By NEAL WAGNER / City Editor

Pelham elected officials will look to strengthen the lines of communication with the city’s existing businesses during the first meeting of the Pelham Business Alliance.

The meeting will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 22 at 11 a.m. at the Pelham Civic Complex, and will bring business owners and city officials together to discuss ways to improve Pelham’s retail base, said Councilman Ron Scott.

Scott, the former executive director of the Economic Development Association of Alabama, began lobbying for a city business alliance when he was appointed to the council in March 2012.

“There are a lot of factors in successful economic development. The first element is to have a sound retail base,” Scott said. “The best way to do that is to ensure your existing businesses are prosperous.

“This is what we need to do first before we start aggressively recruiting new businesses,” Scott added.

Scott said the response from local businesses has been “very positive,” and said he is eager to hear their thoughts and concerns during the upcoming meeting.

“Any business hopes that the city will create rules and regulations that will allow them to be successful,” Scott said. “They don’t want the city to deter them from doing business.”