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27 BR&E Recommendations Intensive BR&E Programs, like this one, are an important part of a business retention and expansion strategy for a community. It is important to recognize that the data collected during this program represents a snapshot in time, and that ongoing BR&E efforts are critical to maintain up to date information and relationship building with the business community. Recommendation 1 It is recommended that the Economic Development Commission oversee any ongoing business retention and expansion efforts. As part of their annual work plan, the EDC should identify a targeted list of businesses to be visited throughout the year. Recommendation 2 As part of the city’s ongoing business retention and expansion efforts, it is recommended that the chambers of commerce in the area be leveraged to supplement business retention and expansion visits. The City of Arden Hills is served by the Saint Paul Area and Twin Cities North Chambers of Commerce. Both entities conduct BR&E visits on a regular basis. The city should work with these organizations to coordinate visits and ensure the appropriate people are involved in conducting the visits and that information is shared. Recommendation 3 The City of Arden Hills is largely served by a finite number of commercial real estate brokerage firms. It is recommended that a roundtable including participants from these firms be conducted to gather feedback on commercial real estate trends and in an effort to collect information to help inform future land use policy discussions. The Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce is willing to convene this roundtable as part of the initial scope of work for the BR&E Program. Recommendation 4 Information collected during BR&E visits is not only beneficial to the community that collects the data, but also to the region and state as a whole. It is recommended that the City of Arden Hills consider allowing BR&E data collected by the city to be uploaded into the regional or state Sales Force database through the GreaterMSP or Grow Minnesota! portals.