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Commission hears youth-presenter’s comparison of retail-recruitment options, defers decision
Summary
Grant Bailey presented a comparison of a $45,000/year full-service recruitment consultant and a lower-cost analytics platform; commissioners praised the analysis, discussed staffing implications, and agreed to delay a procurement decision until after a meeting with a local developer next week.
Grant Bailey presented the Redevelopment Commission with a side-by-side comparison of two retail-recruitment approaches, telling commissioners one is a full-service consulting option at about $45,000 a year while the other is a self-service analytics platform that costs roughly $5,000 a year.
"Retail Strategies does data analysis, site visits, prospect outreach and deal negotiation support," Bailey said, describing the more expensive option as outsourced, consultant-led recruitment. "Sightseer will do the analytics for you but it would expect you to do the recruiting yourself." Bailey recommended pursuing a short pilot or municipal quote for Sightseer and setting clear performance targets — for example, a target time from first contact to lease — to measure success.
Commissioners pressed on staffing and political optics. One member said an internal hire to run a platform could offset consultant costs; another said a $45,000 contract can create political risk if results are slow to appear. Several commissioners raised the question of whether the city should pay for outside recruitment or invest in local capacity.
A commissioner reported an upcoming meeting with the hotel developer the city has worked with, noting the developer might already be performing retail outreach. The commission agreed not to decide on hiring Retail Strategies at today’s meeting and to revisit the topic after the developer conversation scheduled for Monday.
Why it matters: The city is weighing a recurring investment in retail recruitment against building internal capacity. Commissioners framed the choice as a tradeoff between speed (outsourced, higher cost) and long‑term skills development (platform plus local staffing).
Next steps: Commissioners asked staff to gather a municipal quote or pilot details from the lower-cost vendor and to report back after the scheduled developer meeting.
