New online directory features all 1,700 McHenry-based businesses

Wondering how many restaurants there are in McHenry, or if there is a contractor in town who can do your remodeling project?

A new feature on the city’s economic development website, thinkmchenry.com, can tell residents exactly that.

The city launched its new business directory in early March, Economic Development Director Doug Martin said. The site, built via a contract with tech firm Bludot, used Google, Yelp and city documentation to list 1,688 businesses within the city. Each listing gives the business name and address, and if located through a scraping of data on the internet, a phone number, hours of operation and web addresses. The site also puts that business on a map to help users determine its exact location in town.

This is a spotlight for McHenry businesses.”

—  Sue Miller, McHenry 7th Ward alderwoman

“Businesses can showcase what they have to offer: featured services, menu items, social media links, employment opportunities and any promotions,” Martin said. “This is an economic development tool to promote, attract and retain businesses. We are here to promote businesses as a part of our economic development, as part of the community.”

Although developed through information publicly available on the web, the site can also be updated by business owners who contact the McHenry Economic Development department. “The businesses need to go into their listing and can make them as comprehensive as possible to gain maximal exposure in the community,” Martin said, adding there are no fees or charges to businesses for the listing or to maintain it.

When the site launched, his office sent an email to every business it had an email address for, inviting them to edit their pages, followed by a social media post with the same invitation. So far, dozens of businesses have done so, Martin said. Businesses inside McHenry’s boundaries that are not currently listed can also be added.

According to a pop-up when navigating to the page, a McHenry business owner can “update your business information any time by clicking on your business page and selecting the ‘Edit’ button at the top of the page. If you do not see your business listed, you can submit your business information by clicking the ‘+ Add Listing’ button at the top of the page within the homepage.”

Most of the updates can be done by simply checking boxes on the submission page, Martin said. Business owners can also add video, business logos, and other promotional information.

Updates are then reviewed and approved by McHenry Economic Development staff, Martin said, and can be live on the website within minutes of their approvals.

Customers using the site can search categories, and narrow searches down with further filters. A search for Food and Beverages, for example, shows 92 results. The search for Retail/Shopping gives 132 results.

The site is by no way finished on the city’s side, either, Martin said. An area search function on the website is not built out yet, and keyword searches and other lookup settings will be added later. “It is still in the early stages of development, updating listings and working through glitches. In the little over a month since we have gone live with this, there has been nothing but a robust response from the business community,” Martin said.

Alderwoman Sue Miller, 7th Ward, said that when Martin began talking about the online business registry idea, she was surprised to learn there were almost 1,700 businesses in McHenry. She also realizes that people no longer just go to The Yellow Pages to find a business, or know how to search the web to find exactly what they are looking for.

“By creating our own [list] we are focusing on the businesses that are here ... and what opportunities they represent,” Miller said. “This is a spotlight for McHenry businesses.”

A new way-finder map with QR codes leading to the ThinkMcHenry.com site and a mobile map was also recently installed at the McHenry Riverwalk’s Green Street entrance, Martin said.

Business owners with questions or comments regarding the directory are ask to contact the McHenry Economic Development Department via email at dwolf@cityofmchenry.org or dmartin@cityofmchenry.org.