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