Business Retention & Expansion
UNION COUNTY BUSINESS RETENTION AND EXPANSION PROGRAM
Union County recognizes the most important economic development investment is that made in the retention and expansion of the existing business community.
In 2011 UCEDC, in partnership with Union County, The City of La Grande and the Union County Chamber of Commerce as well as a host of volunteers initiated the Union County Business Retention and Expansion Program. The Program’s initial focus was a gathering critical and necessary data and information from the local business community to support the development of strategies and program that directly assist business in Union County. The overarching goal of the BR&E Program is to aide our local businesses by increasing their competitiveness and helping them stay local, grow and expand.
The initial round of business interviews, using a BRE Survey Instrument, has been completed and the results of the interviews compiled and reported in the Union County BR&E 2011 Summary Report.
The data and information derived from the interviews touched on the following subjects:
- Products and services offered
- Employment and workforce issues
- Buyer/supplier linkages
- Industry evaluation and trends
- Changes of the past three years/ anticipated in the next three years
- Perception of local business climate and community
The BR&E Program seeks to provide immediate response to issues and concerns facing local companies that may seriously impact on their competitiveness, issues such as local permitting, access to affordable utility services, workforce quality, and regulation of business activities. In these instances UCEDC and the BR&E Program partners seek out best available resources to address the issue and find a resolution.
The on-going BR&E Program will continue to interact with local businesses and assit by
- Providing contact to local, state and federal offices and agencies providing economic development resources;
- Monitor issues of import to local buainesses in such areas as regulation, taxation, transportation, workforce resources;
- Provide local business with information on current state & local development programs.
- Maintain an inventory of available land and buildings in Union County that could be used by growing businesses.
The BR&E Program’s regular visitation with local business provides an opportunity for UCEDC to:
- Maintain an open communication with the local business community;
- Create a better understanding of local business products and services;
- Helps identify and act on supplier/ customer relationaships to enhance local economy competitiveness
- Gives local businesses a point of contact to connect to business assistance programs offered by local, regional, state and federal agencies and organizations.