Greenville chamber and development board propose welcome center, workforce training on Exchange Building second floor

Representatives of the Greenville Chamber of Commerce and the Greenville Board of Development asked the Hunt County Commissioners Court for preliminary approval to lease the county-owned Exchange Building’s second floor for a combined welcome center, small-business development and workforce training space.

Greg Simms, representing the Greenville Board of Development, and Shelley (Shelley), president and CEO of the Greenville Chamber of Commerce, presented a plan to convert the second-floor suite into a welcome center with brochure racks, a staffed reception desk, a larger boardroom for training and meeting space, and offices for the Small Business Development Center (SBDC). Simms said the building’s location “was on the major highway coming through town” and argued the site would serve both visitors and workforce needs.

Shelley described program uses and frequency: meeting space for business networking and ribbon cuttings, an SBDC office with appointments available countywide, and a workforce-training classroom intended for employer trainings and larger events. “Providing off-site workforce training space for company employees,” she said, would reduce the Chamber’s current need to rent the Civic Center for large gatherings.

Simms and Shelley said the Chamber would sublease space and that the Board of Development would seek a five-year lease, fund interior upgrades and match flooring to the elevator. Commissioners asked operational questions about parking, after-hours events on the second floor, coordination with the Chamber’s current location and how the SBDC is administered. Shelley said the SBDC is a grant program through Paris Junior College and is available to businesses countywide at no charge.

No lease was executed at the meeting. Simms said Board of Development and Chamber boards will vote in coming weeks and asked county staff, including Daniel, to follow up on lease amendments and scheduling. Commissioner questions focused on whether the Chamber would operate daily visitor services, the count of parking spaces in the garage and logistics for after-hours events. Commissioners did not take a formal lease vote; they requested staff return with details and contract language.

Ending

Board of Development and Chamber representatives said they hope to return with board approvals and a formal lease. Commissioners requested staff follow up on lease amendment language, parking assignment and a proposed five-year term before the court considers a formal vote.