Centralia’s Economic Development Director says a new data interpretation program the city will use for the first time this year should help provide more information to those looking to locate or expand a business in Centralia.
Derek Sherman says Placer.ai is used by some of the biggest cities in the country for economic development and he’s excited to have the tools locally.
“You are able to pull data that is beneficial to businesses. Most businesses, specifically franchises or larger corporations, or even small businesses, make decisions on data nowadays. And what we are looking to do with this software system is have data we can showcase to potential businesses or developers that are interested in our community and paint them a more comprehensive and accurate picture of why they should be investing in the city of Centralia and why it is a great place to invest in.”
Sherman says better data means better presentations to potential new businesses. Placer.ai also helps with the presentation. The data can also be used to determine the best location for different types of businesses.
Sherman also plans to use the program with business retention.
“The way I envision this is if a business has questions or interested in starting a new program or offering a new product, we can utilize this to see interest that people have in that. Or if local businesses are interested in partnering with another local business we can see who is traveling between them, if they have the same type of consumers that they would be pulling from or work together to grow that market share.”
Sherman says the data will also be useful in seeking tourism grants where information is sought on the numbers who attend events as well as from the areas they are coming.
The city will pay $20,000 a year for access to the program.
