STARKVILLE — Like many people who leave their hometown, Austin Shafer thought he’d return to Starkville when the kids were grown and it was time to retire.
But when the Greater Starkville Development Partnership offered him a job, Shafer, then working for Southern Motion in Houston, Texas, didn’t hesitate.
Shafer began his role as vice president of membership and chamber of commerce at the Partnership in September. His duties include recruiting new members and assisting current Partnership members grow in Starkville.
Shafer is a 1998 graduate of Starkville High School and a 2005 graduate of Mississippi State University, where he earned a degree in communication.
Shafer has worked as specialty brand manager for Cash Distributing Co. in Columbus before he returned to Starkville as director of marketing for Dux D’Lux Advertising, a business owned by his family.
Shafer was active in the bar and restaurant scene in Starkville during the mid-2000s, bartending at Old Venice and The Veranda before owning a stake in Lucky’s Lounge, now Mugshots.
What made you want to come back to Starkville, particularly with this job?
This job fit because I can directly affect this community. This isn’t a job for me. I was really intrigued in our (first interview with the Partnership), where, to break it down in it’s easiest terms, they basically said “make Starkville a better place.” That sounds like the best job in the world for me. I can make the town better for family and friends. I can’t believe they pay me.
What are your day-to-day duties at the GSDP?
I try to stay out of the office as much as I can. I don’t want to call you or email you; I want to come into your office, ask you how’s your business and how can I help you. It’s not an 8-5 being stuck to my desk. It’s different things in the community everyday.
Now that you’ve had about a month to settle in, what things do you have cooking?
One thing we’re actually looking into doing is bringing a fun element back to Starkville. The food cart scene is huge these days, and there are four that happen Thursday through Saturday for late night in the Cotton District. We’re working on doing one every Saturday a month, having 10-12 food carts somewhere in town, almost like a nomadic restaurant. They can choose between Thai, burgers and pizza, shutting somewhere down with Octoberfest-style seating and maybe having a band. Basically, starting the food cart revolution here.
We’re also talking with (Mississippi University for Women) to have culinary students come down and set up a cart. We just really want to give people around here something else to do.
We’re also redoing member benefits, giving them more tangible things like gym membership discounts, and discounts for small business health care. Those are two things in the new members benefits package.
When you were in high school, trying to decide what you wanted to do with your future, was working in a role like this at the GSDP ever on your radar?
Absolutely not. I did what typical small town people do — they think I live in a cool town but I want to get out and be something this town doesn’t offer. You find that a lot of people leave the nest and say, wow, the grass isn’t greener on the other side. With this position, hopefully we can bring more jobs to town, and in turn, bring more people back to town.
I always had it in the plans to come back, and I’m glad it came now, especially with a year-old daughter. We were here two days, hadn’t set up day care, and we had 15 calls from different people offering to help. You don’t get that in a big city.
Starkville seems to be on the cusp of something great with the boom in small business and the pending CottonMill Marketplace. What do you think are the final pieces?
More community involvement. In my opinion, the GSDP and what I’m leaning heavily on is asking the businesses here is how did you become successful and what do we have do to bring more businesses like you to town? We really have to lean on Starkville’s leaders and ask for their help for what they’ve made good great.
What have you, (Partnership President) Jon Maynard and (Partnership COO) Jennifer Gregory sat down and mapped out for 2012?
What Jon has done a great job of doing is allowing Jennifer to do her own thing and blossom. I’ve been here for a month, and he’s really let me soar without saying, “you have to do this, this and this.” It’s been more, “you know what you need to accomplish. Do it how you want to.” He doesn’t micromanage. Outside of brainstorming each week, we’re trying to make 2012 better than 2011.
What’s been the toughest challenges so far? Meeting so many new people, getting involved with so many community functions?
That, in my opinion, has been the easiest part. I love people coming to me and saying, can you help? The hardest thing is what needs to be done first and having the most focus. I try to focus my time on everything instead of obsessing on one thing.
I think communication between community is vitally important. What I really want people to know is the Partnership is there to work for them. If you feel an issue needs to be addressed, call or come by.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
