BAY MINETTE,  Ala. — Timeka Cunningham of the Bay Minette Finance Department recently headed to the state capital for training.

Last Friday, Cunningham took part in a workshop that focused on teaching city government officials how to attract businesses to their town. The $270.16 event, paid for by the city, took place in Montgomery.

At the one-day conference, Cunningham attended a seminar on community development, in which she learned that the endeavor  is no single effort.

“In order to have something happen inside of your community, the politicians are not going to do it, the citizens have to do it,” she said in a telephone interview.

Another class, which focused on retail trends and recruiting, taught Cunningham that the first step to attracting businesses to Bay Minette is gathering information.

“You do research,” she said. “Have demographics, what does your town have to offer, then contact the main headquarters (of retail businesses). They’re looking for what you have already, existing retail, population, schools, major employers and traffic drive. When developers come in, they want to look at location, health care, education systems, economic opportunities and quality of life."

Cunningham went to Friday’s workshop in place of Bay Minette Mayor Jamie Tiller, who was unable to attend due to a conflict. Cunningham will present a report of the event during the next Bay Minette City Council meeting on July 11.