SHELBY — The city of Shelby is officially on the path to economic revival thanks to a new position in collaboration with the county.
Mayor Steve Schag announced on Monday that Jessica Gribben would be stepping into the position of economic development liaison for Shelby and northern Richland County. Gribben’s position will officially work through the Richland Area Chamber of Commerce and the Richland Community Development Group (RCDG).
“This is truly a day which I have looked forward to for a long, long time,” Schag said. “I truly believe the integration of our resources will benefit not only Shelby, but all of Richland County as well. Vibrant cities and villages contribute to the overall good health of the county.”
Gribben previously worked at Richland Bank for 12 years, and as a realtor with The Holden Agency for the past three. She will spend approximately 80 percent of her time working out of an office at Shelby City Hall.
“When this position came along it really felt like it was a great fit,” Gribben said. “I really like the city of Shelby, I’ve seen the passion and I can’t wait to work with the rest of you. Hopefully we can all, with combined efforts, very much move things forward.”
The idea of bringing an economic development director back to Shelby originated with the Shelby Community Improvement Corporation (CIC), and specifically the “Path Forward” committee made up of Dr. Greg Timberlake, Cody Albert, Carrie Kemerer and Jake Penwell. It is the mission of the CIC – a mixture of mayoral appointments and private citizens representing businesses and organizations in Shelby – to promote economic and industrial development in the city.
After realizing the lack of economic development in Shelby was the most tangible opportunity for improvement in the city, the CIC hired the Montrose Group for $25,000 to create an economic development study. The Montrose Group offers economic development planning services targeting the retention and attraction of jobs in energy, technology, advanced services, manufacturing, and global firms.
“We came up with the plan that the mission of CIC was for economic development, so we went back to the basics,” said Jake Penwell. “We needed an economic voice to focus on Shelby.”
After six months of work, including discussing the needs of stakeholders, city officials and members of the public, the Montrose Group generated a 70-page document recommending the city partner with an appropriate economic development organization to fund a dedicated economic development effort and program for Shelby. Those organizations turned out to be the Chamber and RCDG.
“Rather than recreating the wheel, there are already organizations excelling at economic development, so why not partner with them and leverage momentum already happening in our community,” said Cody Albert.
According to Schag, approximately one year ago the city of Shelby agreed to partner with the Richland Area Chamber of Commerce to make Shelby the “northern hub” of economic development for the northern regions of the county.
“The residents of Shelby should consider themselves fortunate in that they have a forward-thinking council that has chosen to invest wisely in economic development endeavors that are designed to develop a high-functioning system that, among other things, attracts and retains high-wage and high-skill jobs.”
Schag also acknowledged additional input and/or financial assistance from not only the Chamber, RCDG and the Shelby CIC, but also the village of Plymouth, the Shelby Foundation, and the Shelby Bicycle Days Committee.
“It’s very forward-thinking for Shelby to partner with a regional economic development arm that is well-established, so we get to focus on Shelby and northern Richland County but also have the resources of the county behind us,” Gribben said.
Jodie Perry, president of the Richland Area Chamber of Commerce, said this partnership is one of the largest collaborations she has undertaken in her four-year tenure at the chamber.
“It’s something I’m really proud of,” Perry said. “Countywide the economy is good; businesses want to expand and they need people. We need to figure out how we pull people into our communities.”
Perry also expressed confidence in Gribben’s ability as a “community promoter” to make connections in her new role. Penwell and Albert echoed Perry’s praise.
“We interviewed a lot of candidates, and it was clear Jessica brought the skills we were looking for and had a lot of established relationships, which will help her and the project to immediately be successful,” Albert said.
“It boils down to Jessica’s excitement and passion about what the future of our community looks like; she has that energy, and will fight every day to make sure we’re making progress towards what we need to be as a community 15 and 20 years from now.”
