Could the city known for golf, three-for-$10 T-shirts and sunburned tourists crowding Ocean Boulevard be the next Silicon Valley for government-focused tech firms?
Some city officials don't see that possibility as far-fetched. Myrtle Beach City Council discussed the path to becoming a tech hub this week. A Sept. 3 workshop focused on four companies joining the yet-to-be-built Living Lab in the city’s Arts and Innovation District, a section of downtown designated for redevelopment as a cultural and tech center. The city's latest goal is to attract companies that build technology for government services.
“There's not too many companies doing it," said Howard Waldie IV, the city’s chief innovation officer. "So, the competition for us to draw those companies here is less than, say, the automotive industry. We've got tons of competition all over the country for the automobile industry. What we don't have is a lot of competition for the government solutions industry. What is the next spot for tech companies who are looking to get their start but can't afford to do it in a place like Silicon Valley? Why not Myrtle Beach?”
He said government-based technology will be a key industry in the coming years and that Myrtle Beach is primed to be one of the few places in the country to take advantage of the market with its nearby higher education centers, quality of life and direct access to high-speed internet data centers such as the one DC Blox built here.
“By the way, we've got a beach,” he said of recruiting new tech companies. “We've got an airport. We’ve got a great cost of living. We have great taxes and great tax incentives.”
New space for incubator
What the city doesn't have is a space for the startups and existing companies to gather, collaborate, build, test, teach and grow.
Enter the Living Lab. He defined the facility as a physical place with labs, conference rooms and public spaces based on the concept that the city welcomes new technologies that will use local talent to launch the products from Myrtle Beach.
Building that facility over the next five years will be critical for the city, Waldie said.
Last year, he showed council members how an Atlanta suburb had become a smart city. Peachtree Corners integrated its Curiosity Lab in everyday life with up to 60 startups. That lab brought driverless buses, solar panels in asphalt used to charge electric cars and large corporations pairing with smaller companies to develop and test new technology.
At the time, he said a 37,500-square foot, three-story Living Lab in Myrtle Beach would cost about $18 million. The suggested location was on city-owned property at the edge of the Arts and Innovation District on Mr. Joe White Avenue and Jackson Street.
During this week's workshop, Mayor Brenda Bethune asked city staff to explore incorporating two other projects with the lab: a new Chapin Memorial Library and the EdVenture Children's Museum.
“When we did the master plan, we had placeholders for certain buildings. Since talking with some of the developers, maybe it doesn't make sense for a library to be on its own with residential above,” Bethune said. “We're talking about a library, a Living Lab and potentially EdVenture Children's Museum. All three have a lot of similarities and could have the co-use of spaces very easily. Why don't we consider looking at one building for all three? Or one building for at least two of those so that we're doing all the engineering and design once?”
Waldie said the city has just started the planning stages of the Living Lab by narrowing down a field of architects to 10, so this is a good time to explore combining projects.
“Let's say you're a freshman in college or a sophomore in high school. What are your chances of having access to really, really expensive technology that you need to develop your product or your idea?” Waldie asked. “You're not unless you are very, very privileged and have access to a lot of resources. The facility is meant to create that opportunity for everyone in our community, no matter what access to resources they may or may not have.”
He said government-based technology can mean developing software, but it can also include autonomous shuttles like the ones used in Peachtree Corners.
Companies partner with city
Four companies have agreed to work with Myrtle Beach on three projects. They will be operating out of the Aspire Hub building in the Arts and Innovation District.
The city isn’t paying the four companies, and the companies aren’t paying the city. The city has agreed to allow the companies into various departments, offer feedback and information. In exchange, the companies have agreed to develop new programs the city could use. The firms would later offer that technology for sale on the marketplace.
Waldie said 28 companies had reached out to the city with interest in the program. Of those, eight are in project development. Seven are working on a memorandum of agreement and are being reviewed by the city’s legal department. He said the staff picked the four companies to launch the program.
Cocoflo Innovations’ project will be cloud-based to make it easier for the public to find information about city services such as business licenses and development plans. The company will be focused on four city departments — Parks, Recreation and Sports Tourism, Economic Development, Planning and Zoning, and Information Technology. Cocoflo has stated the project will take about eight months to complete.
Dependbuild, a Canadian firm, will be conducting a risk management project with data to help projects stay on time and on budget. The project has a five-month timeline and will include access to the city manager’s office and information technology.
Two companies, Rep’d and Polco, are pairing for a four-month customer engagement project that will be short video clips answering questions of the city’s parks and recreation department. The project promises to track the questions measuring the public’s interest in certain topics so city leaders can decide to increase services based on the questions.
Just 'wishful thinking'?
Waldie said the “hope” is each company will experience the advantages of working and living in Myrtle Beach, launch new offices here and create jobs in the area. But, he added, that’s not guaranteed or written in the agreement.
“That's almost like wishful thinking. ‘Perhaps we could have an office here. Perhaps we could do this.’ I don't see that as a real return on investment,” said City Councilman Bill McClure, pointing out each of the four companies are established and not startups. “I am concerned, though; the city provides this wonderful opportunity for these companies, but I don't see where we have a stake and can benefit from whatever intellectual property they develop. And if we're talking about software, that's the core and center to all intellectual properties. I mean, are we going to benefit by that? Shouldn't we benefit by that? Shouldn't we receive income if we're going to help them establish platforms that they've never done before?”
Waldie said the city is in the business of creating opportunities rather than private sector jobs. And, he said if tech companies do not partner with cities like Myrtle Beach on developing government-based technology, the companies would be forced to spend millions working with private consultants.
Michelle Shumpert, the city’s chief financial officer, sees the benefit as diversifying the economy.
“We are a tourist economy," she said. "Sometimes, when we talk about bond ratings and those things, we get called a ‘one-trick pony.’ We can dispel some of the myths about our workforce and our ability to accommodate and help technology companies. Is there dollar value that I can put on that for return on investment? No. But I think it's immeasurable. I think it's something that this community has needed since the time I was born. We've been talking about it and talking about it and talking about it. Here we have an opportunity to actually do something to expand this economy in a way that will serve generations and generations beyond us.”
Bethune said the city will be getting $10 million in state funding to help with downtown redevelopment. Half will be used to offset infrastructure projects, and the other half will be dedicated to the Arts and Innovation District’s technology incubator.
“The state is very excited about what is happening in Myrtle Beach with technology,” she said. “Matter of fact, it is the only reason we got an extra $5 million from the state. And that's a plain simple fact.”
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Janet Morgan
Quelle/Source: The postandcourier, 05.09.2024
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