At least one new business may be coming to Hays.  Aaron White, Executive Director of the Ellis County Coalition For Economic Development told Hays Post that a development project is looking to purchase just south of I70 on Vine Street.  While plans are still in the works and no additional details can be released yet, White confirmed that the closing is set for September.  If all goes according to plan, he will be announcing more information after the closing.

White says that there are numerous programs designed to pull in potential businesses/chains to the area.  His office has been trying to fill the needs of the community through various incentives that would benefit companies as well as the community.

This year, the Coalition conducted a community Retail Survey to determine what types of businesses residents felt should be brought into the area. The survey also asked questions about people’s shopping habits to determine what residents are doing and where their money is going.

Some of the needs indicated in the survey could be filled locally according to White.  According to the survey results, the top sector “currently not represented in Hays” was BBQ.  White said he has reached out to people in the community in attempt to locally fill that need.  He also said that there are some national chains his office is talking to that are showing a strong interest in Hays.

“Some of them have looked at the community before: 3, 4, 5 years ago. And we’ve had some steady growth in our retail sales, which has probably helped us stay very attractive.  Our retail pull factor has gone up again, we’re now sitting at a 1.91: retail factor is one of the highest in the state, and that’s an attractive demographic.  We’re getting some second looks from companies who 5 years ago weren’t interested, they’re interested now and they’re taking a strong look at us again.”

The 2013 Retail Survey can be found here.