Richmond showcases 'Select Richmond' video and hires site-selection advisors to produce community scorecard

Richmond officials presented a new promotional video titled "Select Richmond" and introduced Strategic Location Advisors, a site-selection firm retained to provide a baseline analysis and scorecard of the city's economic development assets.

Chuck Sexton, principal of Strategic Location Advisors, told the commission the firm starts with a wide set of candidate markets and scores communities across five foundational areas including funding, data and inventory, marketing, organizational performance and community collaboration. "We encourage you to give us feedback. We wanna hear the good, the bad, and the ugly," Sexton said during his briefing.

Sexton described the forthcoming deliverable as a scorecard that will show where Richmond ranks today and provide recommendations to help the city attract new employers. He said the firm conducted meetings with elected leaders, staff and local businesses during a site visit and will follow with a data analysis and recommendations. Sexton emphasized Richmond's strategic location on major north-south interstates as an asset for industrial recruitment.

City staff framed the video and consultant engagement as part of a renewed push to invest resources in economic development and industrial recruitment. Commissioners noted the video's emphasis on the community's education, workforce diversity and quality-of-life amenities as selling points for prospective companies.

What to expect: the consultant will return a scored baseline analysis and a set of recommendations. City leaders said they will review the findings and provide feedback to the consultant as the city develops its economic recruitment strategy.