THAN 200? ABOUT 300 FOLKS THAT RECEIVED THAT SURVEY. 
          SO AS, AS WE ALL KNOW IN THIS, THIS TIME OF, UH, SURVEY FATIGUE OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE'S BEEN SO MUCH MORE DONE ONLINE AND DEMANDS FOR PEOPLE TO SUBMIT ANSWERS TO SURVEYS, INCLUDING SMALL BUSINESSES WITH CARES ACT, THOSE TYPES OF THINGS, WE ACTUALLY WERE FAIRLY PLEASED WITH THE LEVEL OF RESPONSE TO GET OVER 70 RESPONSES OUT OF ABOUT 300 FOLKS THAT RECEIVED THAT SURVEY. 
          UM, BUT THAT IS, THAT'S JUST ONE OF THE MANY DATA POINTS, QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT. 
          AND TO THE BIOSCIENCES POINT WE DID, WE HAVE HAD SOME MEETINGS THAT HAVE INCLUDED BIOMED, SAY, I THINK RENEE WAS AT THE, THE BIOSCIENCES ROUND TABLE THAT WE HAD. 
          AND IT'S, IT IS, IT'S ONE OF THOSE THINGS WHERE IF YOU LOOK LOCALLY, THERE'S A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF INNOVATION AND GROWTH AND POTENTIAL HAPPENING WITH MUCH MORE THAT COULD BE HAPPENING. 
          BUT ON THE NATIONAL LEVEL, NO, IT'S, IT'S BOSTON, IT'S MINNEAPOLIS, IT'S SAN DIEGO, UH, A FEW OTHER MAJOR LIFE SCIENCES HUBS THAT ATTRACT MOST OF THE ATTENTION AND INVESTMENT. 
          UH, SO I DON'T THINK SAN ANTONIO IS ON THE NATIONAL MAP WHEN IT COMES TO BIOSCIENCES ANYWHERE NEAR THAT. 
          IT, THAT IT SHOULD BE. 
          THANK YOU, CHAIRMAN. 
          THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. 
          I ALSO HAD A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS ABOUT METHODOLOGY AND CONCERNS ABOUT THE, THE PERCENTAGE OF INDIVIDUALS WHO PARTICIPATED IN THE ROUND TABLES. 
          UH, WAS EVERY, UH, DATA GATHERING SESSION A ROUND TABLE OR WERE THERE ANY FILL IN THE BLANK SURVEYS OR THIS IS A MULTIPLE CHOICE SURVEY? OR WAS IT CONVERSATIONS WITH INDIVIDUALS THAT Y'ALL HAD? YEAH, AND KATRINA, FEEL FREE TO ADD TO THIS, BUT WE HAD, I THINK THERE WERE 22 OR 23 DIFFERENT ROUND TABLES. 
          AND WE, WE DID ADD A COUPLE MORE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES BECAUSE WE DIDN'T, WE KNOW THAT SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS ARE BUSY AND WE TRY TO ACCOMMODATE THEIR SCHEDULE. 
          SO WE CONDUCTED A COUPLE OF ADDITIONAL ONES VIRTUALLY, AND WE DID ASK EVERY ONE OF THE, THE ROUNDTABLE GROUPS TO SUBMIT LIVE POLLING ANSWERS. 
          SO WE HAVE A, A LOT MORE DATA THAT WE WILL MAKE SURE TO INCLUDE IN FUTURE PRESENTATIONS, WHERE WE'VE GOT, I THINK, OVER 1400 TOTAL RESPONSES FROM THOSE DIFFERENT GROUPS AND A COUPLE OF HUNDRED FOLKS THAT REPRESENT 
          [02:00:01]
EVERY SEGMENT OF THE, THE LOCAL ECONOMY THAT PARTICIPATED IN THOSE. 
          SO WE HAVE LOTS OF OPEN CONVERSATION, BUT ALSO A LOT OF LIVE POLLING RESULTS THAT HELP PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. 
          GREAT. 
          DID WE CONSULT WITH OUR SMALL BUSINESS ADVISORY COMMITTEE FOR THEIR INPUT? UM, WE HAVE BEEN CON MAKING SURE THAT WE'VE LEARNED ABOUT THAT PROCESS. 
          I'LL LET BRENDA OR ANA, I GUESS, ANA'S ON HER WAY TO, TO PRESENT. 
          UH, SO THE SPAC, BOTH THE CHAIR AND THE VICE CHAIR WERE INCLUDED IN THE ROUND TABLES. 
          HOWEVER, SEVERAL OF THE MEMBERS WERE ALSO IN DIFFERENT ROUND TABLES AND ENGAGE. 
          WE HAVE ALSO BEEN BRIEFING AND HAVING OPEN DIALOGUE WITH SPAC, UH, FREQUENTLY. 
          IN FACT, ON THEIR AGENDA NEXT TUESDAY, WE ARE MEETING AGAIN TO FURTHER DISCUSS THE STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS AND CONTINUE TO GET THEIR INPUT. 
          UH, ONE THING THAT WE DID ASK FROM THEM, FOR EXAMPLE, IS TO GO BACK TO THEIR DISTRICTS AND IF THEY HAD ANY SUGGESTIONS ON INDIVIDUALS WHO SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN ALL OF THOSE ROUND TABLES, UM, TO GET US THAT LIST. 
          SO A LOT OF THE INVITEES WERE INDIVIDUALS THAT WERE PROVIDED BY PAC, FOR EXAMPLE. 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU, BRENDA. 
          UM, I, I, I APPRECIATE THAT AND VALUE THAT, UM, THE SPAC COMMITTEE MEMBERS WERE INCLUDED IN THE, THE ROUND TABLES. 
          UM, I, I BELIEVE WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT EXPLORING INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO MANAGING INCENTIVE POLICIES AND LEVERAGING INVESTMENTS, THAT WE SHOULD ALSO INCLUDE LABOR UNIONS IN THIS PROCESS. 
          DID WE CONSULT WITH ANY LABOR UNIONS, UM, IN THESE ROUND TABLES? IF SO, WHICH LABOR UNIONS? I WOULD HAVE TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT THE SPECIFIC INVITATION LIST. 
          BUT AT, WE DID HAVE, UM, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT KIND OF SUPPORT ORGANIZATIONS, AND I KNOW WE DID INCLUDE, UH, A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS, INCLUDING SOME UNIONS IN THAT. 
          SO WE CAN FOLLOW UP AS TO WHO WAS INVITED AND WHO PARTICIPATED. 
          MM-HMM. 
          . 
          GREAT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I, AND WHEN EVALUATING THE THREATS, WEAKNESSES, STRENGTHS OF THE SWOT ANALYSIS, UH, I THINK IT WOULD BE, UM, BENEFICIAL TO CONSULT WITH A METROPOLITAN HISTORIAN, UH, TO LEARN ABOUT THE WAYS IN WHICH, UH, MOVING FORWARD WITH ONE SPECIFIC INDUSTRY HAS IMPACTED MUNICIPALITIES IN THE PAST. 
          RIGHT. 
          AND HOW THAT IMPACTS PEOPLE. 
          UM, BECAUSE I THINK IT IS GREAT THAT, UM, FOLKS ARE RECOGNIZING US AS THIS TECH HUB. 
          UM, BUT I THINK WE CAN STUDY OTHER CITIES TO SEE HOW THAT'S IMPACTED THE EXISTING COMMUNITIES. 
          RIGHT. 
          UM, I THINK LOOKING AT THE AVERAGE AREA MEETING INCOME'S ONE GREAT EXAMPLE, RIGHT? WE SEE THAT INCREASING, BUT THAT'S PRIMARILY BECAUSE WE HAVE INDIVIDUALS MOVING TO SAN ANTONIO, NOT NECESSARILY 'CAUSE AS A CITY, UM, WE'RE UPLIFTING OUR MOST VULNERABLE. 
          UM, SO THOSE ARE MY RECOMMENDATIONS. 
          I APPRECIATE, UM, THE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE'VE HAD, UH, REGARDING THIS. 
          SO THANK Y'ALL. 
          I APPRECIATE IT. 
          THANK YOU, CHAIR. 
          THANK YOU. 
          I ENJOYED MEETING WITH Y'ALL. 
          I, I FEEL LIKE YOU HEARD ME AND WENT OUT AND, AND, UH, GOT THINGS DONE. 
          I, I APPRECIATE HAVING THOSE EXTRA SMALL BUSINESS MEETINGS TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE WAS INCLUDED. 
          UH, I THINK THIS IS INFORMATION DATA THAT WE KNEW, UH, AS A LIFELONG SAN ANTONIO RESIDENT. 
          SOME THINGS I'VE SEEN, BUT IT'S NICE TO SEE THAT Y'ALL WENT OUT AND DID THE RESEARCH. 
          UM, I'M GLAD THAT YOU CONFIRMED THAT EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT AND MEDIAN INCOME ARE THE PRIORITIES. 
          I THINK THAT NEEDS TO BE, UH, ONE OF THE PRIORITIES. 
          THE THE OTHER THING I THINK WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT WE DO NOT WORK IN A SILO. 
          WE HAVE MANY DEPARTMENTS HERE IN THE CITY, AND WE NEED TO TAKE THAT INTO CONSIDERATION. 
          AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE BREAKDOWN OF THE PUBLIC SECTOR JOBS, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT THERE ARE SCHOOL DISTRICTS THAT STILL PAY $11 AN HOUR FOR, UM, JOBS. 
          SO THAT LIVING WAGES ASPECT AND OF THE OVER 500 EMPLOYEES, UM, UH, INDUSTRIES WHICH ARE PAYING, UM, WHICH ARE PAYING A LIVABLE WAGE, BECAUSE THAT IS THE ISSUE. 
          I APPRECIATE THE STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES AND APPRECIATE TO SEE TOURISM AND THE RICH CULTURAL HISTORY, UM, ON THE STRENGTHS IN THE WEAKNESSES. 
          I THINK THAT EDUC THAT GAPS IN EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT IS, UH, SOMETHING THAT IS HISTORIC THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS AND SYSTEMIC. 
          UM, THE OTHER IS THE DUPLICATIVE EFFORTS, WHICH I THINK WE HA I THINK THAT'S A COUNTY CITY RELATIONSHIP THAT WE NEED TO LOOK INTO, UH, BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S WHERE WE SEE A LOT OF IT. 
          AND ALSO IN COMPETING PRIORITIES. 
          UM, THE THREAT WERE MANY, AND I THINK WE AS AN ECONOMIC WORKFORCE DEV, UH, COMMITTEE, NEED TO LOOK AT, UH, TAKE A DEEPER DIVE INTO THESE THREATS. 
          UM, ESPECIALLY THE ELECTRIC GRID RELIABILITY AND THE REPUTATION FOR, UH, LOW COST FOR LABOR THAT WE HAVE HAD HERE, UH, AND THE POVERTY RATE. 
          UM, SO I THINK WE NEED TO LOOK AT THAT BECAUSE WHAT WE DO IN THIS COMMITTEE IMPACTS WHAT OUR 
          [02:05:01]
OTHER DEPARTMENTS DO FROM METRO HEALTH TO, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD AND HOUSING, BECAUSE I DO NOT, I WANT US TO STOP SUBSIDIZING THOSE THAT ARE PAYING PEOPLE LOW WAGES. 
          AND I THINK WITH EVERY DECISION WE MAKE TO GIVE MORE MONEY TO THE FOOD BANK, AND, AND, UH, ERIC COOPER KEEPS ON SAYING THIS TOO, UH, OUR AFFORDABILITY, OUR HOUSING AFFORDABILITY, ARE WE GIVING PEOPLE A PASS TO NOT RAISE THAT MEDIAN INCOME AND TO PAY TO PAY A LIVABLE WAGE? AND THEN THE OPPORTUNITIES, WHICH ARE MANY. 
          AND I'M SO GLAD THAT YOU HAVE ARTS AND CULTURE IN THERE, BECAUSE I REALLY THINK THAT IS AN INDUSTRY THAT IS A BUSINESS. 
          AND WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY. 
          AND IF YOU HAVEN'T MADE IT OUT TO SAN ANTONIO MUSEUM OF ART, I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG Y'ALL ARE HERE. 
          TONY PARKER HAS LOANED OUT HIS MARVEL HEROES COLLECTION, AND I'M LIKE, THAT IS, THAT'S GONNA BE A HOT TICKET THIS, THIS, THIS SUMMER. 
          AND I THINK THAT WE NEED TO GET TO THAT NEXT LEVEL AND WE CAN DO THIS. 
          SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK. 
          I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING MORE ABOUT IT. 
          I THINK WE ARE THIS COUNCIL AND, AND, AND MANY OTHER LEADERS ARE GOING TO ASK WHAT, WHAT, WHAT EMERGES TO THE TOP OF THE LIST. 
          AND SO BE PREPARED TO ANSWER A LOT OF THESE QUESTIONS. 
          AND I THINK ALEX AND BRENDA, WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY AS WE GET OUT OF THIS, UM, PANDEMIC TO REALLY MAKE THIS OUR ECONOMIC GROWTH, OUR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, A PRIORITY IN LEADING OUT OF THIS. 
          BECAUSE AS CITY COUNCIL, THERE'S WHAT WE CAN, WE DON'T MAKE LAWS, WE MAKE ORDINANCES. 
          WE, WE TAKE CARE OF THE CITY AND, BUT WE CAN MAKE AN IMPACT HERE. 
          SO I'M, I LOOK FORWARD TO YOU KIND OF MAKING SURE THAT WE CAN, CAN DO THIS IN THE, IN THE RECOVERY PROCESS. 
          AND THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND THEN, UH, WE'LL HEAR FROM THE MARVEL HERO OF DISTRICT FOUR NOW. 
          . 
          THANK YOU CHAIR. 
          WHAT ABOUT DC? I'M JUST KIDDING. 
          SO, UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PRESENTATION. 
          I THOUGHT IT WAS VERY WELL DONE. 
          I LOVE THE FACT THAT YOU ALL HAVE FROM STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT THAT, UM, WE SHOULDN'T HAVE AN NEITHER OR, OR A MINDSET THAT BLOCKS OPPORTUNITY. 
          I THINK THAT THAT HAPPENS A LOT, EVEN AS WE LOOK FOR INNOVATION HUBS. 
          UM, IT, IT FEELS LIKE PEOPLE ARE ALWAYS LIKE, NO, THAT SHOULD ONLY BE THERE. 
          OH, THIS, THIS SHOULD ONLY BE HERE. 
          SO I APPRECIATE THAT. 
          AND, UM, I, I LOVE THE FACT THAT, BY THE WAY, PORT SAN ANTONIO WAS MENTIONED IN THERE. 
          AND SO YES, WE CAN HAVE MULTIPLE TECH HUBS. 
          AS A MATTER OF FACT, WE SHOULD HAVE TECH HUBS IN EVERY AREA, RIGHT? IN EVERY DISTRICT PROBABLY, BECAUSE THAT'S THE WAY OF THE FUTURE. 
          SO, UM, I THINK WE CAN, UH, DO MORE. 
          AND SO I APPRECIATE THAT YOU ALL TOOK, TOOK THAT OPPORTUNITY TO, TO ADD THAT ON THERE. 
          ON THE DECISION MAKER STATUS, I SAW THAT 8% SAID NO. 
          UM, SO WHO, WHO WERE THEY OR WHAT AREAS DID THEY COME FROM? I WAS JUST WONDERING. 
          YEAH, SO TYPICALLY THAT'S MORE OF THE RESEARCH POSITIONS AT THOSE FIRMS. GOT IT. 
          SO THAT'S WHAT THAT REPRESENTS. 
          SORRY. 
          WELL, I WOULD STILL CONSIDER R AND D DECISION MAKERS, LIKE IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, RIGHT? BECAUSE THEY DERIVE INNOVATION, BUT, OKAY. 
          SO, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S A WHOLE OTHER CONVERSATION. 
          I APPRECIATED THE STRENGTHS. 
          UM, AND AGAIN, YOU ALL HAVE PORT ANTONIO ON THERE, SO I ALWAYS HAVE TO GIVE, GIVE THAT A SHOUT OUT, BUT ACCESS TO CAPITAL ON WEAKNESSES. 
          UM, THE, AND YOU JUST HEARD EARLIER TODAY, WE HAD THE CONVERSATION, AND THAT REMINDS ME OF THE WHOLE EITHER OR. 
          WE CAN DO BOTH, RIGHT? AND SO ACCESS TO CAPITAL CONTINUES TO BE CRITICAL, BUT WE ARE LISTED AS A WEAKNESS, BUT HOPEFULLY WE'RE, WE'RE DOING A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT IT. 
          CAN YOU TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE EFFORTS, THE, UH, DUPLICATE EFFORTS THAT YOU ALL FOUND? WHAT SPECIFICALLY WERE YOU ALL REFERENCING? I KNOW WE HAVE SEVERAL INTERPRETATIONS OF, WELL, THE COUNTY'S DOING THIS AND WE'RE DOING THAT, BUT WERE THERE ADDITIONAL ONES THAT YOU ALL SAW UAW? UM, YEAH, SO PART OF IT IS JUST, THERE'S, THERE'S SO MANY ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE INVOLVED IN SUPPORTING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AT THE, THE LOCAL OR DISTRICT OR CITYWIDE OR REGIONAL LEVEL. 
          SO THERE'S, THERE'S CERTAINLY OPPORTUNITIES TO BETTER ALIGN THOSE EFFORTS. 
          THAT'S, THAT'S ONE THING THAT WE LOOKED AT. 
          SOME OF THEM, THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT THE FACT THAT YOU'VE GOT, WHAT, 16 SCHOOL DISTRICTS LOCALLY. 
          SO THAT'S, THAT'S A CHALLENGE, BUT WE'RE NOT GONNA TACKLE THAT ONE AS PART OF THE PLAN. 
          I DON'T KNOW IF THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU WOULD ADD, KATRINA? I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT JUST GOES BACK TO THE RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE TO THOSE ORGANIZATIONS. 
          SOMETIMES IT CAN GET A LITTLE BIT TERRITORIAL, UH, BUT BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY, UM, THAT WAS WHAT WE WERE HIGHLIGHTING IN THAT POINT. 
          GOT IT. 
          AND IT'S, AND Y'ALL WERE HERE FOR THE EARLIER CONVERSATION, RIGHT? WE HAVE, UM, SBOS THAT ARE DOING WORK AND, AND SO WE HAVE MULTIPLE YES, COMPETING INTERESTS, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE'RE ALL HERE FOR THE SAME COMMUNITY, RIGHT? SO I APPRECIATE THE, THAT. 
          UM, ECONOMIC DISPARITIES ON THREATS CONTINUES TO TO BE A THREAT. 
          AND I THINK THAT WE HAVE DONE A WHOLE LOT WITH THE ESSAY READY TO WORK. 
          UM, BUT THE OPPORTUNITIES, UM, LEVERAGING THAT MARKETING IS, IS GOOD. 
          CAN YOU TELL ME A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE IH 
          [02:10:01]
35 GROWTH SPECIFICALLY? WHAT, WHAT, WHAT WAS IDENTIFIED THERE? YEAH, SO WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THERE IS, IS MOSTLY JUST THAT YOU'RE AT THE CENTER OF THIS LARGER REGION WHERE THERE IS TREMENDOUS GROWTH HAPPENING AND PLANNED ALL THE, IF WE CAN EVEN EXTEND IT ALL THE WAY DOWN TO MONTEREY, INTO LAREDO AND THE WHOLE I 35 CORRIDOR SOUTH, BUT CERTAINLY, UH, UP THROUGH THE AUSTIN AREA, THE SH ONE 30 CORRIDOR, WHERE YOU'RE SEEING SOME OF THE LARGEST SUBDIVISIONS PLANNED IN PLACES LIKE CALDWELL COUNTY THAT 10 YEARS FROM NOW, THEY'RE GONNA MORE THAN DOUBLE THE AMOUNT OF HOUSING UNITS THAT THEY HAVE. 
          SO THERE'S JUST SO MUCH GROWTH HAPPENING IN THIS AREA. 
          SO IT'S A, IT IS A TREMENDOUS OPPORTUNITY AND WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THINGS THAT THE CITY'S DOING, THE BOND PROGRAM PLANNING FOR, MAINTAINING AND TRYING TO GET AHEAD OF SOME OF THOSE INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS. 
          UH, SO THAT'S REALLY WHAT WE ARE REFERENCING THERE IS KIND OF THOSE LARGER REGIONAL GROWTH OPPORTUNITIES. 
          BUT YOU COULD ALSO SAY GROWTH PRESSURES. 
          IT, IT DOES BRING SOME, UH, SOME CHALLENGES WITH IT. 
          GOOD. 
          AND SO I, AND I THINK THAT'S KIND OF WHAT I WAS GETTING AT. 
          SO THE REGIONAL GROWTH STRATEGY, UM, WE JUST HAD OUR SOUTH CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. 
          WE, UH, BRAND ITSELF TO THE SOUTH TEXAS, UM, I THINK PARTNERSHIP OR I, I CAN'T REMEMBER, BUT THEY'RE ALSO INCLUDING SOME OF THESE SOUTHERN, UM, COUNTIES AND, AND I APPRECIATED THEIR EFFORT. 
          A LOT OF THE HOSPITAL OR THE HOSPITAL, THE ONE HOSPITAL AND DISTRICT FOUR SERVICES, A LOT OF THE, UM, COMMUNITIES IN, IN SOUTH TEXAS. 
          SO I THINK WE NEED TO START THINKING MORE IN TERMS OF HOW WE HELP. 
          AND SO I'M SO GLAD THAT THAT WAS THERE BECAUSE IT, IT'S COMING. 
          UM, AND WE JUST HAVEN'T PAID, I THINK, ENOUGH ATTENTION TO IT. 
          SO OTHER THAN THAT, I HAVE NO OTHER QUESTIONS. 
          JUST THANK YOU SO MUCH. 
          UM, I APPRECIATE YOU AND I ALSO, UH, THINK THAT WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO INCREASE THE AEROSPACE, BY THE WAY. 
          SO SINCE WE, OUR MILITARY CITY U SS A, WE, UM, UH, BY THE WAY ARE CELEBRATING THE 75TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE AIR FORCE. 
          AND UL REFERENCED THIS A AN AGING POPULATION. 
          WE ALSO HAVE AN AGING AEROSPACE POPULATION SPECIFICALLY. 
          SO SOME, ANOTHER GROWTH OPPORTUNITY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          SO, UH, A COUPLE OF THINGS. 
          ONE, THE MAN WHO IS SITTING OVER THERE IS JEREMY ROBERTS. 
          HE'S THE CHAIRMAN OF OUR SS A COMMITTEE. 
          UM, I, I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT HE GET THIS PRESENTATION, THE, UM, 'CAUSE IF, IF, IF HE'S JUST A MEMBER OF THE, OF THE, UH, ROUND TABLE, GIVEN HIS OPINION, BUT HE'S NOT HEARING, UM, WHAT THEIR, UM, UH, WHAT THAT INPUT RESULTED IN, UM, YOU KNOW, THEN I, I THINK WE'RE FAILING THE SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITY BY, BY REALLY AUTHENTICALLY ROPING THEM INTO THIS CONVERSATION. 
          AND, AND I'M ENTHUSED THAT I THINK YOU'RE GONNA BE PRESENTING THIS EXACT SAME THING ON TUESDAY. 
          YEAH. 
          SO, UM, JEREMY, UH, YOU KNOW, YET ANOTHER THING WE'RE PITCHING AT YOU GUYS TO, TO TALK ABOUT THE, THE SECOND THING IS I HEAR YOU GUYS LOUD AND CLEAR. 
          YOU TALKED TO SITE SELECTORS AND YOU GOT, YOU KNOW, YOU SYNTHESIZED THEIR, UH, THEIR OPINIONS. 
          UM, AND, AND BRENDA, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE, THAT I'VE TOLD YOU ABOUT IN THE PAST WAS, OR THAT I COMMENTED FROM A PEER, IS THAT IF WHATEVER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES WE PUT TOGETHER WERE TO HAVE BEEN IN PLACE IN 2002, 2003, UM, WOULD THOSE GUIDELINES STILL HAVE ATTRACTED TOYOTA AND THE SUPPLIERS FOR, YOU KNOW, UM, AND I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION, RIGHT? AND SO HAVE WE TALKED TO ANY OF THE SITE SELECTORS FROM BACK IN THE DAY?  I'M, I'M TRYING TO THINK OF WHO WOULD BE AROUND TO KNOW WHO THE SITE'S ELECTORS WERE, AND THEN I'M KIND OF LOOKING AT YOU . 
          YEAH, SO THERE'S TWO AND THE PEOPLE AT TOYOTA ALSO, RIGHT? I MEAN, THEY STILL WORK WITH 'EM. 
          AND SO I KNOW THAT ONE OF 'EM IS A FELLOW BY THE NAME OF DENNIS KUNIO WHO WORKS FOR FISHER PHILLIPS. 
          AND THE OTHER ONE IS A, A GUY NAMED JIM WISEMAN, UM, WHO I BELIEVE LIVES IN FLORIDA. 
          UH, AND BOTH OF THEM ARE STILL FOR HIRE, UH, YOU KNOW, BUT THEY'RE INDEPENDENT. 
          AND SO I THINK THEIR INDEPENDENCE AND THE FACT THAT THEY'RE NO LONGER AT TOYOTA WOULD GIVE THEM THE ABILITY TO SPEAK A LITTLE BIT MORE HONESTLY THAN IF YOU ASKED TOYOTA, RIGHT? BECAUSE IF YOU ASK TOYOTA TODAY, THEY'LL, THEY'LL BE REALLY NICE AND THEY'LL GIVE YOU THE RIGHT ANSWER THAT, YOU KNOW, IS MOST CONVENIENT TO THEM. 
          BUT I THINK IF YOU ASK THE PEOPLE WHO WERE ON THE GROUND BACK IN THAT, YOU KNOW, BACK AT THAT DAY, YOU MIGHT, I, I THINK IT WOULD BENEFIT US, RIGHT? TO SEE WHETHER OR NOT, UM, THIS, THIS IS PUD THIS AND, YOU KNOW, AND FEELS GOOD OR WHETHER OR NOT IT ACTUALLY WILL WORK, YOU KNOW? YES, SIR. 
          SO WE'VE, WE HAVEN'T CONTACTED THOSE TWO SPECIFICALLY, BUT, UM, OF COURSE MY NETWORK AND THEN SARAH AND I HAVE TALKED ABOUT USING HER NETWORK AS WELL. 
          WE CERTAINLY INTEND TO AND HAVE ALREADY STARTED THOSE CONVERSATIONS. 
          SO I HAVE A KIND OF A LIST OF FEEDBACK WE'VE BEEN GETTING FROM SOME OF THE NATIONAL SITE CONSULTANTS AS WE'VE EITHER BEEN TALKING TO THEM ABOUT EXISTING PROJECTS, UM, OR JUST THEIR EXPERIENCE OR WHAT THEIR THOUGHTS ARE IN GENERAL. 
          UM, BUT WE'RE GOING TO BE HITTING THAT REALLY HARD IN JULY. 
          OKAY. 
          SO A LOT MORE TO COME ON THAT. 
          SO YES. 
          TO ALL THAT AND 
          [02:15:01]
YES. 
          AND, UM, I'M HOPING WOULD BE THE ANSWER IS WE'LL ROPE EITHER OR BOTH OF THOSE GENTLEMEN IN SO THEY CAN, THEY CAN TEACH US HOW THAT DEAL CAME ABOUT, RIGHT? AND HOW WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO RECREATE THAT MIRACLE. 
          UM, THE SECOND THING IS, UH, I'VE HEARD THIS OVER AND OVER AGAIN, THAT, YOU KNOW, THE WORD IS NOT GETTING OUT ABOUT SAN ANTONIO, UH, TO THE VERY PEOPLE THAT BRENDA JUST SAID SHE WAS GONNA CHECK IN WITH. 
          UM, AND THAT WORRIES ME A LOT, RIGHT? AND I THINK THIS COUNCIL HAS SAID OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS, WE NEED TO BE VERY INTENTIONAL ABOUT THAT MARKETING, AND IT CAN'T JUST BE LEFT ON THE SHOULDERS OF VISIT SAN ANTONIO. 
          UH, RIGHT. 
          AND WE HAVE, WE HAVE A DIFFERENT STORY TO TELL. 
          THEIRS IS VERY IMPORTANT, BUT WE HAVE A DIFFERENT STORY TO TELL ABOUT OUR INDUSTRIES AND ALL THE OTHER THINGS THAT WE OFFER. 
          AND, AND ALEX, WE HAVE A NEW COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER, I BELIEVE, WHO WAS BROUGHT IN TO DO SPECIFICALLY THIS, AND WE'VE NEVER HEARD FROM HER. 
          AND SO THAT MIGHT BE A, A REALLY GOOD CONVERSATION TO HAVE, WHICH IS WHAT'S THE PLAN, UH, TO GET THE WORD OUT RIGHT? BECAUSE I'M, I'M, I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR OUR SUCCESS STORIES REPEATED ON NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO, RIGHT? OR TOLD ON THE PAGES OF THE WALL STREET JOURNAL OR FORBES TO, SO THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN PEOPLE, WHEN THE SITE SELECTORS SEE IT AND THEY HEAR IT NOT JUST FROM BRENDA, BUT ALSO FROM, YOU KNOW, FROM THE ORGANIZATIONS AND FROM THE PUBLICATIONS THAT THEY TRUST, UH, THAT, I MEAN, THAT, THAT'S A FORCE MULTIPLIER RIGHT THERE. 
          SO THAT'S THE CHALLENGE I THINK THAT HAS BEEN GIVEN TO ME AND, AND TO THIS, THIS COMMITTEE BY THE MAYOR, WHICH IS START GETTING THIS STORY TOLD OUTSIDE OF JUST OUR OWN GROUPS. 
          RIGHT? SO ANYWAY, THOSE ARE MY COMMENTS. 
          I LIKE WHERE WE'RE GOING. 
          UM, THERE'S, THERE'S MORE WORK TO DO, OBVIOUSLY, AND, UM, I'D BE CURIOUS TO HEAR WHAT, UM, MR. ROBERTS AND HIS COMMITTEE HAVE TO HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THIS. 
          THANK YOU FOR, FOR THE PRESENTATION. 
          UM, WITH THAT, I THINK WE'RE, I THINK WE'RE DONE. 
          WE HAVE AN EXECUTIVE SESSION ITEM, BUT I KNOW WE'RE OVER TIME, SO WE CAN PUSH IT TO NEXT TIME. 
          YOU WANNA PUSH IT TO THE NEXT ONE. 
          OKAY. 
          UH, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, HAVE A TERRIFIC WEEKEND. 
          BE SAFE AND, UM, LET'S GO OUTSIDE AND WARM UP. 
          SO COLD IN HERE. 
          THANK Y'ALL.
* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.