Lake County Gazette

City of Highland Park Business and Economic Development and Advisory Group met Sept. 12

Here are the minutes provided by the group:

I. NETWORKING

II. CALL TO ORDER

Business Development Manager Hersch called the meeting to order at 8:09 AM

III. ROLL CALL

Advisors Present: Vice Chair Kerch and Advisors Bloom, and Center

Advisors Absent: Chair Falcon and Advisors Bernstein Latimer, Miller, and Verhey Business Development Manager Hersch declared that a quorum was not present.

Staff Present: City Manager Ghida Neukirch, Community Development Director Joel Fontane, Deputy Community Development Director Charmain Later, Business Development Manager Carolyn Hersch, Business Development Specialist Corey Cohn, Communications Manager Amanda Bennett Council Present: Mayor Nancy Rotering, Councilmembers Barisa Bruckman, Annette Lidawer, and Councilmember Andres Tapia

Also Present: Ex Officio Chamber Director Lori Dekalo

Members of the Public: 45 Highland Park business owners

IV. MAYOR’S WELCOME

Mayor Rotering welcomed attendees and introduced members of the Business and Economic Advisory Group and City Staff. 

V. STAFF UPDATE

a. INFRASTRUCTURE UPDATE

Business Development Specialist Cohn gave a high-level overview of the Business Development Strategic Plan. The presentation focused on City Infrastructure Investments, specifically the 2024 CIP projects in the Central Business District. The key infrastructure projects highlighted were the resurfacing streets throughout the Central Business District, installation of new outdoor furniture, and improvements to infrastructure on Second Street between Elm Place and Central Avenue. These enhancements include improvements to lighting and landscaping, as well as sidewalk bump-outs to facilitate outdoor dining.

b. BUSINESS INCENTIVES UPDATE

Business Development Manager Hersch presented existing incentives, including the newly adopted Food and Beverage Interior Improvement and Expansion Grant, Sales Tax Rebate Program, Exterior Improvement Grant Program, and Boutique Incentive, to clarify available resources citywide. This part of the presentation focused on the newly adopted Food & beverage Interior Improvement and Expansion Grant. This grant is intended to offer significant financial assistance to new and existing full-service and limited-service food and beverage businesses that generate sales tax. Business Development Manager further explained the grant policy, eligibility requirements for both full and limited-service food and beverage providers, application requirements, and application evaluation.

Business Development Manager Hersch discussed various business incentives, such as the Food and Beverage Interior Improvement and Expansion Grant, Sales Tax Rebate Program, Exterior Improvement Grant Program, and Boutique Incentive. The focus was on the newly adopted Food and Beverage Interior Improvement and Expansion Grant, which provides financial assistance to fullservice and limited-service food and beverage businesses that generate sales tax. Manager Hersch explained the grant policy, eligibility requirements for both types of food and beverage providers, and the application and evaluation process.

c. PLACER.AI LOCATION ANALYTICS PRESENTATION

Chris Dolobowski from Placer.ai, a leading location analytics company, provided a detailed overview of the Placer.ai platform and its capabilities. He demonstrated how the City and local retailers can use Placer.ai data to make informed decisions. The presentation showcased successful case studies illustrating the platform's effectiveness in supporting marketing initiatives, optimizing store locations, and attracting and retaining a mix of complementary retailers.

City Manager Neukirch and Business Development Manager Hersch discussed ways to make Placer.ai data available to businesses. They plan to provide a quarterly dashboard with key metrics to help businesses make data-informed decisions on topics such as hours of operation and customer profiles. The first dashboard, covering Q3, is expected to be available to the Council and businesses in early October. The data will be introduced via Zoom, and further details on the rollout will be provided later this month. Council members will be invited to attend.

Following the presentation, staff and the Placer.ai representative solicited feedback and questions from attendees. Vice Chair Kerch inquired about identifying individuals who do not visit Highland Park for shopping or dining. Chris responded that the Void Analysis tool within Placer.ai can effectively accomplish this task.

Tony Gordon, the owner of Gordon Salon, asked if businesses could schedule one-on-one FaceTime sessions with Placer.ai representatives. The City Manager and Business Development Manager clarified that the City would initially provide quarterly dashboards with key metrics to assist businesses in making data-driven decisions regarding operating hours, customer profiles, and other relevant factors.

Lauren Cardick, owner of Matchmaker Bookshop, inquired about the insights that could be derived from the absence of specific data. She specifically asked how to determine if Sundays would be a beneficial day for business operations. Chris Dolobowski explained by using Placer.ai technology to compare local foot traffic patterns to a business's operating hours, owners can assess the potential benefits of adjusting their hours to align with peak foot traffic times.

Sherry Levin, owner of Style Shack, commented on the perceived challenges associated with the approval process. Jim Lederer, owner of Bluegrass Restaurant, echoed these sentiments, noting the extended processing time for his Exterior Improvement Grant and suggesting potential avenues for streamlining the approval process.

The City representatives valued the feedback from businesses on how they can best support the business environment. They aim to proactively consider policies to enhance business retention, review the permit, license, and other business-related processes, and find opportunities to streamline communication between businesses and City departments. Staff will follow up directly with individual businesses regarding their questions and concerns. Certain initiatives, including recommendations to provide greater flexibility to businesses regarding signs, are already scheduled for discussion at the Committee of the Whole later this fall.

VI. OTHER BUSINESS

VII. BUSINESS FROM THE PUBLIC

None

VIII. ADJOURNMENT

Business Development Manager Hersch asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting.

Vice Chair Kerch motioned to adjourn the meeting.

Advisor Center seconded the motion.

Business Development Manager Hersch adjourned the meeting at 9:37 AM.

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