PRINT THIS STORY:

CHANGE TEXT SIZE:

THE BENEFIT OF BASS

Bass Pro Shops helped put the central Alabama town of Prattville on the map. Last year the city, which has a population of 30,000, sent a modest delegation of two officials to the ICSC Spring Convention in Las Vegas. At the show Springfield, Mo.-based Bass Pro Shops announced plans to open a 130,000-square-foot showroom in Prattville in April 2007. Making the announcement during the retail world’s highest-profile event “was a huge catalyst for other retailers to talk with us,” says Connie Bainbridge, president and economic development director for the Prattville Area Chamber of Commerce.

Spurring such discussions has never been more important for Prattville, says Mayor Jim Byard Jr. Two years ago the state of Alabama changed the law to allow municipalities to offer retailers the same kinds of incentives once reserved for manufacturers. Prattville and neighboring cities now battle it out for the attention of national chains.

“I’ve got about 30,000 or so citizens who say, ‘Mayor, you ought to bring us a Target,’ or, ‘We need a Red Lobster,’ ” said Byard. “But you don’t just call Target or Ruby Tuesday’s or whoever and say: ‘I’m the mayor. You need to be in our city.’ You have to establish a relationship with brokers and with their corporate real estate folks. ICSC helps you do that.” The 2006 delegation has tripled, comprising the mayor, the city council president, two state legislators and two business recruitment specialists. “For a city our size, that is a huge delegation,” Bainbridge said.

— JG