CIB Planning was selected as the technical consulting team when the City of Hart initiated the Redevelopment Ready Community Certification (RRC) process in late 2018. CIB worked with City leaders and steering committee members to develop a strategic economic development and marketing plan and implementation strategy to improve their economic position for businesses, workforce, tourists, and residents.
Hart implemented “Take me to Hart” as their primary marketing tag line, created a new economic and redevelopment website at www.takemetohart.org, organized committees within each economic development category to meet objectives, and are growing their downtown business district as a result.
Their “Buy Now Shop Later” Business Gift Card program provided a local incentive match for businesses in the City of Hart, with 280 gift cards purchased, 18 business participated, and $9,800 was reinvested into the community in the course of one week May of 2020. The almost overnight success of the “Buy Now Shop Later” program spawned a county-wide initiative called Discover Oceana, which generated $42,000 for Oceana businesses over the course of just two days.
