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From YouTube: Episode 15: A Case Study on Florence (SC) and its Growth
Description
On the latest episode of Chesterfield Behind the Mic, we talk to Mayor Teresa Myers Ervin of Florence (SC) about the growth of development and industry in her city, how that’s helped to position things for the future, the way it played out among various partners, and what all of that means for the residents in the area.
Credits:
Director: Martin Stith
Executive Producer: Susan S. Pollard
Co-Executive Producer: Teresa Bonifas
Producer/Writer/Host: Brad Franklin
Director of Photography/Editor: Matt Boyce
Camera Operator/Promotions: Vernon Freeman
Graphics: Debbie Wrenn
Promotions and Media: J. Elias O’Neal
Music:
Hip Hop This by Seven Pounds
Inspiring Electronic Rock by Alex Grohl
Guest:
Teresa Myers Ervin, Mayor of Florence (SC)
Filmed in-house by the Department of Communications and Media
Chesterfield.gov/podcast
Follow us on social media! On Facebook, like our page: Chesterfield Behind the Mic. On Twitter, you can find us at @ChesterfieldVa and on Instagram it’s @ChesterfieldVirginia. And you can also watch the podcast on WCCT TV Thursday through Sunday at 7 p.m. as well as on weekends at noon on Comcast Channel 98 and Verizon Channel 28.
A
Good
morning,
good
evening,
good
afternoon,
wherever
it
is
that
you
are
wherever
you
may
be,
thank
you
very
much
for
making
us
a
part
of
your
day.
I
am
brad
franklin,
creative
content
right
here
in
chesterfield,
and
I'm
very
glad
to
tell
you
that
chesterfield
behind
the
mic
is
on
the
air.
Once
again,
we've
got
something
a
little
bit
different
for
you
today,
a
case
study.
A
The
types
of
change
and
things
that
they've
gone
through
in
terms
of
bringing
in
more
development
bringing
in
more
industry
and
what
that's
meant
for
the
tax
base
there,
what
it's
meant
for
the
residents
there,
and
certainly
what
it's
meant
for
the
city
as
they
go
forward.
So
without
further
ado,
let's
hear
from
the
mayor,
madam
mayor,
thank
you
very
much
for
joining
us
today.
How
are
you.
A
Very
very
glad
to
have
you
here
and
certainly
an
interesting
topic.
You
know
there's
a
lot
that
that
localities
are
trying
to
do
in
this
current
economy
and
in
this
current
time
in
in
the
world,
to
figure
out
ways
to
to
change,
maybe
the
way
that
the
the
tax
revenues
come
in
and
trying
to
give
more
amenities
to
their
citizens
and
their
residents,
and
I
think
florence
is
an
interesting
case
study
in
that,
and
I
want
to
talk
to
you
for
a
little
bit
today
about
sort
of
your
experience
there
in
florence.
A
B
Well,
first
of
all,
thank
you
again
for
having
me
and
I've
been
mayor
since
2020
I
was
elected
in
november
of
2020,
but
prior
to
that
I
served
as
a
city
councilwoman.
I
served
on
the
foreign
city
council
from
2010
to
2020,
and
when
I
looked
at
where
we
have
come
from,
is
the
fact
that,
as
a
city,
we
have
been
very
deliberate
in
our
efforts
to
look
at
how
we
can
increase
our
economic
development,
and
by
doing
this
we
focused
a
lot
upon
partnerships.
A
With
the
with
the
the
sort
of
the
the
steps
you
guys
have
taken,
what
what
were
some
of
the
introductory
sort
of
baby
steps
of
that
process?
And
then,
when
you
got
that
ball
rolling?
What
did
it
look
like?
What
kinds
of
industry?
What
times
of
manufacturing?
What
kinds
of
things
did
florence
do
to
really
get
that
ball?
Rolling.
A
B
That
is
a
partnership
with
ourselves,
along
with
also
our
county
and
other
agencies.
So
by
developing
this
partnership
it
helped
us
to
enhance
the
resources
that
we
have
here
in
florence
county.
So
I
am
the
mayor
for
the
city,
but
then
we
have
our
county
and
I
always
state
that
mere
fact.
The
city
we
have
the
water,
but
the
county
has
the
land.
B
So
in
order
for
us
to
progress,
we
needed
to
partner
with
the
county,
which
is
something
we've
done
between
with
this
partnership,
and
by
doing
that,
we
have
experts
in
their
fields
who
come
together
to
look
at
what
we
have
available
here
in
the
county
of
florence.
There
are
times
when
we
have
representatives
who
are
in
colombia
who
are
on
the
front
lines
of
seeing
what
possible
industry
will
be
available.
B
A
Yeah
now
in
terms
of
the
when
the
industry,
you
know
when,
when
florence
decided
to
you
know
these
partnerships
came
together
and
and
the
opportunity
to
bring
in
different,
you
know,
sources
of
industry
became
available.
What
was
the
reaction
like
among
residents?
How?
How
how
did
they
sort
of
see
the
that
plan
was
it?
Were
you
met
with
lots
of
questions?
Did
folks,
you
know?
Was
it
welcome
with
open
arms?
What
was
the
what
was
the
reaction
like
from
a
lot
of
the
residents
in
florence.
B
Excitement
when
you
have
industry
coming
in,
you
have
now
more
job
potential
and
in
order
to
keep
especially
your
young
population,
there
they're
going
to
need
opportunities,
and
if
you
do
not
create
an
atmosphere
where
you
have
that
opportunity,
they
will
seek
opportunity
elsewhere
right.
So
we
as
a
city.
We
want
to
keep
our
talents
here.
So
in
order
for
us
to
do
that,
we
must
strive
to
bring
the
industry
here
that
will
provide
those
opportunities.
So
our
citizens
are
excited
every
time
we
make
an
announcement
along
with
our
partners.
They're
excited.
A
A
And
you
mentioned
a
minute
ago
that
you
know
that
when
you
make
an
announcement,
you
know
there's
a
lot
of
excitement.
I'm
not
going
to
ask
you
to
put
a
specific
number
on
it,
but
I'm
just
trying
to
get
a
sense
of
how
many
announcements
are
we
talking
here
right.
So
what
are
some
of
the
the
types
of
industry?
What
are
some
of
the
the
companies
that
have
come
and
and
put
in
you
know,
put
put
put
their
stake
in
the
ground
in
in
in
the
florence
area?
What
what
have
you?
B
I
want
to
give
you
an
example
of
just
today
itself.
Today
I
went
to
industrial
site
which
is
located
off
of
327..
We
actually
had
a
non-profit
who
just
broke
round
today,
so
mine
standing
there
watching
harvest
hope
break
ground.
I
literally
turned
around
and
looked
across
the
highway
to
where
there
is
a
bucky's
that
is
getting
prepared
to
open.
B
So
that's
our
success,
nonprofit
and
profit
growing
in
our
industrial
sites
and
when
you
think
of
the
fact
that
we
now
have
an
industrial
site
and
that
is
developed
because
when
we
have
industry
coming
in,
we
want
them
to
be
able
to
see
themselves
here
in
florence,
city
and
county,
so
that
industrial
park
is
so
important
to
us.
Not
only
that
we
just
recently
had
the
announcement
we
have
niagara,
which
is
a
borrowing
company,
and
so
even
from
standing
there
at
the
non-profit.
B
A
B
A
B
Well,
to
be,
it's
been
a
couple
of
years
and
what
a
lot
of
people
don't
fight
and
the
fact
that
when
you
start
with
an
industrial
park,
usually
you're
going
out
there
with
this
land
space
and
then
you
have
to
get
it
prepared.
You
know
you've
got
to
think
about
the
infrastructure
that
goes
in
there.
So,
if
you're
looking
at
doing
an
industrial
park,
it's
not
going
to
be
overnight.
First
of
all,
you've
got
to
repair
that
side,
so
the
industry,
when
they
come
in
they
can
readily
see.
This
is
where
we
can
be
located.
B
It's
the
difference
between
going
in
and
looking
at
line
that
has
that
infrastructure
in
place
they're
going
in
and
looking
at
an
area.
That's
still
covered
with
a
maybe
a
lot
of
for
tree
and
bushes,
and
things
like
this.
When
they
come
in
and
see
an
industrial
site,
they
can
now
picture
themselves
there.
They
can
picture
their
building
there,
but
also
we're
looking
at
with
our
partnership
of
doing
spec
buildings.
B
So
if
you
have
an
industry
that
comes
in,
they
see
that
building
there
they
can
look
at
what
do
they
need
to
do
to
upfit
it,
so
they
can
get
out
and
running
quickly,
so
for
any
city
connie
who's.
Looking
at
that,
that's
going
to
take
time
for
you
to
get
your
site
prepared,
that's
going
to
be
where
your
first
initial
time
allotment
will
be,
but
once
you
prepare,
they
will
come
because
you
have
the
site
and
you
must
market
it
as.
A
How
has
that
changed
florence,
or
do
you
feel
like
it
has
changed
florence?
I
can
understand,
for
you
know,
for
some
folks
who
who
aren't
accustomed
to
sort
of
seeing
these
types
of
industry
and
opportunities
come.
You
know
they
might
look
at
and
say.
Well,
what's
it
you
know
what
what's
it
look
like
now
versus
what
it
what
it
was
and
I'm
just
curious
from
your
point
of
view,
how
has
florence
sort
of
changed
over
time
as
these
different
projects
and
things
have
come,
come
online.
B
B
You
know,
as
citizens,
we
may
be
comfortable
with
what
we
have,
but
as
you're
growing
as
a
city,
people
look
at
their
opportunity
when
they're
not
at
work
and
they
want
to
be
able
to
relax
or
just
enjoy
some
fellowship
with
others.
We
had
to
look
at
tourism
what
kind
of
things
that
we
have
or
will
we
have
here
to
bring
others
here,
but
also
when,
instead
of
having
to
ride
to
another
city,
they
come
to
the
city,
so
they
can
enjoy
it
in
time
their
time
here.
B
B
If
you
were
here
10
years
ago,
and
you
came
back
now-
I
promise
you-
you
would
not
recognize
the
downtown
because
it's
grown
so
much
it's
so
beautiful.
It's
a
walkable
city.
So,
therefore,
with
growth
of
industry,
tourism
increased
also
when
you
think
about
the
fact
that
when
you
have
people
coming,
you
want
restaurants
there.
Where
can
I
go
and
eat?
Where
can
I
go
and
shop
and
what
things
will
you
have
available
for
my
children
when
they
want
to
go
someplace
to
play?
So
we
are
now
a
full
service
city.
A
B
We
have
sport
sports
activity
and
I
must
say
just
recently:
one
of
our
high
school
teams
became
state
champions,
and
that
was
not
by
chance
so
with
that
when
they
did
their
lower
state
semifinals,
it
was
held
here
in
the
city
of
florence
at
our
florence
center,
so
thereby
having
that
center.
There
people
came
in
not
only
from
florence
but
from
the
surrounding
area
to
be
a
part
of
that.
B
So
when
you
start
to
bring
jobs
in
you
now
you
are
spending
on
the
things
that
you
need
to
have
a
comfortable
life
for
your
citizens,
but
not
only
that,
you
think
about.
You
have
hospitality
taxes,
so
you're
generating
more
income,
more
funds
that
you
can
thereby
pour
back
in
to
your
development.
So.
A
B
A
Right
in
terms
of
taxes,
let's
talk
about
that
real,
quick,
the
obviously
any
sort
of
diversification
right
of
your
tax
base
is
is
a
good
thing
for
any
locality,
regardless
of
size,
regardless
of
of
low
ca
of
location,
and
I'm
just
curious
as
you
look
at
you
know,
as
the
budget
process
work,
and
certainly
I'm
guessing,
you
guys
are
probably
in
the
midst
of
one
there
as
well.
I'm
just
curious.
What
is
what
is
that
tax
revenue
that
extra
tax
revenue
that
you've
gotten
from
those
industrial
projects?
A
B
Funds
in
return
is
placed
into
the
county
and
then
the
county
actually
take
those
funds
and
distribute
them
or
work
within
various
areas.
The
city
of
florence
is
a
part
of
florence
county
so
when
funds
are
generated
in
the
county,
the
city
benefits,
because
it's
for
banking
things
like
our
preparing
our
roads,
repaving
also
the
county
councilman,
have
fun
now
funds
available
now
that
they
can
invest
in
various
projects
in
the
areas
that
they're
representing.
B
A
Yeah
all
right
last
question
for
you
before
we
wrap
up,
I'm
just
curious.
What's
next,
what's
the
what's
the
the
next
step,
I
mean
obviously
in
a
cycle
there,
it
never
really
ends
right.
You
know
you're
you're,
doing
things
you're,
bringing
in
folks
you're
you're.
Actually,
you
know
you're
delivering
on
more
amenities
which
makes
the
locality
even
more,
you
know,
attractive
to
to
both
residents
and
industry
and
sort
of
never
ends,
but
I'm
just
curious.
What's
the
next
step
for
florence,
in
your
opinion,.
B
You
know
we
have
got
so
many
things
that
we're
focusing
upon
that
right
now
we're
actually
in
the
process.
We
have
our
comprehensive
plan,
which
is
a
10-year
plan.
That
project
is
out,
so
we
have
that
vision
in
that
pathway,
but
I'm
proud
of
the
fact
that
at
the
same
time
the
county
is
working
on
their
comprehensive
plan.
So,
while
we're
doing
our
partners
are
doing
so,
we
can
have
that
shared
pathway,
vision,
which
is
very
important
when
you're
working
with
your
partners.
B
So
we
have
that
plan,
but
also
at
the
same
time,
I
think
most
of
countries
are
aware
of
the
fact
that
everyone
is
coming
out
of
covet.
So
we
did
a
lot
of
planning
doing
covet,
which
now
we're
at
a
place
where
we
can
start
implementing
some
of
the
things
we
planned
when
we
were
more
we're
more
of
a
shutdown
phase.
So
for
us
we're
still
we're
looking
at
some
major
things.
B
For
me,
we
still
want
to
be
that
green
city,
so
we've
developed
some
committees
on
a
city
level
that
will
help
us
be
able
to
position
ourselves
so
that
we
can
actually
receive
more
funding
funding
that
come
down
from
our
federal
government
to
help
make
our
city
more
attractive,
but
also
more
of
a
green
green
city.
We're
doing
that
and
we're
also
working
on
just
like
we
said
more
economic
development,
more
bringing
more
companies
in
also.
B
How
do
we
assist
our
present
businesses,
especially
ones
that
we
have
our
small
businesses
and
our
business
downtown,
so
we're
doing
that
we're
looking
at
community
development,
we
have
communities
that
we're
still
investing
in
our
traditional
historical
communities
that
we
want
to
be
able
to
bring
them
back
their
past
glory.
So
we
will
be
working
with
community
development,
economic
development
and
also
our
pathway
to
being
a
better
green
city
and
being
that
great
partners.
So
we
have
a
beautiful
county
collectively
as
well
good
deal.
A
B
A
Thank
you
very
much,
my
thanks
again
to
the
mayor
for
joining
us
today
and
talking
to
us
about
all
the
things
that
are
happening
in
florence.
South
carolina
very
much
appreciate
her
time
and
I'm
I'm
very
glad
that
she
was
able
to
join
us
now.
You
can
check
us
out
on
social
media
on
twitter,
it's
at
chesterfieldva
and
at
on
instagram
chefsville
virginia
all
one
word
on
facebook.
You
can
check
out
our
podcast
page,
just
search
checksfield
behind
the
mic,
make
sure
to
like
that
page.
A
You
can
keep
up
with
us
as
we
go
forward
now.
Let
me
tell
you
about
all
the
ways
you
can
check
us
out.
You
can
watch
us
on
our
youtube
channel
and
on
our
website,
chesterfield.gov
podcast,
an
audio
only
version
of
the
show
is
available
there,
as
well
as
on
apple
podcast,
spotify,
google,
podcast,
overcast
and
a
whole
host
of
other
services.
You
can
also
watch
the
show
on
wcct
thursday,
through
sunday,
at
seven
and
on
the
weekends
at
noon:
that's
comcast,
channel,
98
and
verizon
channel
28.
A
Lastly,
you
can
check
out
chesterfield.gov
connect
with
us
for
more
information
on
how
to
get
in
touch
with
us
and
also
for
a
way
for
us
to
get
in
touch
with
you.
My
thanks
to
my
director,
martin
smith,
my
executive
producer,
susan
pollard,
and
all
the
good
folks
here
at
communications
media
for
making
this
possible
and,
of
course,
my
thanks
to
you
for
joining
us
today
and
giving
us
a
shot
so
love
us
here
in
chesterfield
have
a
good
day.
We'll
see
you
again
soon.