Auburn to focus on development Thurs. night

Auburn does not have an economic development director,and a previous partnership with a local businessman did not prove fruitful.

The new strategy is to contract with Ackerman and Co., a leading commercial real estate firm in Atlanta, to market Auburn as a pro-business community. The contract would pay Ackerman a $75 per hour consulting fee for any business it brings to the city, according to city administrator Ron Griffith, who will present the contract to the council.

Mayor Linda Blechinger said Ackerman works with rail property and the city has rail property that just isn’t moving.

“The competition for getting businesses to locate in a particular city is fierce,” she said. “If you don’t aggressively go after it, the chances of landing a good company are pretty slim. Truth is, there are so many places for a company to go, not only in North Georgia, but the state as a whole and in fact, the whole south east. Auburn is a bedroom community. In order for us to be a viable option, we have to go out and get it.”