Business incubator still wanted for Avon Park

Revamping Avon Park's downtown Main Street into a flourishing business district has become the focus of Highlands County Economic Development Commission's business incubator project.

For years the city has struggled to sustain its Main Street merchants, and merchants have equally struggled to keep their doors open.

But a proposed marketing plan and business incubator project may be the city's stepping stone for future growth.

The business incubator program provides a support system to entrepreneurial businesses. Possible tenants for this project are a solar power consulting firm and an Internet technology company.

The entrepreneurs would have access to mentors, business professionals, training, marketing strategies and more to ensure their success.

Dan Murphy, executive director of the Economic Development Commission, who's leading the business incubator project, calculated 428,123 square feet of possible store fronts along Main Street.

"I think that's enough square footage to build an attractive magnet to get people to come downtown," Murphy said.

Avon Park has a lot of potential. There are a lot of storefronts available, good traffic flow along Main Street and it's accessible to potential customers, he said. That's why Murphy thinks the city's downtown would be a perfect location for an incubator.

According to Murphy's preliminary market study, he found that within a five-mile radius of downtown there are 27,000 people and 11,000 households of which about 38 percent make between $35,000 to $75,000 a year.

"It seems me that there is enough of a market here that we can build a strong business climate in downtown Avon Park," Murphy said.

Murphy and the Community Redevelopment Agency are searching for a location to house the business incubator. Earlier this year the CRA agreed to pay $44,000 toward rent and other expenses for the project for one year.

During Monday night's CRA meeting, the EDC requested that the CRA fund the project for three years. The request prompted the board to suggest the city's community center as a location. Housing it there would keep an estimated $132,000 in the city.

"If we are going to be paying someone we might as well be paying ourselves," said Mayor Sharon Schuler.

To keep businesses in business the city needs to figure out a way to attract more visitors to Avon Park. Currently consumer spending in Avon Park is about $200 million a year, only a fraction of the total the county brings in - $722 million a year.

The average a couple spends on a night out is $100, according to Murphy's presentation. To double consumer spending to $400 million a year Murphy said the city needs to attract 33,000 visitors a month or 1200 a day.

To do this he suggests that the city host one large event a year like a centennial, create a 52-week calendar of events and give residents who live within a five-mile radius of Main Street a shopping card to intice them to shop downtown.

Having a big event that draws people from out of town is a big plus for a city, said John Scherlacher, tourism director for Highlands County.

Events like 12 Hours of Sebring and the Heartland Triathlon bring out of town dollars to the county.

"If the city has an idea to attract out-of-town visitors they can tap into tourist tax funds," Scherlacher said, "That's what they're there for."

The council will discuss their options during the June 28 city council meeting. The target date for a selection on a building is July 16.

"There is a ticking clock on this selection," said Will Bennett, Main Street CRA advisory member.