Chamber, City Form Partnership to Help Businesses

Hoping to give small businesses that extra push they need and to ensure existing businesses can grow into their potential, the city of St. Petersburg and St. Pete Chamber have entered into a partnership. 

The agreement, which was announced Thursday, will create a business assistance program called The Greenhouse. 

"It will be the one-stop economic development shop to serve businesses in our community and to partner and expand entrepreneurial and economic development programs," Mayor Bill Foster said in a June 20 memo. 

Foster said the program will focus on business development, business retention and job generation. 

The Greenhouse will be housed in the existing business assistance center in the City Hall annex building, which is located behind City Hall. 

"It’s about economic gardening," said chamber president/CEO Chris Steinocher. "We are going to grow from within. We know that the best and brightest are already here."

Foster said the existing city business assistance center is more for startups to help them navigate through the permitting requirements and state regulations.

"This is that on steroids," Foster said of the Greenhouse. "Bring in all of the partners and all of the programs that the chamber currently has into a city building with a joint function."

He said the move would save the city money, $34,000, by being able to eliminate administrative positions. 

"It is in the budget, by merging a couple of administrative professional positions, we are able to pay for that and save money at the same time," Foster said.

Plans for the Greenhouse include:

• Host Entrepreneurial Academy Sessions
• Produce Growing Business Workshops
• The Chamber will market the Greenhouse to businesses
• Partner with local colleges and businesses to create jobs
• Continue the Small Business Enterprise program
• Help businesses apply for permits
• Help businesses find new locations to expand in St. Pete
• Lure other businesses to St. Pete with incentive packages.     

"We want to make it easy for all of our businesses to be successful," Steinocher said.