Palmer officials want to use video to tout city

KATE GOLDEN/Frontiersman reporter

PALMER - Big-box stores have caused the biggest hubbub, but there's more to growth in Palmer than Wal-Mart. Palmer Mayor John Combs says Palmer is the perfect place for corporate headquarters.

At a Greater Palmer Chamber of Commerce meeting Feb. 8, Combs said he wants Palmer to produce a short video marketing Palmer to corporations.

He touted downtown shops, historical charm and advanced telecommunications capacity.

"We have the facilities here in order to hook you up," he said.

The small town has all the amenities of the big one and none of the annoyance, he argued. "You're going to enjoy yourself out here a heck of a lot more," he argued, "not fighting the traffic in Anchorage."

Combs pointed to New Horizons Telecom Inc., a 60-employee business near the Palmer airport that works statewide and has offices in the Lower 48, as the kind of business he'd like to entice.

Cultivating Palmer as a hub for such firms will "complement" Wasilla. And retail, he said, would follow the influx of disposable income and the increase in the economy.

Palmer city council member Steve Carrington said tech firms are first on his list of companies to lure.

"Their need for infrastructure is real basic," he said, and they could benefit from the Valley's fast Internet connections.

Sandy Gaither, newly appointed executive director of the Palmer Chamber, said discussion hasn't begun with the board yet, but she's positive about anything that promotes the city of Palmer.

Combs said it's still in the conceptual stages, although he had plenty of ideas for shots: Colony Days, the ice arena, downtown, testimonials from happy CEOs in town and anything else that shows "what a nice small town we have here."

As for who will make and pay for the video, Combs said he'll be discussing the idea with the chamber board of directors this month. He's looking for direct participation from the community, which, he says, will get all the benefit.

"The more of a cooperative effort you make it, … the better product we're going to get," he said.