When it comes to fighting the nationwide pandemic of fizzling small-town economies, it's all hands on deck for towns in Callaway County.
"Revitalization in a community is everyone's responsibility," said Bruce Hackmann, economic development director in Callaway County. "We were talking about small town revitalization and the challenges faced by small towns in general in this day and age."
Regardless of the national trend of small town decline, Hackmann said officials in Fulton have been hard at work keeping the local economy thriving. In fact, he said Fulton has become somewhat of a gem some residents may take for granted.
"We get a lot of people who come into the community and compliment our attractive and vibrant downtown," he said. "They are very impressed with what they find. They like the charm, appearance and general environment."
As time passes, the biggest cities down to the smallest towns are in need of revitalization, Hackmann said. However, small towns face an added challenge.
"There's more funding available (in cities) for different types of revitalization," he said. "The larger communities have a larger funding pool to pull from."
Hackmann, who grew up in Fulton, said the economic landscape has shifted dramatically since his youth.
"We have fewer locally owned businesses compared to the time I was growing up," he said. "Most of these businesses were owned locally. Now, so many of the companies are owned by someone outside this community."
The city is also fighting Father Time in a battle to preserve aging buildings, Hackmann said.
"Fulton has invested in infrastructure, which is a big step for the city," he said. "It takes a lot of dollars to maintain an old building, and that's what small towns often have."
With more funding, large towns are able to keep up with revitalization and expand their offerings. Occasionally, a growing neighboring city can have a negative impact on surrounding small towns, Hackmann added. Technology also affects the economic landscape.
"People have a lot of options nowadays," he said. "That's not just saying people go to Jefferson City or Columbia. They have online options as well. How do you overcome that? You have to provide them with buying opportunities."
Hackmann and other chamber officials have been working with consultants to determine what opportunities for advancement exist in Fulton. Recruiting a retailer, he said, is no small feat.
"We've been engaged in talks with a retail consulting firm," he said. "We are in the process of working through those recommendations. We're going to Atlanta in November to a conference where we will have the opportunity to talk to the heads of some retailers about coming to our community. There's a proactive approach at calling these businesses and encouraging them to come."
The balancing act of economic development continues with trying to attract national chains and local businesses simultaneously, Hackmann said.
"At the same time, we have a new marketing piece that's geared toward the smaller store-front retail," he said. "We're trying to fill the vacant spaces. We have fewer vacant spaces than we did earlier this year. It's still nowhere near acceptable because we want to see them all full."
Even with all the behind-the-scenes work that goes in to revitalizing the town, Hackmann said Fulton has had quite the track record for attracting restaurants.
"There are a lot of factors that have come together to fill these spaces," he said. "I have never in my lifetime seen more good restaurants in Fulton than we have now. You can stand in the middle of Court Street and have several quality restaurants within a 200-yard space."
Although much has been done for the improvement of Fulton, Hackmann said improving the town's economy is an ongoing process.
"You never get away from revitalization in a community," he said. "It's always ongoing. The great thing is we have a much better foundation than many communities our size."
There's always room for improvement, Hackmann added.
"We can do better, and we want to do better," he said.
The best thing residents can do to support the revitalization efforts is to take advantage of the local market, Hackmann said.
"You can provide things, but if people don't support them, they're not sustainable," he said. "If we provide them, people need to support them. We've got a great foundation here; it's just a matter of getting everyone on the same page. It takes a lot of things to come together to make revitalization more effective."