Business Retention & Expansion

Business Retention & Expansion Visitation Program

The Business Retention and Expansion (BR&E) Visitation Program is a community-based program to encourage the growth of local business. It has as it goal a healthy local economy and an improved business climate. The program promotes job growth by helping communities identify the concerns and barriers to survival and growth facing local businesses. This approach focuses on existing businesses. Studies show up to eighty percent of all new jobs are created by existing firms rather than by attracting new businesses to communities. Moreover, business attraction efforts are less likely to be successful if existing businesses are not happy with the local business climate.

The BR&E program is one of the more valuable tools in the Economic Development AOE toolbox. It is a tool that is available to all county Extension offices.

Program Objectives

Short Term

*Provide community support for local business.
*Solve immediate individual business concerns.

Long Term

*Increase the competitiveness of local establishments.
*Establish and implement a strategic action plan for economic development.

The BR&E Visitation program can make local businesses more competitive by evaluating and addressing their broader needs and concerns. Businesses that stay competitive are more likely to remain in the community and possibly expand. The program establishes an economic development plan for the local community. The process creates a broad-based community coalition to sustain long-term economic development efforts.

Program Structure

Firm Visits: Local community leaders receive training on how to conduct the local BR&E Visitation program. After receiving training, volunteer visitors call on businesses and interview the firm owner or manager. A proven survey tailored to local communities is used for the interviews. The survey pinpoints business needs, concerns and development plans. Individual firm data is kept strictly confidential.

Immediate Follow-Up: A local task force reviews the survey results and responds to the needs and concerns expressed by the businesses. Support from resources within and outside the community becomes mobilized.

Strategic Planning: University faculty or other experts computerize the information and prepare an initial draft report for the task force. The report includes data analysis and suggests recommendations for improving the local business climate. The task force uses this report, its knowledge of the community, and a strategic planning process to develop an action plan.

Implementation: The action planning process fosters the development of local implementation teams. These teams spearhead efforts to achieve the goals in the action plans. Local businesses and a variety of agencies may be drawn into the process by these teams.

Main Players

The Leadership Team introduces and promotes the program in the community, coordinates task force meetings, and organizes immediate follow-up to the survey results. The Leadership Team serves on the Task Force and also arranges for the training of the business volunteer visitors. Extension Agents/CEDs can facilitate or organize a Leadership Team.

The Task Force is a broad-based group of local community leaders. The Task Force should include representatives of local economic development councils, industrial development authorities, chambers of commerce, local government, area utilities, community colleges, and other, well-respected, influential community leaders. An Extension Agent/CED or local development organization leader can facilitate the Task Force.

Business Visitation Teams consist of two person teams. Visitation Teams will visit from two to four firms. These teams can be made up of Task Force members or other volunteers from the community.

The Business Retention and Expansion Consultant is available to assist the process in a variety of ways:

*Identifying the most effective local strategies
*Train Volunteer Visitors and local leaders
*Meet with the Leadership Team or the local Task Force
*Trouble-shoot
*Arrange to analyze survey information and make recommendations
*Assist in producing the Community Strategic action Plan report

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