Business Retention & Expansion (BR&E)

Retaining and expanding existing businesses is a surer economic development bet than recruiting new ones from other towns. Extension helps communities understand local business needs and respond – so that businesses stay, grow, and become more committed to the community. Our BR&E Strategies program gets the broader community involved in comprehensive business retention and expansion planning.

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Business Retention & Expansion

Vibrant communities often have a healthy economy with a diverse set of economic activity occurring related to job growth, business growth and attraction and a sustainable infrastructure. Business Retention & Expansion (BR&E) is an economic development strategy of proactively connecting with existing businesses to understand and respond to local business needs.

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Emergence and Growth of Community Supported Enterprises

Local public officials and community leaders, in searching for ways to help revitalize their economies especially in the post-recession years, are working with business leaders in a variety of new ways. While low-cost loans and other financial inducements continue, in some communities, local groups have also organized residents to raise funds that then are invested directly in business ventures called Community Supported Enterprises (CSEs).

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Market Analysis Assistance and Education

Educational objectives include: learning how data can be used in a market analysis to guide downtown decision making, analyzing community data from ESRI Business Analyst and other sources, learning how to find additional data sources for downtown benchmarking and evaluation, and learning how to effectively collect data that is not otherwise available (surveys, focus groups, and other primary research).

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Retail Trade Analysis

The Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service – Community Economic Development offers workshops to help communities attract new industry, expand existing industry, attract new businesses, retirees, or increase recreational opportunities. Retail is one area of specialty.

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Buy Fresh/Buy Local

BFBLN invites: Nebraska’s small family farmers & ranchers, Farmers’ Markets across the state that feature their family farmers & ranchers, Locally owned grocers, co-ops, restaurants, breweries, wineries and other retail that support our farmers and ranchers, AND Sponsors and Friends who want to invest in a vibrant food culture.

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