NATCHEZ — Natchez officials met with three different retail experts Thursday evening in a special called meeting.

The results of the expert consultation, officials said, could one day help the city reach its economic potential.

Natchez Mayor Darryl Grennell said Will Kline of Retail Coach, Jeff Rouzie of Retail Strategies and Anthony Michellic of Brick and Mortar all asked to come to Natchez and present their cases on how they could help the city thrive.

“They wanted to get placed on the agenda for one of our regularly scheduled meetings,” Grennell said. “I proposed that we have a special-called meeting and meet with them all at once.”

The presentations from each of the groups represented Thursday included step-by-step processes to recruiting more retailers to the city.

Michellic said he would begin by coaching the existing businesses while two of the three presenters, Kline and Rouzie, said the first step is to perform a study of Natchez’s consumer market and identify the possible sites for retailers to exist.

“Each market is unique,” Kline said. “There’s a lot to be learned about Natchez. One of the things that we do believe that there are, in fact, opportunities on the retail front here.”

Chesney Doyle, director of FOR Natchez, said some of the first steps have already been taken to implement the Downtown Revitalization project, which focuses on developing key areas of the downtown that are specifically targeted to help the city in as many ways as the presenters said they could.

“I find these presentations interesting and enlightening,” Doyle said, “and I foresee in the future that Natchez could look into engaging a group, but right now everyone is onboard with pursuing the priorities that are outlined in the Downtown Master Plan (a guidebook with steps to revitalize Downtown Natchez).”

Doyle said $20,000 was invested in a downtown study for the project, which is partly funded by the city, the county and other entities.

Doyle said the recruitment of businesses — another phase that the presenters discussed — would be included in the job description for a downtown director, for which Grennell said he has been aggressively seeking funding to pay the salary.

Alderwoman Sarah Carter Smith asked during the meeting if hiring a retail consultant would work in conjunction with the plan that is already in place.

“Do you ever work with cities who are looking to hire someone to handle economic development downtown, including retail?” Smith asked Michellic during Thursday’s meeting.

“In full transparency, it crossed my mind … to work with the city to locate a downtown director and then teaching him to do what we do,” Michellic said.

Grennell said seeking help from one of these organizations is further down on the priority list.

“My priority is to focus on getting the downtown plan implemented by first hiring a downtown director and to get that plan in motion, he said. “There’s a lot of potential for the city … which all of these presenters agree on … We just have to take our time and proceed with the plan we already have in place. … I believe that will have a domino effect on the rest of the city.”

In other matters at Thursday’s special called meeting:

The board unanimously approved to advertise for the fiscal year budget for 2019 to be presented at the next board meeting on Sept. 11.

The board heard a presentation from lobbyists of Cornerstone Government Affairs, Elliot Flagg and Joe Sims.

Flagg said Cornerstone helped the Starkville fire department secure $269,000 in grants and helped secure $10 million for the Starkville Collaboration School, a program that bridges the city’s schools with Mississippi State University.

Flagg said Cornerstone helped Ridgeland secure state funding for various projects as well and trained their city employees in public and community relations.

“If we’re blessed enough to be able to work for the city of Natchez, the first step would be to coordinate a date with the mayor and Board of Aldermen to set your legislative agenda,” Flagg said. 

The price for Cornerstone’s services was not mentioned. 

All presentations were taken under advisement with no other action.