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EDC Minutes <br />March 4, 2015 <br />Page 2 of 5 <br /> <br />Jonathan Weinhagen discussed the timeline for implementing the BRE program. He noted that <br />SPACC would be engaging with stakeholders and organizing volunteers throughout the spring. <br />The majority of business visits are scheduled to be completed from June through August. He <br />explained that an analysis of the survey results would be completed in the fall and a final report <br />would be presented to the City in December. <br /> <br />Mr. Weinhagen requested feedback on the number of volunteers that should be recruited to <br />participate in the business visits and on which members of the community should be included in <br />this process. <br /> <br />Clayton Zimmerman recommended that the Mounds View School District and property <br />management companies within the City be engaged. He suggested that members of the Parks, <br />Trails, and Recreation Committee may be interested in volunteering as well. <br /> <br />Chair Heikkila questioned whether there was an ideal cross-section of community members that <br />should be represented in the volunteer group. <br /> <br />Mr. Weinhagen indicated that ideally 16 to 20 volunteers would be recruited and that two <br />volunteers would participate in each visit. He recommended that banking professionals and City <br />Councilmembers be included in the volunteer group. He added that visits will be scheduled <br />strategically to ensure that appropriate volunteers are visiting particular businesses in the City. <br /> <br />Mr. Weinhagen discussed the difficulty of building a comprehensive list of businesses in the <br />City of Arden Hills. He requested that the EDC and volunteers review the business list provided <br />by SPACC and note any companies that were either missing or that were no longer in the City. <br /> <br />Roberta Thompson noted that some businesses may operate in Arden Hills but have an address <br />in an adjacent city, for example the University of Northwestern. <br /> <br />Chair Heikkila questioned whether the business list could also include data on the length of <br />time a company has been operating in Arden Hills. <br /> <br />Mr. Weinhagen stated that this data would be included in an updated version of the business <br />list. <br /> <br />Commissioner Von Holtum questioned how the BRE program will help the City identify <br />opportunities where businesses are looking to expand. <br /> <br />Mr. Weinhagen commented that one of the main goals of the program will be to build stronger <br />relationships between the City and the business community so that when a company is looking to <br />expand their first call will be to City staff. <br /> <br />Mr. Weinhagen provided an overview of the business survey and noted that a similar survey is <br />used by Greater MSP and Grow Minnesota. He commented that additional training will be <br />provided to the volunteer group before the first business visits. He requested that the EDC and