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City of Arden Hills Economic Development Commission June 4, 2014 Page 1 of 3 MEMORANDUM DATE: June 4, 2014 EDC Agenda Item 4.A TO: Economic Development Commission FROM: Matthew Bachler, Associate Planner SUBJECT: Business Retention and Expansion Program Background At the Economic Development Commission (EDC) meeting on March 5, 2014, staff provided an overview on the goals of Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) programs and the typical structure of these types of initiatives. Since then, staff has met with the cities of Coon Rapids, Hugo, and Forest Lake to discuss the successes and shortcomings of the BRE programs that have been implemented in their communities. The following sections provide a summary of those discussions and outline the next steps for the City in implementing its own BRE program. Discussion University of Minnesota Extension Business Retention and Expansion Strategies Program The cities of Coon Rapids, Hugo, and Forest Lake all used the Business Retention and Expansion Strategies Program offered through the University of Minnesota Extension. Staff members at the Extension office served as consultants for the program in each city, which included advising the Leadership Team, training business visitors, assisting in the business selection process, facilitating meetings, and writing a Research Report and Summary Report on the program. The Extension’s BRE program is a well-organized and tested program that has been used by more than sixty Minnesota communities. Staff received feedback that a benefit of working with the Extension was that a structure was brought to the process, which helped ensure that the BRE program was completed within a timely manner. Additionally, the consultant team was able to provide certain skill sets that City staff did not necessarily have, such as meeting facilitation and training volunteers for business visits.