Business Retention & Expansion

Date: February 5 - 6, 2015
Location: Phoenix, AZ

This course is held in partnership with Arizona Association for Economic Development (AAED).

This interactive course presents the core components of a BRE program and why the concerns of local businesses need to be actively addressed. By building an understanding of business visitation techniques and survey methods, practitioners will be able to clearly gauge their community's business climate. Learn the "red flags" that may indicate a company is looking to move elsewhere, and learn how to structure an effective technical assistance program to respond to business concerns. This course helps participants understand how a BRE program relates to attraction, workforce development, small business finance, technology transfer and many other economic development activities.

Course Highlights:

• Establishing, maintaining and upgrading a BRE program 
• Creating effective models for business visitations and surveys 
• Customer-Relationship Management (CRM) techniques 
• Marketing a BRE program 
• Establishing an early warning system 
• Cluster and industry-focused BRE programs 
• Tracking and analyzing customer feedback and response 
• Quantitative and qualitative economic development metrics

Instructors

Erik Collins 
Director, Community & Economic Development 
Montgomery County/Community & Economic Development

Erik Collins is the Director, Community & Economic Development for Montgomery County, Ohio – the state’s fourth largest county. Erik manages the Economic Development Division and is responsible for business attraction, retention and the county’s incentive programs. His accomplishments include development of Montgomery County’s Linked Deposit Program in partnership with the Montgomery County Treasurer; the Linked Deposit program a $20 million program designed to buy-down interest rates for businesses that create and retain jobs in Montgomery County. 

Laith Wardi, CEcD 
President 
ExecutivePulse, Inc.

Laith Wardi, CEcD, is president of ExecutivePulse, Inc. He has worked in the economic development profession for over 20 years. Laith has comprehensive experience in business retention & expansion that includes outreach to hundreds of value-added client companies, work as a resource provider, and 15 years of regional program management. In 1994-95, Laith pioneered the first web based system for business retention. Today, the ExecutivePulse™ Business Intelligence System is the most widely used database for business retention & expansion in North America.

Accommodations/Training Location
Embassy Suites Tempe 
4400 S Rural Rd 
Tempe, AZ 85282 
Phone: 480-897-7444

IEDC Room Rate: $129 single/double 
Cut-off date: January 16, 2015