Stratford is open for business. That's the message town officials hope to convey with a new economic development website that is now in the works.

The idea was introduced by Stratford’s Economic Development Commission (EDC) more than a year ago. The new website, which will be linked to Stratford’s homepage, will not only be used to showcase Stratford as a business-friendly community, it will be developed so that Stratford’s Economic Development office can print promotional materials directly from the site.

“The major focus of the website will be an economic development video featuring town culture, events, our location and amenities; the video will feature a four-season overview of Stratford -- our education system, our housing market, our future growth potential, demographics, and employee pool,” said Neil Sherman, chairman of the Economic Development Commission.

The Economic Development Commission will be putting into place an oversight committee of business experts, graphic artists, and representatives from the mayor’s office as well as computer specialists to guide the commission through the process of creating the website and video.

“We’re looking to partner with local companies to help us create the website and produce the video,” Sherman said. 

Companies interested in working with the Economic Development Commission should create a cost-free proposal presenting computer links to at least three relevant or prior involvement with website development or video production, or both. The proposal should explain why they are interested in Stratford and working with the Economic Development Commission. Their proposal should outline what they consider Stratford's major selling points, and include any time constraints the company or individual may have.

“We hope the proposals will display the creativity and technical expertise of the proposer,” Sherman said. 

The Economic Development Commission will then review proposals and select those they wish to interview.

Proposals should be delivered on or before July 15 to Bruce Alessie at the Stratford Economic Development Office, 2725 Main St., Stratford CT 06615.

“We’re very excited about this project,” Sherman said. “We’re not only eager to create this website, we’re also eager to find someone who can help us think through how we can position the website appropriately on search engines and effectively utilize other kinds of marketing tools.”