Brisbane City rebrands economic development as "Economic Vitality Office" to focus on local businesses

Mitch Bull, the city—s economic development director, told the Brisbane City Idea Committee on Dec. 3 that the city has rebranded its economic development function as the Economic Vitality Office (EVO) with a new website, outreach video and a plan to focus on strengthening existing businesses.

Bull said the shift reflects Brisbane—s character as a largely built-out city and a desire to help businesses succeed where they already locate: "For a city of 4,500 people, we have 700 businesses almost," he said, arguing that the city should help firms thrive so they do not leave when a lease ends.

The EVO—s approach centers on one-on-one interviews with business owners conducted by Bull and the city manager, cataloging needs including marketing, volunteer partnerships and disaster-response assistance. Bull highlighted local assets such as Crocker Park and a walking trail and described promotional work already under way, including a short "Welcome to Brisbane" video on the EVO page of the city website.

Committee members and staff discussed practical next steps: producing business profiles in the city newsletter, using the weekly email blast to spotlight businesses, and creating a structured volunteer pipeline so companies can offer two-to-four hour, half-year commitments to community projects. The committee suggested matching employer volunteer availability to the needs of partners such as parks, libraries and nonprofits, and identified Rebuilding Together—s model of corporate volunteer days as an example to emulate.

Bull said the EVO is still in early stages and invited committee members to share contacts and ideas; staff will follow up with ways to feature businesses in the city—s communications and with options to pilot a volunteer-matching program.

Next steps: staff will coordinate a brief written update for the January committee packet and share a link to the EVO page and the promotional video.