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others come from the development community. These three sources should be the primary source of lead generation for the Arden Hills in the near future (1-3 years). Leveraging these sources can occur in two ways. The simplest is introductory meetings conducted by the city's economic development staff with the leaders in those three sources listed previously. City staff should have an entertainment budget that allows them to take these people out for lunch or after business meetings as they develop relationships with these individuals. The EDC also recommends involving surrounding communities to lead an area-wide effort. 19) Joint Marketing. As the program matures, the City would be well served to partner with other surrounding cities in a joint marketing effort. This is a common strategy in economic development as companies who are focusing on an area are able to be approached earlier in the decision making process through group marketing than they can be with individual marketing. The sooner that the community can make an impression on a company, the higher their chances are of securing the new investment. The EDC also recommends reviewing and expanding joint marketing opportunities such as with the Twin Cities Chamber and Visit Minneapolis North, for example. 25) Individual Marketing. On rare occasions the community may opt to pursue its individualized market efforts. As stated before, these are very expensive and frequently result in little or no return on investment. However, for highly targeted instance where a niche opportunity presents itself, the community would be well served to have the capacity to pursue specific prospects by having the appropriate funds budgeted. Although the EDC recognizes the value in this initiative, we have determined this not to be a priority at this time. Strategic Plan for Economic Development Page 13 of 21