City Council discusses economic development during work session

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK) - Pocatello's future took priority on Thursday.

The Pocatello City Council gathered at City Hall for their regular work session. As part of their agenda, the council talked about the economic development in Pocatello and the surrounding region.

Pocatello Mayor Brian Blad said that for local businesses around the area to succeed, he believes having an online presence can play a significant role.

"If you have an online presence as a business, you seem to be doing better than if you do not," Blad said. "I would encourage people to have that online presence and make sure that your name is getting out there. A lot of people don’t feel comfortable going into a store, but they do feel comfortable shopping online and then going and picking it up at the store.”

One of Pocatello's local businesses with an online presence is New Life Nutrition. The lounge opened its doors back in January and is co-owned by Eric and Amy Meyers.

Eric says that online marketing through social media as helped him and his wife with their business.

"We do Facebook posts" Meyers said. "We also use Instagram, and boost our posts, which has helped us a lot. My wife does a lot of that."

The council also discussed unemployment numbers in Pocatello as part of Thursday's agenda. The mayor said unemployment peaked at around 10% during the lockdown in March and April. He remains optimistic that the city can continue the progress they have made since then.

"We have done pretty good," Blad said. "Right now, Pocatello is at 3.7%. I've seen some numbers that are a little bit different than that, but it's all pretty close to the same."

The COVID-19 pandemic has made it challenging for not only the city council and their operations, but also for local businesses such as New Life Nutrition. Despite this, Eric believes their business can make it past any difficulties ahead.

"I can just say we are not going to go down without a fight," Meyers said. "We're going to fight. We're going to maintain and stay here as long as we possibly can to serve the community in every way that we can."

New Life Nutrition is located at 624 E. Benton St. They are open Monday-Friday from 7 a.m. till 3 p.m. and on Saturday from 9 a.m. till 2 p.m.