03-25-26 EDC Agenda Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION – FEBRUARY 25, 2026 4 Senior Planner Fransen said there is a June Business Connect in Arden Hills. That may be an opportunity to combine those meetings. Chair Murchie said engagement and communication are appropriate as the objectives. For the activities, he is hearing we need to prioritize what can be accomplished. He thinks the section one, objective one is about external engagement with businesses and the other objective is meeting with Staff on how we can better engage businesses. He asked if that is how we should practically be thinking about these objectives. Senior Planner Fransen said the connection and communication is the interpersonal connection. The intent with the City engagement piece, is more deciding what information to provide once the connection is made. Part of the Business License process includes renewal at the end of the year. Maybe a strategy can be to connect with businesses before that renewal process begins. That gives businesses the ear of the EDC who can support them as they go through that process. The EDC has identified the need to have the communication with the business community before knowing what to communicate to them. The business representation among EDC members leads to great conversations and feedback. We can expand the effectiveness with more feedback and more voices. Commissioner Bonine said there has been healthy debate around how we find the businesses. He thought a lot more businesses are on Instagram and LinkedIn vs. Facebook. He wondered where the Youth Commissioners consume their information. Commissioner Shrom said young people mostly use Instagram. She isn’t sure how businesses stay connected but she thinks an Instagram account for the City would be a good idea. Commissioner Isik agreed. There are a lot of businesses who engage with younger audiences through Instagram. Chair Murchie thought the activities that outline the City website could be expanded to include social media. Commissioner Bonine thinks social media should be its own objective. There could be some promotion of businesses that may tie into the sponsorship piece. It could be a place to spotlight businesses who are giving back to the community through those sponsorships. It can be a better way to attract business promotion, rather than just boots on the ground. Commissioner Shrom thinks a lot of businesses are on Instagram. It can be used to promote the Business Connect Events, as well. If the City created a post regarding an event, it can be reposted on other stories to let more people know about the events. Commissioner Isik agreed. Reposting it can help reach a much wider audience than just an email invite. He thinks it would be smart to have a digital presence on Instagram. Senior Planner Fransen said we can expand this section a bit. She said the City has a larger communication strategy established. Recommendations can be made. If those recommendations fit within the defined strategy it could be implemented. If there are recommendations on types of content, we should share those.