Given Forney's rapid growth along Highway 80, it has become a City of Forney priority to make sure that the historic downtown area does not get left behind. They have promoted revitalization and grand visions for the future, and have invested funds to help make those visions a reality. One important component that was missing from all the plans has now come together, the Forney Downtown Business Association.

Forney Economic Development Director Kim Buttram gave an impressive presentation on the economic progress Forney has made from 2000 to 2012. An “Eggs and Updates” event was held at the local Best Western on January 9, 2013, giving Buttram the chance to relay just how incredible Forney's growth has been. The presentation was referred to as “New Brand, New Boldness, New Breakthroughs. The Future is Bright.”

At Forney City Hall on the evening of November 29, the City Council, Forney Economic Development Corporation, and the Planning and Zoning Commission met for the third time to discuss plans for the downtown area. The goal of the meeting was to begin to put into action the short term, mid-term, and long term goals established by the three City entities, and to give the City staff a direction to proceed in for the betterment of the historic downtown area.

The Forney EDC's quarterly breakfast meeting was hosted by Crumbzz Tasting Pavillion and held on Wednesday, July 11, 2012. The meeting centered around the new Lake Pointe Medical Center that will be part of Phase Two of the Forney Medical Plaza off Highway 80 near FM 548. Updates were given about the new Emergency Department that will be built and ready to open by the end of this year.

These are exciting times for the Forney community, business is booming, the real estate market is making a comeback, and people are taking notice of the little town that could. Members of Forney's EDC and City Council attended the ICSC RECon Convention on May 22-25, 2012 in Las Vegas. They brought back exciting news for Forney's future.

Forney's Gateway Bridge groundbreaking ceremony was held on Thursday, May 10, 2012, in front of an enthusiastic crowd of over 50 people. Dignitaries, community members, and media showed up near Highway 80 and Reeder Road to learn more about the new bridge and the effect it will have on our local growth and economy.

In part one of the inForney.com interview with EDC Executive Director Kim Buttram, she discussed plans for downtown Forney. Despite her passion for revitalizing downtown, she and city officials are working hard to secure the best businesses for the city as a whole. According to Buttram, the long term vision for Forney is to create a city where, “The economy will become self-sustaining. There will be more shops and corporatations and maybe even a college someday. Forney could become a place where you are born, you go to school, you work and you stay and raise your own family.”

Kim Buttram has been the Executive Director of the Forney Economic Development Corporation since May of 2010. Her background includes a Marketing Degree from Texas A&M, experience in newspaper advertising and publishing, work as a bank teller, and years of being a self-employed entrepreneur. According to her peers, Kim Buttram is probably the hardest working woman in Forney.

Buttram cites the seven year effort she and her husband put into remodeling their farm house, as teaching her patience and tenacity. She uses both those attributes to bring Forney residents the quality of life they desire. Buttram says,