In order to attract economic development to the city, Westbrook needs to do more to promote itself.

That was one of the messages coming out of an economic development summit hosted by the city last Friday.

Members of the local business community as well as real estate developers and others gathered in a meeting room at One Riverfront Plaza to discuss the city’s efforts to attract economic development, the city’s strengths and weaknesses and what more could Westbrook do to grow and prosper.

Ed Symbol, the Ward 3 City Councilor who owns Full Court Press and Rookies on Main Street, said he thought the city would be well served by a public relations campaign, similar to one done by Lewiston/Auburn, to promote Westbrook throughout Maine and New England. “We’re a great community,” he said. “We should be telling people we’re great.”

The city has taken steps to promote itself in the past. Several years ago, the city used a campaign with the slogan Westbrook, Yes! to promote the city.

Economic and Community Development Director Erik Carson even showed one of the video spots from that campaign during a presentation at the summit. The spots aired on local television several years ago before the campaign was discontinued.

Panelists said a campaign like Westbrook Yes! was a good idea, and the city should look to revive that campaign or something similar, prehaps on a larger scope to promote the city.

Symbol proposed a novel way to pay for the campaign. Remarking that residential growth continues to increase, he said he thought the city should impose a one-half percent impact fee on all new residential development. All the money collected from those fees could then be used to pay for a public relations campaign to attract new businesses to Westbrook.

Dick Daigle of Westbrook-based Idexx agreed that a public relations campaign would be helpful to attract new businesses as well as helping existing businesses recruit new employees to come to Maine. Daigle feels a public relations campaign would allow the city to promote its small-town culture. “People still aren’t familiar with what Westbrook has to offer,” he said. “We still have a recruiting challenge to get people to come to Maine.”

Many of the panelists agreed that Westbrook has a lot going for it. The challenge was how to let people outside the city know what is here. “People don’t understand what’s here,” said John Roberts, president of Disability RMS. When his company brings in people from outside the state, Roberts said they generally have a great experience in Westbrook. He said the city should do more to sell itself. “A little PR goes a long way,” he said.

Paul Rowland, who owns Paul’s Shoe Repair in Cumberland Mills, said he could see that Westbrook has made great strides over the years, especially since the mill began downsizing. “The pieces are in place,” he said.

While the city should continue to do whatever it could to bring businesses to town, Rowland said sometimes it’s best to keep government interference at a minimum and let development happen at its own pace. He said the businesses that have succeeded in Westbrook have done so because of the talent and initiative of the people behind the business. Government programs to assist business have their place, but Rowland said sometimes it’s best if government stays out of the way of growth.

“I don’t know that there is one thing (the city) could do,” he said. “Just stand back and watch it happen.”

Danielle Drouin, who owns Drouin Dance Center in the Dana Warp Mill, also said she thought government should be there to help businesses when it is necessary. Her advice to the city in dealing with business was to be there to listen to businesses and find out what their needs are, but otherwise “stay back and let us grow and develop.”

Summit Last Friday, the city hosted an economic development summit at One Riverfront Plaza. The city invited members of the business community as well as real estate brokers, developers and others to take part in panel discussions about economic development in the city. Pictured (from left) Economic and Community Development Director Erik Carson, David McIlhenny of Sigco, Todd Fields of the Westbrook Regional Vocational Center, Dick Daigle of Idexx, John Martis of Sappi and Ed Symbol, Ward 3 City Councilor and owner of Full Court Press and Rookies.