WINSTED — Jason Giulietti senior vice president of Business Development at Northwest Chamber of Commerce, gave a report and presentation to the Board of Selectmen on Monday, July 20.
Giulietti was hired by the board in April to research the way economic development operates in town.
Giulietti said he conducted more than 20 meetings with business owners, property owners, developers, real estate brokers and representatives from Northwestern Connecticut Community College.
According to Giulietti, the chamber found three general reoccurring themes in Winsted: too many scattered organizations working on economic development, a lack of resources to effectively highlight town assets and attractions and a need for more involvement with downtown merchants and the community college.
Giulietti suggested consolidating some of the economic development groups in Winchester.
“The biggest thing I’ve found was that there is no central point of contact or organization around economic development activity,” Giulietti said. “I think you have a lot of groups, they all have great missions, they’re all great people, but no central plan. At the end of the day, I think there has to become a focus of the Economic Development Commission. You need to look at the members, and look to engage the merchants, and make that almost a mandate that at least half, or the majority of those folks are members of this committee.”
Giulietti discussed frustrations from local business owners who feel they are not bringing in enough customers and especially from out of town due to lack of awareness and marketing issues.
He expressed the importance of creating a connection between local merchants and the community college, as a draw for new consumers and downtown activity.
“We need to leverage some of the assets that are here, such as Whiting Mills and the community college,” he said. “The college, and that college atmosphere that is in this town, maybe hasn’t been wholeheartedly embraced.
Another suggestion Giulietti proposed was creating a brand around the town.
“It would really help unify the residents, the business community, the college and would really give everybody some eager, greater sense of collective impact for the town,” he said.
