Grapevine Economic Development Launches Newsletter and Podcast

Grapevine Economic Development is kicking off the new year with the launch of its new podcast and newsletter: “Growing Grapevine.” These monthly communications will be another tool in their kit to promote economic growth by telling the broader story of Grapevine.

Steven Jones, Market Research Manager, Grapevine Economic Development described the intention behind the newsletter. “From the first pitch meeting, I envisioned ‘Growing Grapevine' as our love letter to the community; clarifying policies and practices where we can, turning unsung heroes into recognizable faces, and celebrating the things that make this city unique. Our city is full of incredible innovators and first-to-market attractions that deserve to be celebrated, and we think rallying the community around those things will generate a lot of goodwill. At the same time, we’re hoping to deepen everyone’s understanding of how the city partners with our private sector; to inspire even more collaboration down the line. We learned a lot about public-private partnerships in the last few years, and we’re going to scale up a few different aspects of our department to better equip our stakeholders as we move forward. This newsletter is step one in connecting those dots.”

“We want to be sure executives, developers, and real estate agents have a front-row seat to all the things that make this city special so that we can work together to bring in new businesses that will thrive here,” said Jones. “At the same time, this is our opportunity to highlight existing businesses with an eye towards retention. If our stakeholders are doing something incredible, we want to reward them by telling their stories and driving their connections with the rest of the community. And, of course, a newsletter is a great vehicle for spreading the word about programs and support that our friends in the local business community can leverage for their own success.”

Jones is also the driving force behind the podcast. “Selfishly, my favorite thing about the podcast is the fact that I get to tell the incredible story of this community in a new medium. I have a background in radio and I sort of missed doing voice work, so it’s been a fun change of pace to get back into interviewing and audio production. But I’m also hoping the final product is something everyone here in the city can be proud of; that it starts conversations and gives citizens and business owners a few fun talking points or things to brag about when they’re interacting with their friends and clients. If I do my part well, we’ll create a collective vision that we can all be proud of and point to when someone asks what sets Grapevine apart.”

Jones is a part of the whole Grapevine Economic Development team that has their eyes on the future. “Our new director, Larry Holt, came on at the start of the fiscal year and we’ve been moving and shaking ever since, so there’s a lot of ‘what’s new.’. But as the Market Research Manager, my focus is equipping local businesses and prospective partners with the information they need to make good decisions while communicating our goals and policies as clearly as possible. I won’t speak for the other team members in the department, but I’m confident that they’re going to roll out some exciting new tools soon. We’re in the early research phase for a new set of tools that will let us be more directly involved with local stakeholders, which we’ll announce via the newsletter as soon as the details are final.”

Speaking of stakeholders, Jones sees the newsletter and podcast as a “group project” for Grapevine. The ultimate goal is to have community investment and meet the community’s needs. “As we get further into the year, I want to incorporate feedback from our stakeholders into our communication strategy. We’re starting with a monthly newsletter, centered around the podcast and including links to community news and resources. But if it turns out that we need to include something we haven’t thought to include yet, I’m definitely open to pivoting. We’re here to serve the community, not the other way around, and I’m excited to start with a regular touchpoint that puts us one quick email away.”

How to Subscribe

The “Growing Grapevine” podcast can be found on your favorite podcast app or check out the latest episode  here

Sign-up here for the newsletter!

Contact Grapevine Economic Development today to see why companies like Kubota and Solo Brands chose to relocate to Grapevine over the last few years. Follow them on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.