Laserfiche WebLink
______________________________________________________________________________ <br />City of Arden Hills <br />Economic Development Authority Meeting April 27, 2015 <br /> <br />Page 1 of 2 <br />NEW BUSINESS – 3A <br /> <br />MEMORANDUM <br /> <br />DATE: April 27, 2015 <br /> <br />TO: EDA President and Commissioners <br /> <br />FROM: Jill Hutmacher, Community Development Director <br /> <br />SUBJECT: Business Retention and Expansion Program <br /> <br /> <br />Summary <br /> <br />At the January 26, 2015, Economic Development Authority meeting, the EDA approved a <br />contract with the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce to administer a Business Retention and <br />Expansion (BRE) program. Since then, the Economic Development Commission has been <br />working to draft a survey instrument, recruit volunteer interviewers, and select businesses which <br />will be targeted for interviews. Training for BRE volunteer interviewers will be held in May. <br />Interviews will be scheduled for June, July, and August. <br /> <br />Jonathan Weinhagen, SPACC, will be available for questions at the April 27 EDA meeting <br /> <br />Requested Action <br /> <br />1. Approve the BRE survey instrument; <br />2. Accept the priority business interview list; and <br />3. Provide direction regarding the list of BRE volunteers. <br /> <br />Survey Instrument <br /> <br />The draft survey instrument is based on the Grow Minnesota! survey which is used by the <br />Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. Using a similar instrument to Grow Minnesota! will allow <br />the City to compare survey responses with other municipalities. The EDC added questions <br />specifically addressing Arden Hills topics including the revolving loan fund, the State of the City <br />event, and the efficiency of the local transportation network. <br /> <br />BRE volunteers will be trained to administer the survey using a conversational approach. This <br />will advance the City’s primary BRE goal of building relationships with the business <br />community. EDA feedback on the survey instrument is requested.