06 - MINUTES OF VARIOUS BOARDS, COMMISSIONS, AND COMMITTEES

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PARIS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION SPECIAL CALLED MEETING Board Members Present: John Brockman, Vice -Chair Don Wilson, Secretary- Treasurer Ray Banks Ex- Officio Members Present: None Legal Counsel: Stephanie Harris Call to Order: Conference Room 1125 Bonham Paris, Texas 75460 Thursday April 28, 2016 4:00 O'CLOCK P.M. MINUTES Staff Present: Michael Paris, Executive Director Chris Stout, Office Assistant Guest(s) Present: Amanda Gohn, The Paris News Billy Trenado Colton Sanders City Council Liaison: None John Brockman, Vice -Chair called the PEDC Board meeting to order at 4:01 p.m. Mr. Wilson opened the meeting by asking that everyone introduce themselves. A quorum was present. 2016 -2017 Plan of Work Workshop. Mr. Paris started the 2016 -2017 Plan of Work Workshop by saying the purpose of the Workshop was to introduce a scope of work and discuss the fundamental practices for Economic Development. The first goal is Business Retention and Expansion and Industry Recruiting; this would include promoting Paris as a great place to live, work and do business. Mr. Paris emphasized that participation in TEAM Texas is beneficial for networking with vendors and site consultants. He highlighted the 2016 Select USA Conference and Post Conference Trip as exceptional for having investors ready with cash in hand. All of the TEAM Texas events are to generate leads and site visits to Paris. Mr. Wilson asked about the investors; whether they were looking to invest or manufacture in the United States. Mr. Paris stated that both types of investors are there. Lamar County is qualified for Mexican or Chinese investors that want to invest in certain counties in the US in exchange for a United States VISA. Mr. Brockman asked about how TEAM Texas is setup at these events and Mr. Paris stated that TEAM Texas has a booth and everyone from TEAM Texas rotates their time in the booth. Consultant Connect is a way to visit with consultants in different areas of the country and to find out the current activities that are happening in the different industries. There are three different cities listed: New York, Chicago, and Dallas. Mr. Banks asked if all of the events would be under Marketing. Mr. Paris stated they would be. Mr. Wilson stated that most of the RFPs come from companies that want to be in Texas. He also wants to make sure that the timing and the budget are right for this fiscal year to the next fiscal year. Mr. Paris stated that he would