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City of Arden Hills Economic Development Commission March 4, 2015 Page 1 of 2 MEMORANDUM DATE: March 4, 2015 EDC Agenda Item 4.A TO: Economic Development Commission Chair and Commissioners FROM: Matthew Bachler, Associate Planner SUBJECT: Business Retention and Expansion Program At their meeting on January 26, 2015, the Economic Development Authority (EDA) voted to approve a Business Retention and Expansion Service Proposal submitted by the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce (SPACC). The EDC previously reviewed this proposal at their meeting on October 1, 2014, and voted to recommend that the City contract with SPACC to implement a Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) program in 2015. Based on the project timeline provided in the proposal, SPACC expects to present the findings of the BRE program in December 2015. The first quarter of the year will be spent discussing the project goals with the City Council and EDC, recruiting and training a BRE volunteer group responsible for completing business visits, and identifying key sectors and businesses within the community that should be engaged. The majority of the business visits will be completed during the late spring and summer. Jonathan Weinhagen, Vice President of SPACC, will be in attendance at the meeting to discuss the preliminary analysis completed by the Chamber of the Arden Hills business community. This analysis identifies which of the fastest growing industries in the state are represented in Arden Hills and provides data on the major employers in the community. The focus of the BRE program will be on those businesses within identified growth sectors and landmark businesses that either represent a significant percentage of the job base or that have operated within the community for a long period of time. The SPACC will also be presenting a baseline business survey to the EDC for comments. This survey has been developed by the “Grow Minnesota!” program and Greater MSP for use in their BRE efforts. Input will be requested on specific questions relevant to the Arden Hills business community that should be added to the survey.