Online overhaul: Fayetteville’s new economic development team tackles web presence first

Chung Tan is the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce's new principal economic development officer.

FAYETTEVILLE – A newly minted economic development duo will tackle the city’s online presence first, said Fayetteville leaders Wednesday.

Chung Tan has 13 years of economic development experience and worked extensively in the past with Monterey Park, Calif. in a similar position. She will be the new principal economic development officer. She is fluent in seven languages and dialects and has professional experience courting Pacific Rim businesses.

Tan will be assisted by Candy Harrell who brings 15 years of experience working with corporations. Harrell previously worked as a lobbyist for the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas. She holds a masters degree in Resource Development and speaks Spanish.

Tan and Harrell’s positions were created through a contract between the city and the Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce. The idea for that partnership grew out of the Fayetteville Forward summit this spring.

The two-year contract is worth $125,000 annually and spells out in detail what the expectations are for the new economic development team. The city and the chamber both have the option of cancelling the contract with 30 days written notice.

The contract names the chamber as the principal contact for the economic development efforts and requires that the chamber submit reports, including financial information that tracks expenses, on a quarterly basis for city review.

The contract also outlines the following seven goals and gives benchmarks by which those goals will be evaluated. The goals include:

1. Create an economic development Web site
2. Support existing businesses
3. Recruit prospective companies
4. Strengthen the city’s relationship with state and regional economic development groups
5. Market materials toward targeted industries
6. Collect market data, such as trends and demographic information
7. Present progress reports to the mayor and city council about

There is also a section in the contract that outlines clearly that all information generated as a result of this contract will be subject to Arkansas’ Freedom of Information Act law.

It’s important for the city to put its best face forward online to attract businesses willing to relocate, said Chamber president Steve Clark. A strong database that shows what resources are available in Fayetteville to prospective business will help make the community more attractive, he said.

“My philosophy is to work collaboratively with all the area’s organizations and to try to find assets. I know Fayetteville has a lot of assets and it’s just a matter of identifying all the assets we have,” Tan said.

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