Owasso, Oklahoma-based consultant releases second book on economic development

Rickey Hayes is no stranger to success, taking his expertise, experience and his extensive catalog of relationships in the retail development industry and turning them into a national consulting firm. 

Hayes is the owner, CEO and founder of Retail Attractions, LLC, based in Owasso, Oklahoma. His company works with both the public and private sectors to prove retail markets, recruit retail brands, and work with retail development companies.

His work has taken him to over 450 cities in 39 states since its inception.

Hayes’s work history and career resume are broad and varied. He began his work in the public sector in law enforcement in Paris, Texas, before moving to the Tulsa area in 2001 to take over as Director of Economic Development for the City of Owasso.

During his tenure in Owasso, the city tripled its revenue and added several million square feet of commercial and retail development. Since beginning his company, Hayes has taken that experience and the relationships in the retail industry on the road, and has helped facilitate millions of square feet of retail and mixed use development all over the country.

Asked what his primary role is, Hayes responded, “I’m a connector, a bridge builder, and a problem solver. When we work with the public sector we find there are many areas where there are breakdowns in communication, misunderstanding of the roles of both the public and private sectors, and when we are working with our private sector clients we help them understand the restrictions the public sector faces and the subtle nuances of local politics.”

“The secret of economic development is relationships,” he added. 

Hayes is a proven master at connecting relationships between the public sector and those who work on the other side of business. His emphasis is retail development.

Realizing he had a special ability to communicate and create synergy by working to connect investors, developers, land owners with those in the public sector, Hayes took off on his own and started his company, Retail Attractions, following years as Owasso’s economic development director.  

“All cities struggle with two main needs — the creation of new revenue and improving quality of life,” Hayes explained. “Retail, when done right, accomplishes both.”

Over time, Hayes documented his work and released two books that lay out the process.  

The second and newest of those books, The Devil’s in the Details: Things That Challenge City Government and the Language of Development, is now available. 

The book is a continuation and more in-depth look at retail development and recruitment after his first book, City on a Hill: A Book on Cities and How to Make Them Better. 

City on a Hill was published in early 2016 and has seen great success since then. 

It has only five-star reviews on Amazon, with comments such as “thought provoking,” “City on a Hill is a very interesting and informative book,” and “If you are part of a municipality, trying to make your market grow, this should be required reading,” amongst a variety of other positive reviews. 

The short description on Amazon says the book is “… a basic primer for city managers and city councilors, mayors and other elected officials on the principles of retail and economic development.” 

While City on a Hill chronicled much of Hayes’s work for the City of Owasso, as part of its staff and after starting his consulting business, The Devil’s in the Details goes deeper into the realm of the retail development process. 

Hayes starts right out of the gate in book number two — no soft introductions or pleasantries. 

He gets immediately to digging down deep into the tension associated with retail development and recruitment, explaining the trials and tribulations that are to be overcome when having to bring so many entities together — city government, property owners, retail businesses, etc. 

The book goes into the tension of development early in the book. An excerpt is below:

“Tension ... The word is defined in many ways. Tension is what we have when opposing elements or philosophies clash. Tension is created when a state or condition of mental, emotional, philosophical or other opposing conditions collide. Tension occurs when the physical or metaphysical condition of people is being stretched or strained. Economic development brings change. All change causes tension, and since change is inevitable ... so is tension. All cities operate in the tension dynamic.

“Healthy things grow. Healthy people, plants, animals and businesses all grow. Cities grow. All growth brings change. Think about it. Growth makes everything change ... and that brings much tension. Growth brings a tension that brings forth challenges. Naturally, challenges produce even more tension. However, since tension and tribulations are a fact of life, we need to not only accept that tension as part of everyday work and life but learn to bear it and work through it. We must find creative ways to overcome the stigma of it.” 

Hayes says he is proud of the work, stating, “The second book brings it all into perspective and helps pull it into one solid narrative that can be put to use in real life. 

“I think with both of these books, the goal was to educate and assist those who work in the public sector to understand what the private sector needs and motivate them to partner with those attempting to invest in their communities.” 

Both books and information about Hayes and Retail Attractions, LLC. are available at www.retailattractions.com. 

Books can be purchased directly at amazon.com, by emailing the office at [email protected] or by calling the office at 918-376-6707.