Defining the market trends of South Whidbey, how they impact Clinton’s commercial core and what business and industry gaps may exist are the tall tasks ahead of a recently hired consulting company.

Contracted by the Port of South Whidbey, Beckwith Consulting Group representatives met with port commissioners, port staff, an Island County commissioner and the Clinton Community Council on Monday night. The initial all-comers’ gathering was to help identify what they should be looking for, who they should speak with, and where their focus should be. Owner Tom Beckwith said they would survey a cross section of residents in the three ZIP codes of South Whidbey: Clinton, Langley, and Freeland. That will help them learn where people shop, what they get, and why they choose certain stores over others. With that information, he said they can identify gaps in service and industry for the port to use to solicit and market Clinton.

“We’re throwing as big a net as we can,” Beckwith said.

The $30,000 contract will cover work between now and February. Over that time, the consulting group has planned three separate meetings with Clinton stakeholders: business owners in the commercial core near the ferry, commercial property owners, and residents.

Online surveys are the most efficient way for them to gather data, Beckwith said. But community council members Maury Hood and Jack Lynch encouraged them to also consider analog, paper handouts and flyers to grab the attention of visitors.

One of the underlying questions that Beckwith, a career planner, said needs to be answered by the council and the county is: What is Clinton’s sense of place?

Beckwith highlighted his group’s success more than a decade ago of helping boost downtown Bend, Ore. Shortly after an airport was constructed, the city became a go-to destination for winter tourism with his group’s expertise on streetscape development.

The ferry presents a similar opportunity, but, as Clinton business owners and residents know, a perhaps greater challenge. Every half hour, traffic unloads from the ferry and cruises up the highway hill. Giving that traffic a reason to stop and look remains a great hope for the Clinton Community Council and the businesses there.

Ridership on the ferry route continues to rise. An estimated 4 million riders used the Clinton-to-Mukilteo route in 2014.

“We know it’s very unlikely to drop,” Island County Commissioner Helen Price Johnson said.

The consulting group will set dates for the informational workshops. A survey of business owners, customers and employees will take place in the coming four weeks.