07-26-25 EDC Agenda Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION – JUNE 25, 2025 3 businesses need to be supported. The only way to do that is to get more information and the best way to do that is through a formal process. Chair Murchie agrees. That is one of the reasons for the business event. The survey was limited. If we can put together a brunch or breakfast then we can incorporate the scope of work that the commission is working on. We can leverage those businesses at the tables to gather information and use it as a first place to expand to a larger sample. The plan would be, by the end of the year to be able to address some of the things that City Administrator Jagoe shared. If we want to do business outreach, communication and marketing, we can focus on those for the event in the fall. As we plan for next year, we can take that information and say what is needed from Staff and from a budgeting perspective. That will give us more well-sourced information. Commissioner Bonine asked how we ensure the event is well attended. Chair Murchie said that is a big part of today’s conversation. What are we able and willing to do to make sure that we get outreach to the businesses that will attend the event? Commissioner Bonine asked if this is the most effective way to determine what the business owner’s needs are. Chair Murchie said we tried the survey and that was not effective. Given that there has been a history of events like the business brunch, if we can get something started up again that may be the most efficient way to get people together. Commissioner Gronquist said part of the packet is the list of the licensed businesses. Her vision would be to send out invitations to the list. That would be a great place to start. Commissioner Brausen said we don’t know how many people will come to the event but we have to try. Commissioner Sorensen asked what the purpose of the breakfast is. If it is to gather the needs of the businesses, how do we do that at the breakfast. Chair Murchie said it has been discussed that maybe there could be a commission member at each of the tables. We could have a couple of discussion questions and we could take 5-10 minutes to talk about what people are looking for. We don’t want to create an event that either no one shows up to or that Staff has to be responsible for. We will have support, but if we are going to implement aspects of the work plan, it’s on the commission to implement these strategies. Commissioner Poelzer said part of our strategy is to follow through on what the EDC main duties are. She thinks the work of the EDC benefits from both the resident and business owner commission members. We have three main duties. We won’t be in control of how many people attend. She can control who is invited and make sure that they are contacted by a commissioner. The list is helpful for her. She thought one strategy that we could implement is when there is a new license application, the EDC can be notified that a new business has applied. We know from the respondents of the survey that the in-person business visits were the highest ranking and had the highest interest.