Buffalo, MO
Established : 1841
Belong in Buffalo
Population
3,026
Average Household Income
$30,865
Poverty Rate
22%
No. of businesses
655
Open commercial spaces
64
Average household property value
$86,600
Buffalo
Belong in Buffalo
Buffalo, Missouri is on the move. Our community is experiencing growth in programs and support for business development, community empowerment, and city beautification projects. Missouri Community Betterment recognized our efforts in 2018 with the Community of the Year Award.
Start a Business, Become a Neighbor
Our forward-thinking team fosters Buffalo’s culture of growth and innovation. Small-business start-ups thrive alongside long-standing and supportive members of the business community.
Entrepreneurs have access to local business resources. Some examples are our business speaker series, economic development team, and Chamber of Commerce network. We also have close resources including business services in Springfield and beyond including the efactory and Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC). You don’t have to leave Buffalo for great wifi. We’re equipped to handle a growing tech industry with access to fiber and broadband services.
Your Business Belongs Here
Our community is tight-knit, but not in the nosey neighbor way you’re thinking. The biggest perk of owning a business in Buffalo is the incredible community support. Your “regulars” aren’t just customers, they’re your downtown neighbors and friends that feel like family. Outside of business hours, you’ll find community members pitching in to help each other. They pitch in at community clean-up events, parades, and festivals. As it turns out, we’re tight-knit because we actually like each other. We enjoy seeing our neighbors succeed.
Active Projects
Lead Organization
Buffalo Area Chamber of Commerce
Project Contact Person
Why Was The Project Chosen?
(Buffalo) The program was chosen because we wanted to create an opportunity to expose our local business leaders to cutting edge business and community related discussions and continuing education topics. The goal of this program is to conduct a monthly speaker event. And because we work with multiple communities and invite speakers to join us virtually (via a web conference), we hope that we can attract best speakers from across the country to speak to us on topics important to business and community participants.
People Working On The Project
Tanya Watson
Director,
Buffalo Chamber of Commerce
Goal For 2021
Major Accomplishments To-Date
Conduct 6-8 events and engage multiple communities in the discussions.
Conducted 9 events in 2019. Had approximately 30 individuals join us for the various discussions.
Goal For 2020
Conduct 6-8 events and engage multiple communities in the discussions.
Major Accomplishments To-Date
Conducted 9 events in 2019. Had approximately 30 individuals join us for the various discussions.
Project Phase
Learning
Planning
Testing
Executing
100%
Project Updates
Project Updates
Reference Material
Click on the link below to view
Link
Files
Lead Organization
Dallas County Economic Development
Project Contact Person
Why Was The Project Chosen?
(Buffalo) Our town has several underutilized retail properties. And while we have vacant spaces where businesses could be established, we also have entrepreneurs and business leaders who would like to start a business in town, who are not able to easily access these properties. What is needed is a way to simplify the process for entrepreneurs to access spaces and navigate the business startup process. This program aims to identify a handful of spaces in town and promote them locally and regionally. We will also identify a handful of resources to help in the process. These resources or incentives can be as simple as offering chamber memberships or interns from our local schools. With a packaged program that can be refined and improved each year, the town aspires to make our community more accessible to entrepreneurs.
People Working On The Project
Hollie Elliott
Executive Director,
Dallas County Economic Development
Hrishue Mahalaha
Chief Economic Adviser,
Innovation Partners Economy
Tanya Watson
Director,
Buffalo Chamber of Commerce
Goal For 2021
Major Accomplishments To-Date
Relaunch the program and aspire to get 1 new business to start in town.
Types of businesses that our citizens would like to see in the community:
Recreation and Retail: Batting cages, Nightlife, Movie theater, Locally owned restaurants, Bakery, café, Bagel shop, Clothing, Shoe store.
Looking to launch the program in August of 2020.
Types of businesses that our citizens would like to see in the community:
Recreation and Retail: Batting cages, Nightlife, Movie theater, Locally owned restaurants, Bakery, café, Bagel shop, Clothing, Shoe store.
Looking to launch the program in August of 2020.
In 2019, the program was launched. Thanks to our friends and partners at MSU, we developed a comprehensive platform and promoted the program. While in 2019, we saw limited success, we hope to refine and redeploy the program in 2020.
Goal For 2020
Relaunch the program and aspire to get 1 new business to start in town.
Types of businesses that our citizens would like to see in the community:
Recreation and Retail: Batting cages, Nightlife, Movie theater, Locally owned restaurants, Bakery, café, Bagel shop, Clothing, Shoe store.
Looking to launch the program in August of 2020.
Types of businesses that our citizens would like to see in the community:
Recreation and Retail: Batting cages, Nightlife, Movie theater, Locally owned restaurants, Bakery, café, Bagel shop, Clothing, Shoe store.
Looking to launch the program in August of 2020.
Major Accomplishments To-Date
In 2019, the program was launched. Thanks to our friends and partners at MSU, we developed a comprehensive platform and promoted the program. While in 2019, we saw limited success, we hope to refine and redeploy the program in 2020.
Project Phase
Learning
Planning
Testing
Executing
25%
Project Updates
Project Updates
Reference Material
Click on the link below to view
Link
Files
Lead Organization
Dallas County Economic Development
Project Contact Person
Why Was The Project Chosen?
(Buffalo) Prepared communities win in the world of economic development. One important aspect of that preparedness is understanding and cataloging the industrial buildings and available sites in the community. The goal of this program is to bring state expertise, building and site owners, and community leadership together to evaluate and determine how these sites can be used to attract new businesses to our community.
People Working On The Project
David Belts
ABC Motor,
Economic Development Group
Sandy Crawford
State Senator,
Economic Development Group
Hollie Elliott
Executive Director,
Dallas County Economic Development
Brandon Kenall
Mayor,
City of Buffalo
Bill Monday
Obannon Bank,
Economic Development Group
Kevin Sharpe
County Commissioner,
Economic Development Group
Goal For 2021
Major Accomplishments To-Date
Ongoing discussions with facility and site owners and state partners to see how to best use these sites and market them.
In 2019, a team of local and regional leaders gathered to visit 4 different industrial spaces and sites in our community. The visits helped the leaders determine the specific challenges and opportunities related to each site. Now the team, is using this information gathered to develop a more targeted business outreach strategy.
Goal For 2020
Ongoing discussions with facility and site owners and state partners to see how to best use these sites and market them.
Major Accomplishments To-Date
In 2019, a team of local and regional leaders gathered to visit 4 different industrial spaces and sites in our community. The visits helped the leaders determine the specific challenges and opportunities related to each site. Now the team, is using this information gathered to develop a more targeted business outreach strategy.
Project Phase
Learning
Planning
Testing
Executing
75%
Project Updates
Project Updates
Reference Material
Click on the link below to view
Link
Files
Lead Organization
Project Contact Person
Why Was The Project Chosen?
(Buffalo) The goal of this program is to help our high school students, our adults and our senior citizens gain exposure to various facets of Buffalo. The program also creates opportunities for participants to gain experiences on how to build a stronger leadership orientation. Through this effort, we hope to develop a stronger team of leaders in our community.
People Working On The Project
Devonna Allen
Clara Boggs
Private Sector,
OakStar Bank
Hollie Elliott
Executive Director,
Dallas County Economic Development
Brett Harrison
Myron Hartzell
Ron Locke
Active Citizens,
Retired
Bill Monday
Obannon Bank,
Economic Development Group
Dr. Tim Ryan
Superintendent,
Dallas County R-1 School District
Jeff Strickland
Tracy Strickland
Community Leader,
Shelter Insurance
Tanya Watson
Director,
Buffalo Chamber of Commerce
Goal For 2021
Major Accomplishments To-Date
To run our second class through the Leadership Program and hopefully recruit some good new leaders to the GRO program.
Designed and launched the debut program in 2019. Had 12 number of students participate in the program. The program was fully subscribed and saw a great enthusiasm from the students on the program.
Goal For 2020
To run our second class through the Leadership Program and hopefully recruit some good new leaders to the GRO program.
Major Accomplishments To-Date
Designed and launched the debut program in 2019. Had 12 number of students participate in the program. The program was fully subscribed and saw a great enthusiasm from the students on the program.
Project Phase
Learning
Planning
Testing
Executing
25%
Project Updates
Project Updates
Reference Material
Click on the link below to view
Link
Files
contact us
Hollie Elliott
Executive Director,
Dallas County Economic Development
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