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______________________________________________________________________________ <br />City of Arden Hills <br />Economic Development Authority Meeting January 26, 2015 <br /> <br />Page 3 of 3 <br />The EDC and staff evaluated preliminary BRE program proposals from both the University of <br />Minnesota Extension and SPACC. The initial cost estimate provided by the Extension for the <br />program was approximately $8,800. SPACC has proposed a not-to-exceed cost of $5,000. For <br />several reasons, the proposal from SPACC was selected as a better fit for Arden Hills. The <br />section below outlines the key points identified by staff and the EDC: <br /> <br /> A significant advantage to working with SPACC is that the Chamber has an established <br />relationship with many businesses and other stakeholders in Arden Hills and will be <br />better positioned to carry out the business outreach efforts. SPACC will also be able to <br />leverage its existing databases to compile a comprehensive list of businesses in the City <br />and prioritize which companies to visit. <br /> <br /> BRE efforts can require a large time commitment from the leadership group. SPACC <br />anticipates that it will be able to provide a program overview and complete the training <br />for the leadership group over the course of a one hour session. <br /> <br /> SPACC would use a survey instrument developed by the Minnesota Chamber of <br />Commerce and Greater MSP. This survey is relatively short and direct , which is <br />important considering the limited amount of time business owners have. Additionally, <br />data collected on Arden Hills businesses could be compared with data collected from <br />other communities using this same survey. <br /> <br /> The proposal from SPACC emphasizes putting in place a sustainable approach for on- <br />going BRE efforts after the first round of business visits is completed. This is critical as <br />cities need to regularly assess conditions in their business community and engage with <br />new businesses that have recently relocated to the City. <br /> <br /> <br />Requested Action <br /> <br />Approve the Business Retention and Expansion Service Proposal submitted by the St. Paul Area <br />Chamber of Commerce (SPACC). The Economic Development Commission (EDC) reviewed <br />this proposal at their meeting on October 1, 2014, and voted to recommend that the EDA <br />contract with SPACC to implement a Business Retention and Expansion program. <br /> <br /> <br />Attachments <br /> <br />A. Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce Business Retention and Expansion Service <br />Proposal <br />B. University of Minnesota Extension – Community Leaders’ Business Retention and <br />Expansion Program