Recently, the City of Newberry has been undergoing a dramatic increase in development with several properties across the community either undergoing development or preparing to undergo development.

About 6 years ago, Newberry decided to begin an economic development project called “Enhancing the future while embracing the past.” This campaign has the goal of highlighting the city’s business-friendly environment that has and will continue to help attract a large variety of companies.“It’s a testament to all stakeholders who have organized themselves to provide a very good business environment that is in balance with our heritage,” said John Hartnett, president of the Newberry-Jonesville Chamber of Commerce.

The city’s Economic Development Steering Committee is a key part of the area’s movement to support businesses. Acting as a very active yet informal entity, the Committee allows anyone who is interested to join instead of having to be appointed by the city commission. “Everyone has a seat at the table, including folks from agriculture, manufacturing, construction and city government,” Hartnett said.

In fact, the state has taken notice of Newberry’s development. The city has received economic development assistance from the state with a grant of $750k to run sewer and water lines to CountryWay Town Square, $20k for an economic development study, $25k for a comprehensive plan update, and finally $40k for an economic development marketing plan.

Overall, the area of Newberry has proven itself to be a key player in Gainesville and will continue to be a hub of development and a haven for business development.