{"id":659862,"date":"2024-04-02T19:59:35","date_gmt":"2024-04-03T02:59:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=arcnews&p=659862"},"modified":"2024-03-27T14:08:45","modified_gmt":"2024-03-27T21:08:45","slug":"americas-commerce-corps-using-esri-technology-to-strengthen-communities","status":"publish","type":"arcnews","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/americas-commerce-corps-using-esri-technology-to-strengthen-communities","title":{"rendered":"America\u2019s Commerce Corps: Using Esri Technology to Strengthen Communities"},"author":5752,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","castos_file_data":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[425582,1001,91],"tags":[482012,301,287852,101,200732],"arcnews_issues":[488602],"class_list":["post-659862","arcnews","type-arcnews","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-arcgis-experience-builder","category-commercial","category-mapping","tag-commercial-business","tag-community","tag-mapping-app","tag-mobile","tag-mobile-app","arcnews_issues-spring-2024","arcnews_sections-your-work"],"acf":{"short_description":"A GIS-powered America\u2019s Commerce Corps program called Community Connection helps consumers and communities engage with local businesses.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"In an era marked by rapidly evolving technology and shifting consumer preferences, promoting local businesses and fostering pride in our communities is more important than ever. The Esri-powered America\u2019s Commerce Corps (ACC) program has embarked on a mission to revitalize local commerce by connecting consumers with local businesses, including mobile businesses such as food trucks. According to Tim Palmer, ACC program ambassador, ACC\u2019s flagship application, Community Connection, or ComCon (ComCon.mobi), is changing the way communities engage with businesses in their vicinity.\r\n\r\n\u201cImagine you\u2019re flying in to a city for the first time and want to immerse yourself in the local scene and can immediately access truly local businesses and events,\u201d Palmer said. \u201cComCon can help make that happen.\u201d"},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Empowering Local Economies<\/h2>\r\nThe ACC program, founded on the belief that the heart of any community is its local businesses, helps boost local economies by promoting and supporting local businesses. To support this mission, Esri\u2019s ArcGIS Experience Builder was used to create a dynamic platform that connects consumers with a variety of local businesses, from brick-and-mortar establishments to mobile businesses.\r\n\r\nComCon users can search for members (classified as Eats, Libations, Lodging, Salons, Services, and Shops) and partners (classified as Biz Champions, Bizs on the GO!, Happenings, and Community Banks) using the dynamic map or more traditional information profiles. The only requirement for a local business to be on ComCon is that it must be a member of a local chamber of commerce, Main Street America Program, or another local business association."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":659892,"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Founded in 2014 and reimagined during the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, the ACC program started with web-based mapping applications that showed active members of these organizations and details such as if they were open, had restricted hours, or offered curbside pickup only. As local business organizations soon saw the power of mapping applications, they saw the value of consumers easily accessing local information about businesses and events via a QR Code.\r\n\r\nOne such local business association was the Bel Air Downtown Alliance, an accredited Main Street America organization in Bel Air, Maryland, led by executive director Jenny Erhard.\r\n\r\n\u201cI wanted a way to promote our downtown businesses by informing and attracting consumers through a digital, mobile marketing tool,\u201d Erhard said. \u201cTraditionally, we\u2019ve used brochures and stationary map kiosks to show visitors the businesses in downtown Bel Air.\u201d With ComCon, she said, \u201cvisitors scan the provided QR Code with their phone and are taken directly to our downtown map.\u201d"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":659902,"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"ComCon is an immersive, interactive application that seamlessly connects consumers with local businesses and provides a one-stop shop for residents and visitors to discover, interact with, and support them. Esri technologies helped in the following ways:\r\n