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White House EDC approves business retention and expansion program
Summary
The EDC voted to approve a business retention and expansion (BRE) program that will include targeted business visits, surveys, ambassador-led outreach and a naming process; the board asked staff to refine the program name and begin outreach.
The City of White House Economic Development Corporation unanimously approved a proposed business retention and expansion (BRE) program during its Nov. 13, 2025 meeting.
Speaker 1 described a program that would include outreach visits to local businesses, short surveys to gather needs and interest, small 'swag' packages for visiting businesses, and an ambassador role for board members on initial visits. Speaker 1 offered several name options for the program, including "White House Works," "Grow White House," "White House Prosperity Program," and "Made in White House — Locally rooted, globally minded," and said she would follow up with a distribution plan and a recommended list of initial business visits.
At the request of board members, Speaker 1 said she would not finalize the program name immediately and that staff would "circle back" with additional options and remove language (“global”) that some board members felt could carry a negative connotation in certain sectors. "I think, I think we should approve her BRE program as presented, and I'll make a motion that we do that," Speaker 2 said; a second was recorded and the Chair called for the vote. The motion carried with no opposition voiced in the transcript.
The board discussed operational details including conducting small, one-on-one visits versus larger group visits to encourage candid feedback from business owners. Speaker 1 also suggested shadowing an existing regional BRE program to learn best practices.
Votes at a glance
- Approval of BRE program as presented: motion moved by the Chair (Speaker 2); motion approved (no individual roll-call votes recorded in the transcript).
Next steps: staff will prepare outreach materials, finalize a program name for board review, compile a prioritized list of businesses to visit and coordinate whether board members will serve as ambassadors on initial visits.
