HomeMy WebLinkAboutCommittee of the Whole - 21 Apr 2025 - Agenda - Pdf
CITY OF RENTON
AGENDA - Committee of the Whole Meeting
5:45 PM - Monday, April 21, 2025
7th Floor Conferencing Center
1. Economic Development Update
a) Presentation
ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT
APRIL 2025 UPDATE
COW, April 21, 2025
Gina Estep, CED Administrator
Amanda Free, Economic Development Director
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UPDATES
For 2025
Renton now has more than 70,400 jobs.This
represents an all time high and reflects a full
recovery from a pandemic low of 60,700.
In terms of employment, Health Care & Health Care
Related Services is the top industry in Renton with
15,000 employees.Manufacturing remains a top
employer with 14,100 employees.
Aerospace is a burgeoning sector in Renton with
Blue Origin and Alaska Airlines opening
for business.
Over 1,400 new business licenses were issued in
2024.
•Redevelopment
Manager:Paul Hintz
promoted in January
•Economic Development Specialist:
Jill Essency joined in February
•Economic Development Director:
Amanda Free promoted in April
•Updated Strategic Plan for 2025
•Continued focus on
supporting our Renton businesses
Larger Trends
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Small
Business
Liaison
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Renton Small Business
Empowerment Think Tanks
Outcomes
Purpose:
Create a platform for small businesses to share challenges and
collaborate on neighborhood-based solutions.
Reach:
4 sessions held (Benson Hill, Highlands, City Center,
Talbot/Valley), with participation from over 60 business owners.
Key Issues Raised:
•Business & Landlordrelation
•Limited marketing and promotion resources
•Low foot traffic in business districts outside of downtown
•Desire of creating a neighborhood businesspartnership
•Safety & Security
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Entrepreneur
Development /
Children’sBusiness
Fair:
•Designed to inspire young
entrepreneurs
•One-day marketplace to create and
sell their own products
•Organized through local family and
sponsored by Acton Academy
•Aims to develop confidence, business skills, and an entrepreneurial mindset.
•Exploring options to expand the fair
into a biannual event in Renton.
•Possible Renton River Days
participation
The first event was on March 29, 2025, with
atleast 30 vendors.
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Workforce Development
•Partnership with Renton Chamber of Commerce
and Renton School District
•Paid summer internships for Renton youth ages
16-24 from underserved communitiesand
connecting to Renton businesses and mentors
for job readiness training
•Applied for Port of Seattle Economic Opportunities
for Communities Program. Funding would support
the 2026 summer program
•Exploring funding options to kick off the pilot
program in June/July2025
Renton Summer Youth Employment Program
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Big Win! Success Story
•Cyclone Bomb in November 2024 left shop
without power for 5 days
•Significant financial loss due to discarding
perishable inventory, wages, and lost sales
•Contacted city through the Small Business Liaison
(our Fatoumata) to explore potential assistance
opportunities
•Connected her with SBA Disaster Loan Program
and provided insight and support
•Thankful for support at the end of February the
market qualified for $17,000 in disaster relief funds
Ilyas Home Shop & African Market - Owner Fatoumata
Located at 49 Logan Ave S in City Center
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Communication
& Marketing
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Connecting
E-newsletters:
Up 200+%in subscriber
engagement since last
year
Topics include local
business resources,
funding opportunities,
events, and calls for artists
Startup 425:Regional
program offering free
advising, workshops, and
resources for Eastside
entrepreneurs.
2025: Monthly workshops
Partnering with local
businesses to host
workshops addressing
Renton’s emerging
business needs.
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Data
Management
Business Contact Map Placer Data
•Divide and Conquer:
Divided the city into 3 areas
and assigned a zone
•Focus:Responsible for
getting to know the
businesses and
understanding the unique
challenges of the area
•Online Contact Info:Able
to manage contact
information for businesses
•Outreach:Ability to pull
specific business
groupings to further
community outreach
•Reports:Ability to review
trends on businesses, events,
our visitors, and community
•Detailed Visitor Reports
•Consumer Lifestyle Reports
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Renton Community
Marketing Campaign
•Online Presence:Dynamic
website and social media with
regularly updated content.
•Reintroducing:Showcasing the
community through video
content and an authentic feel.
•Logo:Completion by August.
•Website Launch:Ideal by mid-
November.
•Community Calendar:
Continuously updated to
highlight local events and
activities.
Rebranding to capture the heart
and soul of Renton. Tourism
focus.
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Partnerships
•Chamber & Renton Downtown Partnership:At recent strategic
meetings, a common theme emerged for improved communication
among the three organizations.
•Regional Partners:SBDC Kent Evergreen Campus.
•Seattle Sports Commission / FIFA World Cup Prep:
Collaborating with regional networks to plan and prepare for the
2026 FIFA World Cup.
•Renton Community Marketing Campaign:Partnering with Valley
Medical, Renton Technical College, Renton School District, and the
Renton Chamber of Commerce to promote Renton as a great place
to live, work, learn, and play.
•Additional Partners:Include collaborations with local and
regional economic development organizations, arts groups, and
businesses to drive growth and opportunities in Renton.AG
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Creative
Economy
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Arts & Culture Master Plan
•Integrate public art into capital projects to reflect
community identity
•Encourage private development investment in
public art
•Promote inclusive community engagement in the
arts
•Expand sustainable funding for arts initiatives
•Develop a framework to implement and track
progress
Goals for the plan and our community
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Art Grants
•RMAC Art Grant Program:10 grants awarded totaling
$54,715 in the first two rounds of the four-round cycle. Round
3 applications are due by April 18.
•4Culture:Received the first of a three-year Sustainable
Support grant ($44,000/year) to support arts opportunities in
Renton in 2025.
•Paint with Purpose:A mural program that reduces graffiti and
beautifies Renton by connecting local artists with property
owners to transform high-risk spaces into vibrant public art.
•Monthly Art Lounge:Provides a small stipend for local artists
to showcase their craft, fostering connections and
collaboration among artist-entrepreneurs.
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Events
Dragon's Landing
Celebration:6th annual
“landing” of Renton’s rooftop
dragon with public art,
performances, and community
activities downtown.
Chalk Competition at River
Days:Local artists showcase
their talents, supporting
Renton’s creative economy
through a fun, community-
engaged event.
Artist Studio Tour:A self-
guided tour showcasing local
artists' studios and creative
processes.
Monthly Art Lounge:Local
artists present their work,
offering opportunities for
collaboration and networking
among artist-entrepreneurs.
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Projects
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Downtown
•Renton Market
•Piazza
•Legacy Square &
Gateway Park
•Safe & Clean Initiative
•Civic Core
Implementation
Update at Planning & Development Committee February 24, 2025
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Air & Space Roundtable
•Renton, Kent, Tukwila and Auburn with local
businesses and education partners
•Unified voice for the community
•Recognized at the state level
•Continued progress since November 2024
•Legislative lunch in May 2025Regional Workforce Development
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Recruitment
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Team
Approach
Business Recruitment &
Retention Manager Site Selection Team
•Reclass existing position:
Assistant Director position
will become the Business
Recruitment & Retention
Manager.
•Focused effort:Sole job to
support recruitment and
retention efforts for Renton
new and existing
businesses.
•Purpose:Work to identify
businesses or clusters
that will benefitour
community
•Quick response:Able to pull
information from the diverse
team quickly to provide zoning,
permitting, licensing, and
related needs.
•Customer Service:Value in the
diverse team to provide all the
property and project
information.
•Responses:Working to provide
more standardized
responses for requests.
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Ongoing Outreach
•Vertical World:Exploring Public Private
Partnership
•Longacres:Exploring Tax Increment
Financing (TIF) - tool for funding public
infrastructure in targeted areas to
encourage private development and
investment
•Focused efforts on business clusters:
•Medical / Healthcare
•Aerospace
•Experiential
•Large Retail Anchor
•Property Acquisitions:Leading efforts
for property acquisitions for experiential
based foot traffic action – more to
come….
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Thank
You!
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