2018-2019 Missoula Business Retention + Expansion Survey for your review Missoula Economic Partnership

As you probably know, MEP launched a formal business retention and expansion (BRE) program last year. BRE is an important part of our operations, as the program allows us to gather data about local businesses so we can effectively respond to business trends, needs, and challenges, while establishing greater trust and relationships within the business community.

We have identified the need to better collaborate with our strategic partner organizations in the BRE efforts, as many of you have closer relationships with the local businesses we are trying to reach, and/or are already actively working on solutions for challenges local businesses face. The ultimate goal of the BRE program in 2018-2019 is to make the program more effective and collaborative with our partner organizations.

To achieve this goal, we would like partner organizations help us distribute the survey annually. We would also like your organizations join us on follow up business visits when/if the business respondent would benefit from learning more about the service or expertise your organization provides. Therefore, we have revamped the BRE survey to better track metrics valuable to our partner organizations, and we hope to invite representatives from your organizations to join us on occasional business visits next year.

Please take a few minutes to review the new survey draft HERE https://umt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3h4alG6eyz57NIh

Then, please fill out THIS FORM with your feedback form no later than 8/17 https://umt.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_78pe5OICc5R8EM5 . If you would like, I will follow up with you in the upcoming weeks to schedule short calls and/or meetings to discuss the formal roll out of the program and how we can best work with you as partner organizations. We plan to go-live with the new BRE program in September.

As you review the survey, keep in mind the following goals of the BRE survey to help guide your feedback:

Gather business demographic data

Identify trends in hiring, capital investments, and business confidence

Identify business challenges

Inform preparation for follow-up visit with business:
including which organization to invite to join in-person meeting, resources/opportunities to discuss and guide meeting conversation

Thanks again for your feedback and involvement with this program. Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns.

We look forward to a successful collaboration!

Best, Jenni

Jenni Graff

Economic Development Director

P: 406-531-6430

Missoula Economic Partnership