The Tamworth Economic Development Commission

Mission Statement:
The Tamworth Economic Development Commission will develop a strategy for the retention, growth and attraction of businesses in Tamworth. The Commission should be charged with: 
• Conducting an assessment of the existing business base of the town, including the types of businesses, employment base, and residence of employees. 
• Identifying the specific types of businesses that match the character of the town and skill levels of residents. 
• Making realistic recommendations about what the town can do to grow its existing business base; retain existing businesses and attract new businesses to the town. 
• Developing a strategy for high-speed Internet access in Tamworth. 
• Coordinating town economic development activities with surrounding towns and appropriate regional and state resources. 

Economic Development Tamworth Begins its Mission
It has taken several years for Economic Development Tamworth (EDT) to evolve. We began as a sub-committee of the Master Plan, a small group of dedicated citizens and business leaders who recognized the paramount need to help grow the businesses in Tamworth by providing tools that would also be beneficial to new entities interested in our area. This subcommittee identified two immediate needs and set to work. See below for the stories of how the town website was created and how TamWireless began.

Eventually, directed by a large majority of those who returned the Master Plan survey, the Planning Board formally requested that the Board of Selectmen appoint a group of people who would dedicate their efforts toward the further economic development of our town. Voila!! Economic Development Tamworth (EDT) was born! EDT members, over a series of continuing monthly meetings, have been exploring the various paths that could be taken to accomplish our goal of supporting local businesses while encouraging new business growth. See below for accomplishments that have taken place so far. And, stay tuned for more!

TEDC Wins Award of Excellence from Lakes Region Planning Commission
On June 27, 2016, The Tamworth Economic Development Commission, was recognized by the Lakes Region Planning Commission with an Award of Excellence for their New Career Day..  The Commission was represented at the awards ceremony, by Pat Farley, (Secretary of the LRPC), Lloyd Hadden and Kimball Packard,    New Career Day was held at the Town House in May, and provided an opportunity for people to explore new careers with area businesses who had training/internship positions to offer.  The Career Day was well attended, and a number of people were placed in jobs that have become permanent positions.

Tamworth Town Website
An early goal the original sub-committee felt would be a helpful tool to many was to develop a Tamworth town website….but we had no money for such an enterprise! We gratefully received help from a number of sources such as the then active Chocorua Community Association business committee (most of whom were on the Economic Development sub-committee) as well as the Tamworth Foundation. The Town itself was asked for a small donation that was ultimately underwritten by an anonymous gift. After lots of creative sessions with the web designer, the site was finally launched and has been a great resource for all of us wanting to read meeting minutes, get the latest Town announcements, and even link to helpful and/or fun sites for adults and kids. Some of the Kids' Links were particularly chosen to be helpful to those home schooling their children.

TamWireless Providing Broadband
The lack of Broadband throughout most of the town was recognized by the sub-committee as a dire handicap not only to the many entrepreneurs and companies in our town wanting to market their products and services but also to the many residents wanting to have access to the world around them via the internet. The final and recent outcome of this goal is Tamwireless, a company created and run by local Tamworthians. Beta sites are up and running, the kinks are getting worked out, and several residents, who have been unable prior to TamWireless, are enjoying high-speed internet access. For more information on TamWireless, visit their website at www.tamwireless.net.

Strengthening Local Business
After the EDT was formed, its mission continued to have the growth and strengthening of existing Tamworth businesses as a primary focus. We've undertaken three projects to accomplish this goal. The first is to make visitors aware of the various offerings they can find here. Our fresh-off-the-presses brochure and rack cards, strategically placed where visitors will find them, will help those businesses dedicated to the tourist trade…lodging, dining, gifts, museums, nature trails, amusements, etc.

Our second project is to promote local businesses and services to those most likely to use them -- other Tamworthians. With this in mind, we sought to categorically list every business in town, along with appropriate contact information, so we all can easily refer either to this handy, efficient list on our website or, very soon, to the hard copy we will make available to every household in town. We hope that whenever any of us needs a product or service, we will first look to THE LIST and Keep it Local!

You are looking at the third project. We've taken all of the information we gathered for the brochure, rack cards and business list and put them on a website, easily accessible by locals and visitors alike.

Tamworth Artisans Unite
Tamworth is full of talented artisans who have, with a little guidance from EDT and a successful effort on the part of the artists, combined to become Artworks. Their arts and crafts are showcased not only at the Tamworth Marketplace in the summer and the Remick Gift Shop year round, but also at their own showroom in Chocorua. If you have not yet been there it is well worth the trip!

Encouraging New Businesses
EDT also wants to encourage the development of new business among those entrepreneurs living in our town. To that end, we are gathering potential finance resource information on a local, state and federal level that may prove helpful to certain kinds of start-up enterprises. We will be meeting in the next several weeks with representatives of NH Economic Development who have asked us to come up with three or four suggested businesses that would be ideal in our town, keeping in mind our natural resources…lots of wood here!...our rural setting, and the strengths of our workforce. Please contact us if you have an idea you would like to explore so we can connect you with appropriate development resources.

Recent Programs
B.I.G. Business Idea Generator: To identify ideas to spur economic growth in our community. TEDC is following up with those interested in pursuing ideas presented at the meeting on available funding sources and building planning services.

Agribusiness - A Regional Informational Forum: To promote local agriculture and increase revenues through cooperation between local vendors.

Looking to the Future
Well, that’s where we have come from and the path taken to reach the present…..and we can’t wait to see where our hard work and dedication will take us in the future! Please keep in touch with us with your good ideas and suggestions….together we can accomplish anything!