Written by T. Scott Boatright
Thursday night, Ruston Mayor Ronny Walker and others convened an entrepreneurial Q&A session at the former Historic Fire Station, where they got down to the business of, well, talking about new enterprises.
Known as “Dream it!” Do it! Ruston! included Main Street Director Lauren Dowden, Public Works Director John Freeman, and Planning and Zoning Director Jim Hays talking about the possibility of achieving the goal of starting a business in the city.
Walker began the chat by saying, “The whole point of this is for us to just have a conversation.” One day, when I was actually getting my hair trimmed, two or three of the barbers there were asking questions and saying, “We want to do this or we want to do that.” It dawned on me that we just needed a meeting where people could come and chat, ask questions, and see what we could accomplish. That’s the main point of this.
The agenda for the meeting was blank. Walker stated that the event was merely intended as an opportunity to converse.
“We would love to see more businesses start in our city,” Walker stated from the perspective of the city. There are a few factors that set Ruston apart from the other cities I frequently visit, which are generally of a similar size. First of all, our downtown is packed. I believe we have three empty spots, two of which are rented but not yet open. Although there isn’t much available downtown, it would still be great if some businesses could open and locate there. Since there is less demand, the rent in the majority of the other places I visit is quite low because there are many available spots.
On the other hand, we are prepared for additional businesses as a result of the 11 years of infrastructural improvements. We are prepared for you, regardless of your size. What most people overlook, however, is that in 2024, the Sports Complex welcomed over half a million visitors to Ruston, with 400,000 of those attendees arriving early on weekends. Those are out-of-town visitors, which directly affects our city’s small businesses.
The executive director of Louisiana Tech’s Enterprise Center, Kathy Wyatt, was also available to discuss what the university could do to attract new companies to Ruston.
According to Wyatt, Louisiana Tech offers a wealth of services that are beneficial and supportive when launching new companies. Higher growth companies are the emphasis of our university division; these are the companies that can gain strength by aligning with the university. Our goal is to assist companies in ways that benefit many people’s bottom lines.
Naturally, there are the business owners and customers involved, but if we involve the university, we’re also looking for ways to either make it meaningful for a student who might become involved with your business in some way, like an internship or job opportunity, or we can connect you with a faculty member who might have expertise in the field you’re working in. This faculty member could be an advisor or consultant who could work with you on a research project to help a business grow into something that wasn’t even imagined before.
According to Wyatt, the Enterprise Center can also work with companies to go outside the local market and figure out how to collect money from outside Ruston and bring it back to Lincoln Parish to boost the local economy even more.
Hays and Freeman talked about the value of understanding the fundamentals and the necessity of taking into account and researching every aspect required to launch a new company successfully, from zoning issues to ensuring that all utilities, including fiber optic internet services, are available.
One person on hand to learn more about the specifics of launching a new business in Ruston was Dionna Mitchell Leblanc, who has formed an LLC called Learning Loft and is opening it off of Highway 80 on the west side of the city to instruct local youngsters.
We’re now preparing the building, but since I work in education, it will begin as an after-school program before becoming a full-time opportunity, Mitchell stated. I’m seeing a lot of people right now who require a location to complete their tutoring. Additionally, there will be a parent lounge where parents can relax in a large space and bring their other kids without worrying about them being too noisy.
We’ll have Mommy and Me classes on the weekends. As a mother and a teacher in Ruston, I am aware of how important it is for parents and children to socialize, and I would love to see more activities for young children. It will be a community-based educational facility with a large outdoor area that can accommodate weekend birthday parties and other events, providing a place where we can all gather and strengthen our bonds with one another as well as with our kids.
Walker emphasized that the city will work to make it as simple as possible for any new entrepreneur to get started and that it is crucial to have a business plan in place before beginning.
Walker stated that you are never too young or elderly to begin. Yes, there will be ups and downs, but you simply need to do your homework and discuss the financial factors and other things with people.
Therefore, if you have a product or anything you want to do, I would advise you to first write it out and map it out. Knowing the path you wish to take is crucial. However, from the perspective of the city, we will make it as simple as possible for any new company that want to open.
