1. Business Retention and Expansion
An Economic Development Strategy to Work With Your Existing Businesses

2. NDSU Extension Service
April 21, l998
What Is a BR&E Program?
Technical training
Management seminars
Identify local sources of inputs
Improve labor/management relations
Reduce cost and improve quality of local services
Improve school/work relationships
Retaining youth in the community
BR&E includes all efforts to encourage the retention and growth of a community’s existing businesses
Kathleen Tweeten, 514 E Thayer Ave, Bismarck, ND 58501

3. BR&E Visitation Program
The BR&E visitation program is a special type of BR&E program
Surveys existing businesses to determine their perceived strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats – particularly as these apply to the local/provincial economic environment
Uses a standardized survey instrument to obtain specific information from existing businesses
Surveys are conducted by trained economic development professionals on a “continuous” or “segregated” basis
Analysis of survey responses provides insight to the removal of barriers and the enhancement of opportunities to business (and job) growth

4. NDSU Extension Service
April 21, l998
Why Implement a
BR&E Visitation Program?
Communities can’t do it all (ask yourself, “What is all?
The process identifies needs of individual companies (Company Specific issues) and systemic issues facing all companies (Company Common issues)
Prioritizes existing firm-related projects subject to the following types of criteria:
The types of firms in the community
The pressures they face
Other local factors
Kathleen Tweeten, 514 E Thayer Ave, Bismarck, ND 58501

5. NDSU Extension Service
April 21, l998
What is a BR&E Visitation Program?
“…is an action-oriented process for learning about the concerns of local businesses and setting priorities for BR&E projects to address these needs.”
George Morse
University of Minnesota
Kathleen Tweeten, 514 E Thayer Ave, Bismarck, ND 58501

6. Basic Types of BR&E Visitation Programs
Traditional or Volunteer Visitor
Uses volunteer visitors from the community to survey the businesses; process is entirely community driven
Paid Professional
Community drives the process, but a paid professional surveyor is used for business visits
Segregated
Economic development professionals develop and implement the process, but a community plan is the key process goal
Continuous
Economic development professionals develop and implement the process, but the goal is focused on relationship building with the business

7. Continuous Process Key Features
The process is comprised of three main process sets
Internal processes – management team, account executives
Management team – facilitates the overall process
Account executives – responsible for firm visits and response/referral team interactions
Partnership processes – response and action teams
Response team – addresses yellow and red flag issues arising from the diagnostic visit
Action team – the “client services network” that provides programs and tools to BR&E clients
External processes – businesses and stakeholders
Businesses – the primary beneficiaries of the BR&E program
Stakeholders – those in the community with an interest in the local economic environment

8. Continuous Process Features
The Business
Operations Team
Referral
Action Team
Management Team
Stakeholder
Media & Data Staff / Support
Response Team
Red-Flag
Blue: Internal Teams/Staff
Green: Partners
Grey: External

9. NDSU Extension Service
April 21, l998
Continuous Process Key Features
Grassroots program with local buyin
The local REN plans and organizes the program
Economic development professionals (account executives) visit the firms
The program builds linkages and networks
The stakeholders have a greater understanding of the local economy
Followup is built into the program process
BR&E Programs plan for something to happen
The program responds to the weaknesses and threats identified in the survey
Business-specific solutions
Local economic environment issues are addressed
Kathleen Tweeten, 514 E Thayer Ave, Bismarck, ND 58501

10. This type of activity can move the local development office up the innovation pyramid
Knowledge
Information
Data
Source: Steve Deller, University of Wisconsin. NACDEP presentation, 2010.

11. Objectives of the BR&E Visitation Program
Demonstrate to local businesses that the community appreciates their contribution to the economy
Help existing businesses solve problems
Assist businesses in using programs aimed at helping them become more competitive
Identify and address issues that face all businesses
Develop strategic plans for long-range BR&E activities
Build community capacity (a major portion of this is through social capital) to sustain growth and development

12. NDSU Extension Service
April 21, l998
From BR&E Visits to Jobs
Pro-business Attitude/Appreciation
New
Jobs
&
Income
BR&E Programs on:
New Technology
New Skills
New Products
New Markets
Taxes
Public Services
Infrastructure
BR&E
Visits
Increased
Profits
Quality of
Life
Kathleen Tweeten, 514 E Thayer Ave, Bismarck, ND 58501

13. NDSU Extension Service
BR&E Program Components
April 21, l998
Management Team
Develops and implements overall program
Management
Team
Operations Team
Surveys businesses and builds relationships
Operations
Team
Response Team
Develops strategies for immediate crises
Response
Team
Essentially there are four models being used to do BRE Visitation programs. (describe models here in some detail but also explain that the models that we focus on in this certification program are the developer and volunteer led visitation programs because they involve a broad base of people. We’ll explain why we feel that is important as we go through the program.
Action Team
Addresses Specific and Common Business issues
Action
Team
Kathleen Tweeten, 514 E Thayer Ave, Bismarck, ND 58501

14. NDSU Extension Service
BR&E Program Components
April 21, l998
Management Team
Develops and implements overall program
Primary liaison with stakeholders
Comprised of the program manager or director and support staff
Management
Team
Operations
Team
Response
Team
Essentially there are four models being used to do BRE Visitation programs. (describe models here in some detail but also explain that the models that we focus on in this certification program are the developer and volunteer led visitation programs because they involve a broad base of people. We’ll explain why we feel that is important as we go through the program.
Action
Team
Kathleen Tweeten, 514 E Thayer Ave, Bismarck, ND 58501

15. NDSU Extension Service
BR&E Program Components
April 21, l998
Operations Team
Surveys businesses and builds relationships
Implements the program designed by the management team
Establishes initial contact with businesses
Conducts followup visits with businesses
Primary liaison with Response and Action Teams
Primarily composed of the Account Executive(s)
Management
Team
Operations
Team
Response
Team
Essentially there are four models being used to do BRE Visitation programs. (describe models here in some detail but also explain that the models that we focus on in this certification program are the developer and volunteer led visitation programs because they involve a broad base of people. We’ll explain why we feel that is important as we go through the program.
Action
Team
Kathleen Tweeten, 514 E Thayer Ave, Bismarck, ND 58501

16. NDSU Extension Service
BR&E Program Components
April 21, l998
Response Team
Develops strategies to address immediate crises
Specific membership is formed based on the yellow/red flag
Membership must be prepared to address specific issues in a timely manner
Management
Team
Operations
Team
Response
Team
Essentially there are four models being used to do BRE Visitation programs. (describe models here in some detail but also explain that the models that we focus on in this certification program are the developer and volunteer led visitation programs because they involve a broad base of people. We’ll explain why we feel that is important as we go through the program.
Action
Team
Kathleen Tweeten, 514 E Thayer Ave, Bismarck, ND 58501

17. NDSU Extension Service
BR&E Program Components
April 21, l998
Action Team
Addresses Specific and Common Business issues
Membership is typically more stable than that of the Response Team
Works with the Operations Team to identify specific issues that arise and program partners that can address specific issues
Management
Team
Operations
Team
Response
Team
Essentially there are four models being used to do BRE Visitation programs. (describe models here in some detail but also explain that the models that we focus on in this certification program are the developer and volunteer led visitation programs because they involve a broad base of people. We’ll explain why we feel that is important as we go through the program.
Action
Team
Kathleen Tweeten, 514 E Thayer Ave, Bismarck, ND 58501

18. NDSU Extension Service
BR&E Program Process
April 21, l998
Immediate
Follow-up
Firm Visits
Data Analysis
Implementation
Firm Visits – Operations Team
Immediate Follow-up – Operations
and Response Teams
Data Analysis – Response and
Action Teams
Essentially there are four models being used to do BRE Visitation programs. (describe models here in some detail but also explain that the models that we focus on in this certification program are the developer and volunteer led visitation programs because they involve a broad base of people. We’ll explain why we feel that is important as we go through the program.
Implementation – Action Team with
overview by Operations Team
Kathleen Tweeten, 514 E Thayer Ave, Bismarck, ND 58501

19. NDSU Extension Service
April 21, l998
Who’s Involved in a
Visitation Program?
LOCAL PLAYERS
Stakeholders
Elected leadership
Employees
Econ dev orgs
Businesses
Management Team
Operations Team
RESOURCES
BREC/BREP
REN
Universities
Utilities
Other
Overall champion – you, local developer, volunteer – whoever is willing to take the overall responsibility to chair the program.
The leadership team is four to five individuals within the task force that are responsible for major components of the program such as organizing and tracking the firm visits, facilitating the strategic planning process and organizing the community input, dealing with the media and organizing the red flag follow-up. The task force is made up of 12 to 24 people who have the knowledge and or power to address red flag issues, draft and implement a strategic plan for the business community. Firm visitors and the firms.
Other resources that you can pull from…… Others may be packaged software programs like Eric Canada’s E-Synchronist
Kathleen Tweeten, 514 E Thayer Ave, Bismarck, ND 58501

20. NDSU Extension Service
April 21, l998
Factors Influencing the Degree of Success
Adoption of strategic planning methods/process
Listing of the individuals who will take responsibility
Length of time between report completion and project implementation/completion
Participation
Having an adequate budget – $2,500+
Presence of full-time professionals in community
Kathleen Tweeten, 514 E Thayer Ave, Bismarck, ND 58501

21. Questions

22. Creative Commons License
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