6.a Business Retention and Expansion Roundtables
For some economic development organizations, Business Retention and Expansion (BR&E) is the central role they play. Some years ago, DCG Corplan was retained to identify a new location for a medical services firm that was leaving Cape Coral. The company felt that entry workers were not adequately prepared for work and more seasoned workers had a poor work attitude. The company also noted the lack of higher educational or on-the-job training opportunities.
It is important that the OEBD recognize that many businesses simply may be unaware of BR&E incentives or programs available. This is a common problem in communities across the US.
We scheduled two business meeting “roundtables” in different parts of the City oriented at bringing more awareness of available governmental assistance to the business community. While segmenting the meetings geographically might have made travel more convenient for local employers, we determined that dividing the business community into “Goods-Producing” and “Services-Producing” sectors would produce better results for the work. The meetings were scheduled for April 2 and April 3 to be held at the two Cape Coral libraries. Event details were as follows:-
Goods-Producing
Tuesday, April 2 – Northwest Regional Library
519 Chiquita Blvd N
Rm A (NW)
6:00PM – 7:15PM
Industries:- Construction
- Manufacturing
- Repair & Maintenance
- Real estate
- Warehousing & Storage
- Transportation
-
Services Producing
Wednesday, April 3 – Cape Coral Public Library
921 SW 39th Terrace
Meeting Room CC)
6:00PM – 7:15PM
Industries:- Professional/business/finance
- Retail
- Education
- Healthcare
- Food Services
- Hospitality
- Arts/Entertainment/Amusement
Through coordination with the City, we obtained email addresses for 54 Goods-producing businesses, and 71 Services-producers. Realizing that this was too small an audience, we engaged a commercial service to (RocketReach) to provide us with about 2,500 additional contacts. We combined both lists and send email invitations to the meetings to 1,007 Goods-producers and 1,290 Service-producers.
Handouts Prepared for Meetings
Summary
Meetings attendance was light but productive. Refer to Task 6 Report Appendices for Agenda and Summary.
Tuesday April 2 - Goods-Producing Industries Discussion Topics
-
Goods Producing
- Commercial Real Estate and Development Challenges
- Economic Growth and Investment Opportunities
- Workforce Development and Training
- Manufacturing and Industrial Development
- Community Planning and Participation
- Government and Taxation
- Cultural and Social Factors
- Urban Development and Demographic Changes
- Political Influence and Community Engagement
Wednesday April 3 - Services-Producing Industries Discussion Topics
-
Services Producing
- Urban and Community Planning
- Transportation and Infrastructure
- Housing and Real Estate
- Economic Development and Business Growth
- Environmental Concerns and Recreational Planning
- Community Services and Amenities
- Educational Facilities and Opportunities
- Tourism and Marketing
- Political Influence and Community Engagement
Conclusions
Focus group discussions emphasized the need to adapt to demographic changes and evolving work trends with supportive infrastructures, such as enhanced business environments, improved training facilities, and streamlined governmental processes. There is a strong call for a community-driven approach to foster a conducive environment for both current residents and future economic prospects.