The website for the San Benito County Economic Development Corp.
is still under construction – but for only a few more months,
according to EDC officials.
The website for the San Benito County Economic Development Corp. is still under construction – but for only a few more months, according to EDC officials.
After being labeled an important and necessary feature of a successful EDC since Nancy Martin was named the president of the nonprofit in 2008, progress is finally being made to the corporation’s website.
The EDC plans to have the site up and running on May 12, coinciding with the EDC’s business exposition, Martin announced to the Free Lance on Friday in response to questions about its status.
The site’s URL has been published on EDC business cards, brochures and other documents for more than a year, but has yet to be completed. The printed URL, edcsanbenito.org, brings up a site that states “This Web site is coming soon.”
The website has been delayed because of issues with financing and establishing the best design and features for the site, Martin said. “We wanted to make sure we looked at the best components of other EDCs, and use those elements in our site,” she said.
The EDC is currently creating the site’s “backbone” and finalizing its look and features, Martin said.
In October, Martin said the EDC would need an additional $30,000 to make a competitive website.
Martin would not say how much the website would cost Friday, but it is expensive because of maintenance costs.
“It’s a 24/7 type of thing,” she said. “It can’t be done a little at a time. It is going to have a vast amount of data and maintenance.”
EDC Board President Gillian Enz-Bowles said the site is a priority at the EDC.
“It (the site) is on our priority list and we hope it will bring business to this county,” Enz-Bowles said.
In October, former EDC Board President George Lewis said the website was never a priority.
Officials hope the site will connect the county to businesses globally, Martin said. The site would not be for local businesses but those around the world.
“Local people will not be going to it every day but businesses and developers elsewhere will,” she said.
Eventually, some of those businesses and developers will relocate to the county, she hopes.
But regardless of the site’s importance, it needed to be done right, she said.
“It’s important, but it is more important that it is done the right way,” Martin said.
