2015.12.02 EDC Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Chair Zisla questioned the value to the community for the expense paid to Open to Business on a yearly basis. Mr. Smolund reported he can track the hours of technical assistance offered to New Brighton businesses, along with the capital that was leveraged and new jobs that were created. He then provided further comment on the number of direct loans that had been completed by Open to Business in 2015. Chair Zisla asked what Open to Business would be looking for from the City and its staff. Mr. Smolund commented that he would be seeking promotion of Open to Business from the City and its staff. He anticipated that Open to Business would have office hours at City Hall on a monthly basis if a contract were pursued. Chair Zisla was in favor of the EDC making a recommendation to the Council regarding Open to Business, while suggesting the EDC formulate a more formal business retention plan. He recommended that staff speak with Ramsey County to encourage them to become more involved in economic development. Business Retention & Expansion Recommendation to Council Cover Memo with Recap and Staff Recommendation Gundlach reviewed a memo with the EDC regarding business retention and expansion. She understood Chair Zisla was in favor of making a recommendation to the City Council and suggested including the following items: 1. Create web-based materials on the City’s website, including access to demographic information, maps, available properties lists, and links to the local Chamber of Commerce and other existing business resources (such as DEED and Greater MSP). 2. In 2016, City staff starts conducting quarterly “New Brighton Business Spotlight” visits. These visits would accomplish two goals: 1) Conduct more outreach to the business community and 2) Provide more opportunities to locally recognize the efforts of our business community. These visits would not consist of data collection, only to learn how long the business has been in New Brighton and what the business does. 3. Regularly report to the EDC on economic development efforts at the County level, including Accelerate Ramsey County and economic gardening efforts. 4. Continue to nurture and expand upon the City’s current BR&E efforts, which include: a. Promoting economic development projects in City-wide public relations efforts, including the City’s quarterly newsletter and annual report. Examples include development updates and tracking tax base growth. b. Continue to cooperatively work with the business community through the land use planning process. These efforts include fielding the day-to-day regulatory needs of our current, and future, business community. c. Continue to explore how the City can benefit from state-wide BR&E programs, namely DEED’s Minnesota Investment Fund and Job Creation Fund programs. d. Participate in local Chamber events that highlight New Brighton or relevant BR&E issues.