BIRMINGHAM, AL (September 3, 2026) – Leaders from the City of Burns, Tennessee traveled to Birmingham, Alabama on Aug. 18 and 19 for a two-day Retail Academy workshop at Retail Strategies headquarters.
Burns is a small, rural community with strong household income and significant growth ahead. City leaders have prioritized new retail development to generate sales tax revenue and support the community as it grows.
The Retail Academy is an intensive training program that equips community leaders with the tools, data, and relationships needed to attract new retail, restaurant, and service businesses. Over two days, the Burns team worked through national retail trends, local market analysis, and one-on-one breakout sessions built around the city’s customized retail recruitment plan.
“The Retail Academy gave our team a clear plan and the confidence to go after it,” said Mayor Rusty Groves, City of Burns. “We came home with real data about our market, a list of targets that make sense for Burns, and a partner we can call any time. This is the kind of preparation that helps us compete for projects we might have missed before.”
The training also covered practical strategies for building relationships with retailers, brokers, and developers, and for positioning city staff as the primary point of contact when new projects come to market.
“Burns is exactly the kind of community that benefits from this work,” said Lacy Beasley, president of Retail Strategies. “They have the growth, the income, and the leadership. What they needed was the data and the network, and now they have both. We are proud to be in this with them for the long haul.”
The partnership continues with quarterly accountability calls, ongoing access to the Retail Strategies team, and continued support as Burns puts its recruitment plan into action.
About Retail Academy
Retail Academy is a program developed from a leading national retail advisory firm, Retail Strategies. The program assists communities in strengthening their retail landscape. Communities will be trained and equipped with the tools and education necessary to attract new retailers to their markets, while providing support to their existing local businesses. To learn more visit https://www.retailstrategies.com/retailacademy/.
