Myers, and Clearwater, Florida. The Program The Business Alliance Program, which has since grown out of Operation Weed and Seed, offers communities a framework for rebuilding the economic structure of their neighborhoods through community-based efforts to improve living and working conditions. Business alliances often focus on increasing business and job opportunities by expanding existing businesses and attracting new businesses and jobs. More business in the community adds to the tax base, creates a thriving economic climate, and generates new jobs. More jobs, in turn, lead to fewer crime problems and an improved quality of life for the entire community.
Tremendous benefits can result from pooling a community's resources in a business alliance.
Renewed economic vitality, improved physical conditions, and enhanced resident self-esteem and productivity all breathe new life into a neighborhood. The basic unit of the program is the business alliance, a voluntary organization of individuals and businesses that band together to promote the commercial, financial, economic, and civic interests of a community. Business alliances take advantage of the flexibility of the private sector and provide a means by which the business community can develop mutually beneficial partnerships. These partnerships reflect the unique characteristics of a business community and the perspectives of the business owners who are most directly affected by revitalization efforts. Through development of alliances, the program brings together public and private groups and individuals who are enthusiastic about fostering real economic change in their communities.