This Thursday, the Kiwanis Club of Valley will hold a fundraiser, selling Chick-fil-A sandwiches to raise money for scholarships and programs.

This is a great idea and hopefully one that will be successful. A part of what will make this event a success is simply due to the fact Chick-fil-A will be served, a delicacy not found in the Valley area, and the event is being marketed as such.

This marketing choice goes to show that people in the Valley, and in all small communities, are always interested and willing to patronize new establishments.

But what would it take to set up one of these businesses permanently?

Chris Busby, who is in charge of community development with the Chambers County Development Authority, said that all retail chains have certain specifications that they look for when exploring a new market. These can include anything from location sites, to traffic counts to land costs and income.

Despite this, Busby said the need is never really a reason to bring in a chain. But the Chambers County Development Authority has a target list of businesses they are trying to court into setting up shop.

“Each one has something different they’re looking for,” he said, noting the biggest thing that will bring in a new business is someone willing to take the time and make the effort to seek out a franchise. “This doesn’t just happen overnight.”

The people of the Greater Valley Area have proven that anything new is almost guaranteed to succeed here, but to make that a reality it will take a lot of time and effort on the part of several groups.