Upcoming IEDC Training Course: Business Retention and Expansion

IEDC

Date:

Thursday October 13, 2016

Retaining existing businesses and helping them grow is key to ensuring the economic health of a community. A vibrant and diverse business base not only improves the quality of life for current residents, it also increases marketability of an area for businesses looking to relocate or expand. In short, a strong Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) program is an essential part in an economic developer’s toolkit.

Training Course: Business Retention and Expansion

Date: October 13 - 14, 2016

Location: Madison, WI

This course is held in partnership with Wisconsin Economic Development Association (WEDA).

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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 of the Community & Economic Development Department for Montgomery County, Ohio – the state’s fourth largest county. Erik oversees various functions for Montgomery County including Building, Planning, and Community & Economic Development Divisions.

In Economic Development, Erik is responsible for overseeing business attraction, retention and the county’s incentive programs. Erik was instrumental in developing, and is now responsible for managing the County’s first countywide business retention and expansion initiative known as Business First! For A Greater Dayton Region. BusinessFirst! has expanded outside of Montgomery County with over 32 jurisdictions in a six county region containing over 100 Regional Resource Partners serving businesses; among the communities, over 7,000 large and small companies have been visited. BusinessFirst! has received several recognitions from the National Association of Counties Achievement Award as an innovative program contributing to and enhancing county government in the United States; Business Retention and Expansion International and The Ohio/City County Management Association (OCMA).

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.

As a founder and President of ExecutivePulse Inc., Laith provides skills training, survey development, technology development and management consultation to clients seeking to implement a systematic and sustainable customer outreach program.