LEAKESVILLE, Miss.—Main Street Leakesville is working to rebuild chamber-style support for businesses in Greene County, with local leaders and business owners saying the effort could help small businesses grow, connect with resources and keep more investment in the local economy.
Organizers say the renewed effort is meant to strengthen the group’s economic vitality work, which they say has been mostly inactive for several years.
Stephanie McClendon, chair of the Economic Development Committee, said the goal is to create stronger support based on what local businesses say they need.
“From what we understand about their needs, it’s going to be us working together to make those decisions about what comes next and what the best solutions are for the businesses that are around, based on their needs,” McClendon said.
Leaders involved in the effort said that support could include workforce development, networking, promotion and other practical resources for business owners.
April Stennett, Greene County’s economic development director, said there is a gap in support for small businesses that a chamber can help fill.
“There’s a real gap there when you don’t have a chamber to support those small businesses in a way that, through my role, I cannot,” Stennett said.
Stennett said his office focuses on industrial recruitment, site development and bringing in jobs, while a chamber can focus more directly on the daily needs of small businesses.
That can include help with marketing, networking, software questions and other issues tied to running a business, she said.
Randy Pierce, an area resident who took part in the discussion, said the effort could help local groups work together more effectively in a rural county.
“It’s an opportunity for when you’re in a rural area like ours for everyone to kind of pull in the same direction—whether it’s the towns, the city, the county, organizations like Main Street Leakesville—to work together to maximize the use of our resources to elevate local businesses,” Pierce said.
Pierce also said stronger coordination could help keep more spending inside Greene County by encouraging residents to look locally first when shopping or dining out.
Megan Smith, owner of Daisy May Flower Shop, said she hopes the effort also helps business owners build stronger relationships with one another.
“To me, small-business ownership is kind of like a big family, and so we all need to work together to make things happen in our little community,” Smith said.
Organizers said they also want small businesses to feel comfortable asking questions and seeking help, no matter their size.
The next meeting is scheduled for May 21 in Leakesville. Organizers said it will include a speaker from the George County Chamber of Commerce and give local businesses more ideas about how chamber support can work.
More information is available on Main Street Leakesville’s website and Facebook page.
This article first appeared on RHCJC and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
