Falls Future 2.0 Community-Wide Strategy to begin implementation
Wichita Falls, Texas November 2022 // The Falls Future 2.0 community-wide strategy will begin implementation January of 2023. The process to get to the final strategy began in February of 2022 and was presented after months of evaluation, community surveys, stakeholder meetings, focus groups, and interviews.
The steering committee, led by Lacey Morgan and Anthony Louis, met with Broad Ripple Strategies and worked through all the assessment information to take an honest look at where the community’s opportunity areas lie.
Broad Ripple Strategies came back with our final strategic recommendations and guidelines to move forward.
The strategy consists of four goals broken into 13 key initiatives. Those are:
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Grow a Talented Workforce
- International Talent
- Emerging Talent
- Military Matters Talent Programs
- Talent Relocation Assistance
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Expand Economic Opportunities
- Existing Business Care
- Business Attraction
- Maximizing Sheppard Air Force Base’s Impact
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Enhance Quality of Life & Place
- College Town Atmosphere
- Revitalization Through Public Art
- Silver Bicycle Friendly Community
- Downtown Development
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Promote Equity & Inclusion
- Business Equity Initiative
- Inclusive Entrepreneurship
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is built into each initiative to keep it top of mind throughout the process.
“It was an exhilarating pleasure to serve on the original Falls Future strategic planning committee, which successfully accomplished 6 of 7 aggressive goals! As we complete the final leg of that 5-year strategy, it’s an honor that I get to carry on a leadership role in the next phase. Wichita Falls is entering a season of extreme change. We have new leadership in many key areas throughout the community, which includes the WFISD, MSU-Texas, the County, and the Chamber. Coming out of the pandemic and into this new season, there couldn’t be a more perfect time for us to work toward a new set of shared goals and initiatives across the community as a whole. Let’s get to work,” stated Falls Future Co-Chair Lacey Morgan.
This strategy is to be implemented over 5 years. It comes after the completion of Falls Future 1.0 which began in 2017 and helped us to have modern schools, a talent partnership, more military-inclusive programming, a bronze bicycle-friendly community, momentum in downtown development (pre-pandemic), and improved economic development activity and support.
There are many volunteers and stakeholders involved in the process and will continue to helm the forward momentum as we continue building a stronger Wichita Falls.
The new Chamber President and CEO, along with other Chamber staff, will continue to help drive and manage the process with the guidance and leadership of the Falls Future Co-Chairs Morgan and Louis.
“I have been a resident of Wichita Falls for over 27 years and I have never been more excited about the future of this city. For growth and change to take place it starts with an open, honest, and sometimes painful look at the current state, which is exactly what the community assessment accomplished. My motivation and the driving force behind Falls 2.0 is the fact that it used feedback and input from the entire community with the sole goal of building a better Wichita Falls. I have absolutely no doubt that whatever this resilient city puts its mind to it can be achieved,” stated Falls Future Co-Chair Anthony Louis.
Read more about each initiative and view the community assessment at https://wichitafallschamber.com/fallsfuture/
