Open Doors opens up to chamber
SUPERIOR –A representative from a group interested in investing in Superior was on hand at the latest Mineral County Chamber of Commerce meeting to answer questions from community members about their intentions and motivations.
The group, Open Doors Inc., has expressed a desire in the last few months to invest in several local properties. Their plan is to renovate the locations and turn them into new businesses in an effort to revive the local economy. Up till now, the group had been hesitant to release details about who they were, why they chose Superior and what they planned to do.
One of the members resides in Superior and came forth at the chamber meeting to answer some of those lingering questions. Aggie Salisbury said the newly formed organization was looking for a community in need of an economic revival and she successfully lobbied for Superior.
“This is a small group of people that have worked hard all their lives,” Salisbury said. “Their main focus is providing jobs for veterans. We want to provide jobs for anyone that needs one but the main focus is veterans. They want veterans to be able to have their own businesses.”
Salisbury fielded several questions from the audience regarding how the process will work if Open Doors does indeed decide to work in Superior. Several residents of Superior and the county commissioners have expressed, in the past, a cautious reservation regarding the group. Salisbury said she was also at the meeting to clarify who they are, information that until now had been scarce.
“I first want to tell people what Open Doors is not,” Salisbury said. “We are not a big corporation. We are not a conglomerate. These people have been friends of mine for years. When they started talking about what they wanted to do, I sent pictures of some of the empty buildings around here and summarized what I thought could bring jobs to the area. They agreed that this could be their starting point.”
Salisbury said, in addition to purchasing some of the vacant buildings in Superior, the group also wants to buy land outside of town and establish a company that would manufacture modular homes. She said they also want to establish a vocational training center in the area.
“They (Open Doors) feel like having a facility that would teach trades would be a good thing,” Salisbury said. “That’s not right away. That’s in the future.”
The group, according to Salisbury, is well connected to investment banking entities and is not asking for any assistance from Superior or Mineral County. She said they were also well connected to investment banking entities and are experienced at writing grants.
Salisbury also attempted to ease concerns at the meeting that the group has other motivations behind their plans for Superior. She said the group wants to work with the community to determine what people would like to see them do with their money.
“They do not want to come in here and take over and put in what they want,” Salisbury said. “They want to know what the people who live here want. We hope the people of Superior will get behind this.”
The group has at least one supporter on the chamber board. Mineral County Chamber of Commerce Board Chairman Monte Turner said what other economic development resources in the area have been doing hasn’t been effective in generating jobs and revitalizing the economy.
“What we’ve been doing hasn’t worked. Period,” Turner said. “There have been other organizations that have come and it’s been a dog and pony show. I know people are hesitant and not trusting and I get that but we can’t have that attitude.”
Preliminary ideas from Open Doors includes reopening the movie theater in Superior and rehabbing the old school building to house all county and city government offices or apartments. Salisbury said one vacant building could be turned into a restaurant and another into a bed and breakfast.
A specific timeline for when Open Doors might start working in Superior was not immediately available.