JACKSONVILLE, Ark. — The City of Jacksonville recently hired Robert Birch as the new director of economic development, and he plans to bring more economic growth to the area.
"To be a part of Mayor Elmore's staff, when I met with him, his vision and ideas of how he wants to push Jacksonville forward were impressive," Birch said. "Being able to have the chamber behind us, we do have city hall behind us and we can make some good things happen."
Birch said he hopes to change the stereotypes of Jacksonville being a "pass-through city" and make it more of a place to call home.
"I don't want it to be a stop-off and get a hamburger," Birch said. "I want it to be a place where when people see it, they're like, 'Hey, I can, I can see myself here.'"
And he's excited to take on this new role and close some gaps Jacksonville has lacked over the years.
"You got to have reasons for people to stay," Birch said. "You got to have the housing, which we've started on, but with the new housing that's being built, and you've got to have jobs, and you got to have a reason to keep those people here."
Birch said the key to his plan is to strengthen the quality of life because once the quality of life around you is excellent, it attracts people to want to live, go to school and work there.
"I'd like to bring more restaurant options, some entertainment, especially for our youth," Birch said. "Something that we can tie in with the high school. [We] would love to bring something to foster some innovation and entrepreneurship here."
Right now, Birch said the Chamber of Commerce is focusing on utilizing buildings already in the city instead of breaking ground on new ones.
"Right behind the chamber... is a big open spot that most people would look at and go, 'Man, that's an eyesore,'" Birch said. "I look at it as an opportunity for us to get with these landowners and come up with a vision that works."
Birch said that bringing in more businesses creates more tax revenue for the city, which means more they can sow back into the community.
"Bigger businesses than average come in, and you start getting that tax revenue from those businesses," Birch said. "It allows the city to do more internally for the city... better roads, upkeep, landscaping, parks, everything."
According to Birch, the Chamber of Commerce wants to build a relationship with the community. He encourages people to stop in and share ideas or wait for the community input meetings they have planned for the future.