On September 12, Greenbelt Interim City Manager Tim George welcomed Kevin Simpson as the city’s new economic development manager. He replaces Charise Liggins, who left in April. Simpson has worked for 15 years in municipal and county government, most recently as an economic development coordinator for Montgomery County and in Riverdale Park where, as its first director of development services, he established its Economic Development Program and enforced regulatory housing standards.
In his new position, Simpson leads the city’s Economic Development Program, which liaises with businesses, offering them technical assistance for growth and linking them to county, state and federal resources, funds and partners to support Greenbelt jobs, amenities and quality of life.
“Kevin will build on the excellent work and programming started by Charise as we continue to expand our Economic Development toolbox and provide assistance to Greenbelt businesses,” wrote George. “… [We will be expanding] our reach, programming, workforce development support and other assistance to Greenbelt businesses in need.” George also highlighted the city’s partnership with the Greenbelt Business Alliance, an initiative which he said Liggins began, but which wasn’t fully established before her departure.
Simpson said the city’s Economic Development Program strives to help existing Greenbelt businesses and employees thrive while also attracting new businesses to the city, all of which benefits consumers and employees in Greenbelt and beyond. He described economic development as contributing to “business climate, job retention and growth, the tax base and overall quality of life.”
ARPA Funds
Simpson’s short-term focuses include distributing $1.5M in economic development funds to local businesses from the city’s overall American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Covid recovery funds and engaging with local businesses to address their needs. He said longer-term activities will include connecting businesses to local, county, state and other business assistance funding, providing guidance to address their needs and to begin documenting economic development results (including from $400,000 in city ARPA funds already provided to businesses).
Simpson expects to implement the $1.5M ARPA funding processes in early 2023. He said business engagement will be a continuous activity beyond ARPA funding to identify businesses’ challenges and solutions.
Thriving Greenbelt businesses serve residents both with products and services, and by contributing to the tax base which funds city services. Simpson said business engagements are revealing needs that business owners can find challenging amidst daily operations, such as post-pandemic restaffing, navigating landlord and government regulations while improving signage and facades for visibility to customers as well as workforce training.
Results so far include connecting businesses to workforce training services from Employ Prince George’s and helping them navigate signage regulations. He said there is a wide range of resources available, such as 1) Employ Prince George’s Rapid Re-Employment grants to restaff businesses with Prince George’s County residents; 2) the Prince George’s Housing and Community Development Department’s Restaurant-Intensive Training Program for restaurant staff; 3) Exelon’s (Pepco’s parent company) Racial Equity Capital Fund for minority-owned businesses; and 4) State of Maryland Project Restore grants to businesses opening in properties vacant for at least six months.
While the city’s ARPA funding is temporary, the city intends to establish significant ongoing economic development funding for local businesses. Simpson is already building relationships and planning activities with small and large businesses and collaborating with organizations like the Greenbelt Business Alliance and the Greenbelt Community Development Corporation. For more details about the Economic Development Program, visit greenbeltmd.gov/government/departments/economic-development.
New Role
Simpson sees his new role as an opportunity to use his expertise to make a difference in a community he is familiar with, having lived in Greenbelt before. He described himself as a public servant, passionate about government and economic development. “I was displaced by Hurricane Katrina and that experience shaped me firsthand to understand the importance of economic resilience,” he said. “That experience is what I bring to the table.”
Jessica Wilson, Greenbelt Business Alliance member and chief strategy officer of CCI Health Services, told city councilmembers, “It’s already been great working with Kevin. He’s going to do big things for this city. I just know it, I feel it in my bones!”