Taggart: See you later, alligator

Taggart Associates, like LVEDC, has a lot going on. Principal Donna Taggart and husband Glenn work best when they can turn their attention to the needs of their clients, who run the gamut of the urban development planning spectrum. The Southside Bethlehem-based company not only understands the dynamics of urban redevelopment, they help clients zero-in on proven strategies that not only pay off, but incorporate the best aspects of team work. And by the way, there are no alligators these folks can’t handle. Click here to find out what this alligator thing is all about.

 “Helping communities build unique urban environments” is not exactly comfort food. No cheeseburger and fries at one of those greasy spoon restaurants where the waitress calls you “hun” and scribbles your order on a Green and White check emblazed with the words THANK YOU.

Nope, finding solutions to the bevy of pitfalls that can derail a community or economic development project is more like emerging alive from a river knee-deep with alligators. The project development water is grey-brown, as thick as sauce and the air around it has the foul smell of swamp gas. Blinking knots poke out of the scum at the water’s edge. Trails of bubbles curve across the surface and then vanish like the sun at dusk. The alligator has survived almost unchanged since the age of the dinosaur and like problems that can kill a massive project, the reptile will go into a “death roll” when attacking that will stun its prey or twist off an appendage.

Taggart Associates is not afraid of squaring off with the prehistoric quarry and they’re not afraid of the challenges in seeing an urban redevelopment project completed. As a total resource for all community and economic development, environmental and transportation projects they are determined to see the project through.

“We do what we need to get the job done,” Donna Taggart said in nod to the wonders of pragmatism.

As an LVEDC investor, Taggart Associates innately recognizes the value of LVEDC to the region.

“LVEDC is an organization based on developing prudent economic strategies that leverage the region’s reputation for regional cooperation by building on its success in advancing economic development goals,” she said.

Hit the road Jack…..
“For the Valley to be successful in the long-term you need somebody working at a higher altitude looking further down the road,” Glenn Taggart said.

Vision.

Taggart Associates has that in spades. Donna Taggart is the president of the company and she is proud of the fact that they are truly a women-owned business who has worked with LVEDC’s Office of Minority- and Women-Owned Businesses. They’ve combined forward-looking, progressive-thinking with their diverse set of professional contacts in a multitude of sectors that has given them the proverbial leg-up on their competition.

“This business is built on our reputation” Donna Taggert noted. “It’s a relationship business for the most part.”

It was Donna’s husband Glenn who planted Taggart’s flag in 1997 strictly in the area of transportation planning. At the time, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation was writing multi-million contracts with the frequency that a batting-practice pitcher dispenses homeruns. Those days have gone the way of Harry Carry’s “It might be, it could be….it IS….” and are but a tattered memory. Taggart Associates has adjusted, always managing to stay a step or two ahead of the hellhounds on their tail.

As states and regional land use policies increasingly began to focus on marginalizing suburban sprawl and reinvesting smartly in urban cores, Taggart met the challenge by delving into environmental planning, brownfield development and urban revitalization. Taggart hired current Senior Project Manager Chad Helmer to specialize in environmental project management in the redevelopment of underutilized commercial and industrial sites including brownfields and greenfields. (Helmer served as LVEDC’s Director of the Lehigh Valley Land Recycling Initiative prior to his position at Taggart.)
 
“Our team is loaded with experience in environmental processes and documentation throughout the region and beyond that,” Glenn Taggart said.
Donna Taggart also added an economic development component to their business. She knew the field extremely well having served as LVEDC’s Vice President of Regional Development.

“What makes up economic development? LVEDC knows this well,” Donna Taggert said. “It’s marketing, it’s financing, it’s environmental solutions, it’s transportation funding, it’s public relations, managing a project from start-to-finish, and more, so you have to have all the pieces that support the economic development to make it work.”

She takes a pause.

“And what makes Taggart Associates so strong is our professional relationships,” she added reflectively. “Our contacts in a variety of sectors and industries assist our clients in navigating the nuances of a project from start to finish.”

Those contacts prove critical at forging the long-term success of a project.
 
“It’s not easy to have the ability to see the big picture and handle the myopic details that often arise during a project,” Glenn Taggart said. “When you hire us we take care of that.”

Move confidently toward success
Taggart Associates begins by establishing how the project’s vision will play out, based in part on feasibility studies that review the needs of the client and the probability they will come to fruition by establishing a set of realistic goals.

“Projects often take on a life of their own,” Glenn Taggart said. “We assist clients with defining project goals, how they will be met and then we manage the implementation and once it is complete, then review the project and offer whatever support is warranted.”

At Taggart Associates, the organization is committed to the client. It’s not a cliché or a mission statement. All three of my interview subjects say it’s a passion and true passion demands respect. Creating a better quality of life in the communities, not just working on a project in those communities is the goal. In order to accomplish that, Taggart continued their commitment to branching out their services.

Santucci, who came to Taggart Associates about one year ago, provides a valuable service, Donna Taggart said. She is the voice of the organization, providing public relations, community relations and marketing support.

“Megan does things that are very critical,” Donna Taggert said. “She has been great at working on the business instead of working in the business. Things that as a business owner you just sometimes do not get to.”

Glenn Taggert tells the story of Hewlett Packard to illustrate Santucci’s versatility and talent.
“When you have someone as talented as Megan come in the door, you find a place for her in your organization,” he added.

Santucci is the voice of the organization, providing public relations, community relations and marketing support for Taggart Associates and its clients.

“Because funding is so important to our clients, we saw the need for a professional grant writer, one who not only could research and write the application, but one who had a real understanding of the legal and financing aspects of grant administration.
Enter Allyson Filipps, Esq., an attorney and former banker by trade who has worked on behalf of Taggart Associates’ public and private sector clients to research and obtain funding from a variety of sources.

“By having knowledge of the state and federal programs available to developers, municipalities, and nonprofit corporation, she is able to tailor funding that best meets the needs of our clients and maximizes the public and private partnerships,” Donna Taggart noted. “Over the last two years, she has written successful grant applications for LVEDC’s Keystone Innovation Zone and the Office of Minority- and Women-Owned Businesses.”

Taggart Associates’ acumen and expertise and smoothing out bumps in the project development road makes them extremely valuable to your organization. And it keeps the alligators resting peacefully, alone, in the swamp.