Ever since Harold Bell Wright penned his best-seller "The Shepherd of the Hills" more than 100 years ago, tourism has been the economic engine that has positioned Branson as one of the top U.S. vacation cities. But even while sales and tourism taxes - paid mostly by visitors - account for the majority of city revenue, city leaders recognize how vulnerable Branson, like any other city, can be during the economic downturn.
Rising gasoline prices, foreclosures, a lack of confidence in the economy and even a natural occurrence such as spring flooding in 2008 all contributed to a decline in visitors and tax revenues that fell short of projections.
City leaders are ever mindful of the value of supporting and nurturing our existing core businesses. These events, however, underscored what city leaders have known for quite a while: Diversification of Branson's business community is a must.
Industrial parks
The city's first industrial park, Branson Commerce Park on north State Highway 248, is under development and will include light-industrial, retail and residential users. A business park would diversify Branson's economy and create more year-round, higher-paying jobs, resulting in a better quality of life.
The Branson Board of Aldermen has approved a Community Improvement District and Neighborhood Improvement District to fund the park's infrastructure.
Adjacent to the business park is an underground storage company called the Mountain Complex. The board also has supported legislation moving through the state legislature giving a tax incentive to companies that put data centers in old mines. Under this legislation, companies would pay no sales tax on utilities and equipment if they occupy a mine with at least 500,000 square feet. Marketing the industrial park and Mountain Complex to potential businesses will be one of the main responsibilities of the city's economic development department.
Recognizing the need for affordable housing, the aldermen also approved resolutions supporting state and federal tax credits for a 100-unit apartment complex in northwest Branson and 79 single-family work force houses in the southwest part of the city.
Business expansion
CenturyTel recently expanded its operations in Branson to offer state-of-the-art communication service to area businesses.
Ozarks Technical Community College enlarged its Branson campus with more educational opportunities for residents, especially in the areas of food service, hospitality and customer service, all vital components in a thriving tourism industry.
Later this year, residents and businesses in Branson will have the choice of natural gas as an energy source. Southern Missouri Natural Gas has started the process to lay a line from Aurora to Branson.
This should prove to be an additional incentive for businesses and companies looking at Branson.
Another milestone in Branson's history happened two years ago with completion of the Branson Convention Center, which added a new dimension to the Branson experience. The convention center provides a powerful incentive for associations, groups and companies to visit Branson.
Groups involved in convention center events are an entirely new audience for us, particularly business travelers, whose characteristics are different from Branson's current visitor makeup.
Network of trails
Diversification has also occurred in Branson's main industry - tourism.
The city is developing a network of trails in and around Branson to connect parks, neighborhoods, retail centers and historical points of interest.
Trails enhance the outdoor experiences for residents and visitors and meet vacationers' requests for more outdoor soft activities.
The Branson RecPlex has become a visitor generator. The RecPlex hosted more than 30 state, regional and national tournaments in 2008.
These tournaments drew 20,000 people with an estimated economic impact of $5.6 million.
The city partners with the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention and Visitors Bureau to get attention in the sports market.
City and chamber representatives attend trade shows to target amateur team and individual sport competitions and tournaments for Branson.
The biggest role Branson can play in economic development is supporting existing businesses and providing the environment that fosters new projects, entrepreneurship and growth.
The long-term life of not only Branson, but also every community, depends on creating jobs, increasing sales, finding and retaining workers, and improving services to its citizens.[[In-content Ad]]
Dean Kruithof is Branson city administrator. He may be reached at dkruithof@bransonmo.gov.
