Mostly Haltom City residents, expressing concern about the declining inner city and potential growth in crime, showed up at Tarrant Events Center

HALTOM CITY, TX, April 14, 2023 /24-7PressRelease/ — On March 30th, entrepreneur/author Ron Sturgeon hosted a book signing event at Haltom City’s Tarrant Events Center. The book featured at the event was the recently released 2nd Edition of Keeping the Lights on Downtown in America’s Small Cities — The Critical Role Small Businesses Play in Bringing Back Jobs & Prosperity, originally published in the spring of 2022 to rave reviews on Amazon.com. The new version includes seven additional chapters that address specific challenges and offer practical ideas to be applied to Haltom City and other cities in similar circumstances across the country.

More than 100 residents showed up, including Charlie Roberts, candidate for City Council, and Cindy Sturgeon, candidate for Mayor. Said Ron, “the book signing was a great success. The hot dogs were tasty. Lots of Haltom City folks showed up, including two former mayors. The “grandfather” of the city, Bob Watkins even showed up, and Cindy Sturgeon ran out of yard signs to give out. Charlie Roberts also gave out lots of signs.” Almost all attendees were senior citizens who have lived through the situation the city is in and are not in denial about it.

While waiting for their free autographed copy of the book, many residents could be heard discussing the situation in Haltom City. According to Sturgeon, “It was gratifying to talk to so many lifelong residents that are very concerned about the city’s decline. Many want the small businesses to come back, and then try to get a grocery store, and they aren’t in denial that the current council hasn’t even acknowledged that this is an issue in the Southern and Central districts. The city hasn’t had a plan to bring a grocery store, other than incentives. Grocery stores don’t come for incentives (though they like them).” They want increasing income and population. According to the US Census, out of 41 cities in Tarrant County, Haltom City fell from 22 (about halfway) to 30th in population growth. (The chart showing all cities is in Ron’s book). Income is flat at best. A recent business census found a 29% vacancy rate on the main corridor, US377, South of loop 820 to Belknap. No grocery store is coming to this part of town until we fix these fundamentals, which were in part caused by leadership over the last 25 years. The plan is simple, though painful and slow: bring back small businesses, get the corridor active again and make the city more attractive.

Ron said, “My fiancée Linda Allen sat with me patiently, meeting all the citizens, and I think she now has a new awareness of the need for my alternative narrative to bring back prosperity to Haltom City.”

Many of Ron’s ideas for bringing back prosperity can be found on the Make Haltom City Thrive Again website. The initiative was launched in 2022 to encourage new city leadership that will dedicate themselves to revitalizing the beleaguered areas in central and south Haltom City. Of course, Keeping the Lights On also lays out Ron’s ideas, and he frequently refers to Haltom City when discussing common challenges and the many possibilities for creating positive change. He is so dedicated to these goals that he is giving a free copy of the book to any Haltom resident or business owner who requests one. Interested parties just need to email [email protected].

Says Sturgeon, “Haltom City has a long way to go if it wants to return to its former level of prosperity, but it can be done. Remember, if you live in Haltom City, contact me and I will send you a free copy of my book.”

About Ron Sturgeon
Ron Sturgeon, “Mr. Mission Possible,” combines 40+ years of entrepreneurship with a deep resume in consulting. When his dad died and Ron had no place to live, 17-year-old Ron began a career in entrepreneurship which led to his building a chain of salvage yards sold to Ford in 1999. After his repurchase of Greenleaf from Ford and subsequent resale to Schnitzer, Ron became a real estate investor. He has 1,500+ tenants and loves small businesses. As a consultant, Ron shares his expertise in strategic planning, capitalization, compensation, growing market share, providing field-proven, high-profit, best practices well ahead of the curve. He has recently published his tenth book, Keeping the Lights on Downtown in America’s Small Cities, and is leading a grassroots effort to bring prosperity back to the city where his business career began.

About Make Haltom City Thrive Again
The Make Haltom City Thrive Again website offers information and resources about its purpose and goals. For more on Sturgeon’s personal ideas and background, check out his book Keeping the Lights on Downtown in America’s Small Cities and watch the videos on his Facebook page. Ron is also the founder of the Haltom United Business Alliance (HUBA) which represents existing business interests in Haltom City and promotes growth of diverse businesses as well. HUBA is not a political action committee and does not endorse candidates. If/when Ron endorses candidates, he will do so on his own with the Make Haltom City Thrive Again organization.

About Haltom United Business Alliance
Haltom United Business Alliance (HUBA) wants to give members of Haltom City’s business community an advocate and to keep those businesses informed about issues that affect them. They want to make sure Haltom City is business friendly and nurtures small business growth, including automotive businesses, and bring more restaurants including breweries and a major grocery store to the city. New businesses and growth in existing businesses will create a stronger tax base which will allow the city to pay its first responders wages that are competitive with surrounding cities while improving Haltom City’s facilities and infrastructure. HUBA believes that the southern and central parts of the city need a revitalization plan, to prevent further degradation in those areas, and wants that to happen before the inner-city experiences increased crime and more blight. As retail and office uses are in decline, it’s more critical than ever to attract new businesses. They believe that such a plan requires a strong relationship and support of the business community. Anyone who owns a business in Haltom City is eligible to join HUBA. Dues are $20 annually or $50 for a lifetime membership, and membership is 100% confidential. To join, contact Joe Palmer at (682) 310-0591 or by email at [email protected]. Visit the group’s Facebook at Haltom United Business Alliance.

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