Brookfield village officials Monday commended KPGS Consulting for going above and beyond its contractual obligations to help shape Brookfield Shops at Progress Park, the village’s signature economic development initiative.
Village President Michael Garvey and the board thanked the consulting firm for contributions they said extended far beyond KPGS’ contracted scope of work on the innovative retail incubator program.
“They’ve truly had a meaningful impact on the success of the village’s economic development initiatives, particularly at the Brookfield Shops, but even beyond that,” Garvey said at Monday night’s village board meeting.
KPGS founders Kendra Shaw and Patrick Greenacre have consulted on several retail developments across the western suburbs. The firm specializes in what it calls “retail incubators”—programs designed to strengthen local entrepreneurs, artisans and small business owners by providing them with an affordable and dynamic environment in which to grow.
KPGS assisted with the Brookfield Shops program from its inception, bringing expertise from similar projects in neighboring communities. The firm helped evaluate and select participating vendors, provided recommendations to support program growth and enhancement, and assisted village staff with infrastructure-related planning including pavers, signage, decking, thresholds and lighting, as well as grant coordination.
“They’ve served as a collaborative resource providing guidance and solutions as new opportunities and challenges arose,” Garvey said. “You know, we plan these things, but new things, new challenges always come up and their experience and their dedication really paid off in those moments.”
The firm also helped expand and refine the program through the development of participation levels and ongoing programming concepts, and identified opportunities to enhance the vendor and customer experience.
“Tonight we wanted to take a moment to recognize them to acknowledge these voluntary contributions beyond their contractual obligations and say thank you,” Garvey said before presenting Shaw and Greenacre with a commemorative plaque, prompting a round of applause.
Brookfield Shops at Progress Park is a seasonal retail incubator program that runs from May through December. The program transforms sheds into 12-by-15-foot storefronts in which vendors rent space for the season to launch and grow their individual businesses.
According to the program’s website, the shops provide vendors with “a supportive learning environment, tailored educational programming, physical space, marketing and more.” Participants receive hands-on mentorship and engaging workshops designed to help their businesses thrive while working in a collaborative community environment.
The program allows vendors to test the market before taking the leap into full-scale store operations. After eight months of operating their mini storefronts, vendors are encouraged to graduate into brick-and-mortar locations, scale their operations or discover new ways to grow their small businesses.
More information about the program is available at https://www.thebrookfieldshops.com/.