New Initiative to Revitalize Haltom City Adds Second Billboard

    HALTOM CITY, TX, November 04, 2022 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Local businessman Ron Sturgeon would like to see South and Central Haltom City thriving again. Not long ago, he announced an initiative to revitalize South and Central Haltom City by working to make Haltom City the most business-friendly city in Tarrant County.

As he sees it, bringing small businesses back is crucial to the effort to make Haltom City's aging corridors vibrant again. He is putting his message on billboards throughout Tarrant County and posted his plan at the MakeHaltomCityThriveAgain.com website. Thus far, more than 1,500 visitors have come to the site in the short time the billboards have been up. Sturgeon's immediate goal is to find candidates for the upcoming elections in May of 2023.

"I'm extremely gratified by the results, especially the many emails from people wanting to help," said Sturgeon. "A lot of them thank me for taking on the task because they have watched the decline of Haltom City and know without this campaign, nothing is going to change," added Sturgeon.

"I expect that it will take ten years to undo the harm to the local economy and reverse the damage done by the city's practices that have driven so many small business owners away from Haltom City and produced the vacant buildings you see driving the city's main corridors," said Sturgeon.

On the website, Sturgeon explains his motives and gives details of a proposed plan for the city. The site also includes a series of videos that cover aspects of the initiative. The initiative is also supported by a Make Haltom City Thrive Again Facebook page.

"City leaders have ignored the concerns of the city's small business owners for years," says Sturgeon. "They don't consider the city's small business owners, particularly those that own businesses in the city but live elsewhere, to be stakeholders in Haltom City."

"We asked the city to open up its economic development-related committees to volunteers who own a business in Haltom City but live elsewhere and they ignored the proposal," said Sturgeon.

One of the changes Sturgeon wants to make to bring business back is to modify the city's use matrix and make other changes in city codes such that the city Council doesn't have to approve while micromanaging so many new businesses. "Until Haltom City makes its value proposition better than those of surrounding cities, it will continue the downward spiral, attracting fewer businesses and residents," he says. The current matrix doesn't even allow a dry cleaner in all but one commercial zone, just one of dozens of restrictions affecting businesses.

He hopes to see the city create zones, especially in the south and central parts of Haltom City and along NE 28th St. with more relaxed codes and guidelines, so more businesses can open in all the boarded-up buildings in these areas.

"Haltom City has a great opportunity with so many new people coming to Tarrant County every week," said Sturgeon. "The key is becoming business friendly and starting to bring the small businesses back to Haltom City's main corridors, one at a time," adds the entrepreneur and small business advocate. He also says that more businesses will lower the tax burden for Haltom City's residents, a worthwhile goal.

Last year, Sturgeon wrote and published a book, Keeping the Lights on Downtown in America's Small Cities: The Critical Role Small Businesses Play in Bringing Back Jobs and Prosperity. The first edition has nearly sold out and is available on Amazon, and Sturgeon states that many of the books were ordered by city council members and other city officials throughout the United States because of the many five-star reviews of the book.

The second edition of the book, with 5 new chapters outlining all he has learned over the last year, will be out at end of 2022. Sturgeon is actively looking for candidates to run for city council and mayor who are business friendly and love Haltom City. He expects it will take several years to get new leadership in place, leaving his legacy – a Haltom City that is the most business friendly city in Tarrant County.

About Make Haltom City Thrive Again
The Make Haltom City Thrive Again website offers information and resources about its purpose and goals. For more on Sturgeon's personal ideas and background, check out his book Keeping the Lights on Downtown in America's Small Cities and watch the videos on his Facebook page. Ron is also the founder of the Haltom United Business Alliance (HUBA) which represents existing business interests in Haltom City and promotes growth of diverse businesses as well. HUBA is not a political action committee and does not endorse candidates. If/when Ron endorses candidates, he will do so on his own with the Make Haltom City Thrive Again organization.

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