- April 24, 2024
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Businesses have joined forces to promoting coastal commerce. Also, the Ambassadors Program offers free consultations.
Frank Gromling, owner of Ocean Publishing and one-third founder of a new business initiative called Flagler Beach First!, addressed the mayor and Flagler Beach City Commission Aug. 25, to present his team’s plan to strengthen the local economy.
“I am proud to report that Flagler Beach First! is officially under way,” he told the commission. The effort’s website (www.FlaglerBeachFirst.com) had been created, and after 24 hours had 14 local companies register to participate, he said.
Gromling, along with Flagler Beach Chamber of Commerce Chairman Joseph Pozzuoli and Beachouse Beanery Owner Carol Fisher, started FBF! after the county’s first economic development summit, as a way to improve local customer service. Today, it has morphed into a way of increasing awareness about businesses operating in Flagler Beach.
“We’re trying to keep business in our beach town, rather than people crossing the bridge and heading to Walmart,” Pozzuoli said, in an email. “People don’t know about all the businesses in (Flagler Beach).”
The website will serve as a business directory, which lists companies by name and category, making it easy for residents to find products and services they might have previously left town to pursue.
Businesses can offer discounts, as well, Gromling said. News items will highlight the progress of local projects, and relevant city links will also be offered.
The site was created pro bono, by Ryan Erisman Media. FBF! has also created a logo, posters and pins, and it is currently finalizing other promotions, such as a map of participating businesses and a customer-service training program for retailers.
According to Gromling, the effort’s mission is to “provide an effective method for Flagler Beach businesses to promote each other, and to educate residents and visitors about the importance of purchasing products and services from businesses in Flagler Beach first.”
Ambassadors Program
Pozzuoli, along with other Flagler Beach officials, are also involved in another new business initiative, called the Ambassadors Program.
Led by City Manager Bruce Campbell, the Ambassadors Program operates similar to a Flagler Beach version of Palm Coast’s Business Assistance Center. Campbell, along with Pozzuoli, a city commissioner and a city building official, meet with potential business owners to explain the licensing structure as well as local zoning regulations. They also try to help owners think through promising ideas.
“Flagler Beach is so small, we could implement (the emphasis on improved customer service) right away,” Pozzuoli said.
Of the 12 entrepreneurs already assisted, he added, some have moved forward with creating a business plan. Others realized they still had work to do.
— Brian McMillan contributed to this story.
