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Fort Myers advisory board backs pursuing a contracted lead‑generation firm to boost business recruitment
Summary
The advisory board voted Oct. 2 to support an initiative for the economic development office to pursue a contracted lead‑generation/site‑selection firm (proposals cited at $50,000–$75,000/year) and asked members to meet council liaisons before council action.
The City of Fort Myers Economic Development Advisory Board on Oct. 2 voted to support pursuing a contracted lead‑generation or site‑selection firm to increase targeted business recruitment for the city.
Economic Development Director Steve Weathers explained the office’s limited bandwidth for proactive outreach and presented contract options as a way to generate a high volume of targeted leads. He said a Retail Strategies proposal runs about $50,000 per year (three‑year model discussed), while other lead‑generation firms the office has considered might cost about $75,000 per year.
“We need a lot of at bats,” Weathers said, describing lead generation as a volume effort where contractors perform hundreds of outreach calls and filter prospects into a smaller, actionable list for staff to pursue. He told the board the department’s current operating budget is about $300,000 annually, with a travel line of roughly $10,000 and typical promotional‑video costs of $15,000–$25,000.
Board members debated the merits of outsourcing versus hiring staff. Vice Chair Ford and others argued the board must remain strategic but also be aware of infrastructure and workforce constraints that affect the ability to recruit and retain employers; others stressed the need for political backing from council if the city is to commit ongoing funds. The group discussed measures of return on investment and recommended limiting proactive outreach to industry sectors that fit the city’s stated priorities (the presenter offered the “four Rs”: retirees, retail, real estate/development, recreation).
Presenter Dwayne made the motion: “I’d like to make a motion that this board support a lead‑gen process for our economic developer, Director of Economic Development.” The motion was seconded and approved by voice vote; the transcript records “Yes” and consensus to move forward.
Next steps: Weathers said he will circulate existing proposals (including prior materials from Kamoine Associates) to the clerk for distribution and asked members to speak individually with their council liaisons to gauge political support; if council favors the idea, the city would return to council with contract documents for legal review and a council vote.
The board also heard a brief announcement about a Miami‑based food producer, Gelatis, moving operations to Fort Myers with a potential ~50 jobs; members said success stories could be used in outreach to site selectors.
