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City to host May 8 economic summit; TIP Strategies chosen to lead strategic framework process
Summary
Alexandria will host a citywide economic summit on May 8 as the first step in a community-driven process led by TIP Strategies and the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership to create a strategic framework and action plan for equitable economic growth.
Alexandria officials on Feb. 25 outlined a new citywide economic-development planning process that will begin with a public economic summit on Wednesday, May 8, and will be led by national consultancy TIP Strategies working with the Alexandria Economic Development Partnership (AEDP) and city staff.
Consultants Tracy McDaniel and Jen Todd Goins of TIP Strategies described a two-part goal: host an inclusive, community-focused summit and then develop a strategic framework and action plan to guide equitable commercial growth and workforce alignment.
"We really have a two‑part goal for this particular initiative: the first is to host the economic summit ... and the second part is developing that framework and action plan," Jen Todd Goins said during the presentation.
Why it matters: Council members framed the work as a way to increase quality commercial tax base growth, build long-term economic resilience, and identify actions the city can take to support startups, workforce pipelines and community-led economic opportunities. Staff said the effort is intended to produce concrete, actionable recommendations that the council can use during budget and CIP decision-making.
What the process will include - Summit: Wednesday, May 8, starting at 3:00 p.m. with afternoon and evening sessions to encourage broad participation. - Discovery and stakeholder engagement: TIP said it has begun a discovery phase that includes data review, roundtables covering topics such as workforce, real estate and small business, one-on-one interviews and a public survey released in advance of the summit. - Deliverables: a summary report after the summit and a strategic framework and action plan with implementation steps and metrics to follow in the summer.
Funding and near-term investments - The manager’s budget presentation included a one‑time $200,000 allocation for small business incubator programming intended to support startups with training and mentorship. - Staff also proposed a $1,000,000 pool to use for high-priority economic-development prospects that meet the council’s growth and quality objectives; Perjean said those dollars would be spent only if a qualifying project is identified.
Council engagement Councilmember Chapman emphasized the council’s intent to leverage local industry experts and community members in design and implementation. Vice Mayor Bagley asked about next steps after the summit; TIP responded that post-summit work will include a summary report, follow-up surveys for those unable to attend, and continued refinement of a strategic framework that will translate into specific implementation actions.
Public outreach Staff said a project web page is live on the city website and will be the primary hub for updates, the survey, and engagement opportunities. TIP staff asked council and AEDP to refer potential roundtable participants and small-business contacts to the team; staff said outreach would begin immediately.
Ending note Council members indicated support for a citywide, equitable focus in the work and signaled interest in scheduling follow-up work sessions after the summit to discuss implementation and potential budget or policy actions that flow from the strategic framework.
