About BETA – Bellevue Economic and Tourism Association

In early 2008 a grass roots effort began to renew economic development in Bellevue, Iowa.  The intent is to support and improve the prospects for our community by responding to community needs, enhancing local job opportunities, supporting local businesses, attracting new businesses and increasing tourism and residential growth.

Vision: Preserving Traditions, Creating Our Future

Mission: Enhance the Bellevue community through support and development of its economic structure to include increasing population, retention and expansion of current businesses and employment opportunities, attraction of desirable new enterprises and expansion of tourism to support the development strategies.

Objectives

BETA intends to foster growth in Bellevue’s local economic base through business retention and expansion, targeted new business attraction, workforce readiness, and residential quality of life within the vision and mission set forth by the community.

1. Business retention, expansion and attraction.  Create the infrastructure to support Bellevue’s current businesses and support expansion where applicable.  Continue to pursue “right fit” businesses to start or relocate to Bellevue.
2. Increase population of Bellevue by 25 families/100 people within 36 months.  Increase the number of new families moving to Bellevue that will be active contributors to the community.  These new residents will either take advantage of jobs available in Bellevue or be new residents that commute to nearby economic centers but choose to live in Bellevue for the positive qualities of the community.
3. Increase net living wage employment opportunities in Bellevue by 50 within 36 months. BETA plans to facilitate the infrastructure and business retention and attraction programs necessary to increase the number of living wage jobs in the Bellevue community.
4. Increase visitor and tourism traffic to support current businesses and development strategies. Visitor and tourism traffic are the “egg” that leads to the “chicken” of economic prosperity.  Increased traffic to Bellevue will support existing local businesses and bring the exposure necessary to introduce new residents and business owners to the unique and special qualities of Bellevue.
5. Increase Bellevue retail business revenues by 5%+ per year. The combination of community support, economic development results and increased activity will increase revenues for local retail businesses.

Activities

1.  Marketing and Brand Building – BETA will market Bellevue using traditional and non-traditional means to generate interest in Bellevue as a destination for tourism, relocation and business relocation and incubation.  The emphasis will be on targeted campaign focusing on the use of web 2.0 and social media methods to engage the target audience in an ongoing manner.  Every effort will be made to maintain consistency with the Bellevue Vision of “Preserving Traditions, creating our Future.”

2.  Feasibility Studies – Various studies will be undertaken to identify the current and future best uses and needs of the communities.  The information will be used to facilitate informed investments in the community and business infrastructure.  Some examples would include hotel, dock and retail feasibility studies.

3.  Business Attraction Efforts – BETA will have a defined attraction and response strategy to attract new business and respond to new business inquiries in a discrete and confidential manner.  BETA will also work closely with The Greater Dubuque Development Corporation to leverage their success and proximity to the benefit of the Bellevue area.

4.  Business Support – BETA will serve as a sounding board and support resource for area businesses.

BETA is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization.