Business retention and expansion course

The course features a community economic development business retention and expansion (BRE) model. This approach includes three key steps and broad-based community involvement that allows both volunteers and professionals to connect with businesses.

The course also infuses discussion and content about staff-driven continuous BRE visitation approaches — examining the similarities and differences between continuous BRE methods and the University of Minnesota’s community economic development BRE model. The course will enable you to consider how different BRE approaches can be valuable for your economic development situation.

The course typically involves two to four hours per week over an eight-week period. You can work at times convenient for your schedule. Staying involved on a weekly basis, however, optimizes your experience. There are weekly videos/readings, activities and discussion forums. Bi-weekly discussions feature various topics.

The course will help you create a plan for your community or region’s new BRE initiative or to improve your existing program.

The course schedule is subject to change, but general topics will remain the same.

Materials included in the course:

• The special BRE issue of Community Development: Journal of the Community Development Society, Volume 48(2)

Weekly topic on Canvas course site (learn on your own)

• Week 1: Introducing the BRE process
• Week 2: Strategic considerations for your BRE
• Week 3: Getting your BRE off the ground
• Week 4: Building your team
• Week 5: Getting going on business visits, either in-person or virtual
• Week 6: Responding to business concerns
• Week 7: Analysis – decision-making – action
• Week 8: Building and sustaining credible BRE initiatives over time

Scheduled Zoom sessions (learn together)

• We’ll discuss the weekly topics as well as topics appropriate to BRE in the COVID-19 situation, such as empathic listening, online community engagement, and more.

The course is held at the University of Minnesota's St. Paul campus. It is a two-day BRE immersion that includes presentations, video, individual and small group work, and lots of peer discussion.

Highlights include practicing interviewing techniques at real businesses, guest experts who provide BRE tips and stories, and getting to know other economic developers while expanding your network. This year, for the first time, there will be a special focus on business succession and transition research, methods and case studies. We've added this as there are 50,000+ business owners in Minnesota that will be exiting their businesses in the next several years.

You will have the opportunity to think about the best BRE approach for your situation.

The course agenda is subject to change, but general topics will remain the same.

Day 1

• Overview of the course and introductions

• Introducing the BRE process

• Strategic Considerations for your BRE

• Getting your BRE off the ground

• Interviewer training

• Lunch

• Prep for your business visit

• Travel to business for interview

• Post-visit analysis of green and red flags

• Building your team

• Individual review of planning and team building materials

Day 2

• Overview/Q&A of first-day learning
• Interpreting data and selecting potential project ideas and themes; BRE research reports
• Individual analysis of survey with data
• Small teams create two-to-three appropriate projects for a strategic theme
• Discuss the priority project selection process
• Lunch

• A guest presentation on BRE

• Implementation of BRE priority projects

• Building and sustaining credible BRE initiatives over time

• Planning your BRE

• Wrap-up of the course

"Gives me motivation to get my program going. After talking with the local EDA they are on board and it looks like I have my first partner and will get this program off the ground."

"I'm very new to the BRE program. I'm a part of a staff-driven program that is well established. The course taught me a lot of the background of a BRE, the language and how helpful a well designed program is."

"Great course. Happy to have taken it."

"This was excellent, and there was SO MUCH INFORMATION AND RESOURCES!!! I am glad I took this, and wish I didn't have to rush portions of it due to my own schedule, but this will serve me well in the future and I will be sure to share my success when it comes."

"I am very glad I enrolled."

"The scope and depth of the material was impressive and it was well organized. Great job."

"I was so impressed with this course I almost feel guilty giving any feedback! Michael did a great job and is a wonderful ambassador for UMN. He is extremely knowledgeable but still personable, accessible, and understanding. He is truly one of the good ones."

"We have visited 75 businesses to date. My task force is very strong — they are taking their roles and responsibilities very seriously. We are performing red flag reviews and follow-up. We are using Salesforce for data collection … the UM BRE program is great — what I learned has helped me tremendously with my BRE program."

"I thoroughly enjoyed Michael and John’s instruction in the BR&E online course. I appreciate the interactive coursework that included real data and examples I can relate with. The material is easy to understand and organized very well. With the resources provided in the course and the training I received, I am ready to start a BR&E program in my community. I would highly recommend this course to other economic development professionals."

"I had zero baseline knowledge of BRE prior to the workshop. While I am not totally confident in implementing the program, I now have all the resources to work through and contacts to answer questions. It was a dense two days but I was given a great tool-kit!"

"Great discussions, material, and great opportunity to do the practice visits with local businesses. Thanks!"

"Great job/training, much more involved than I expected. Didn't like long survey at first but I think it's the right way. BRE much more involved than I thought and many more volunteers than I thought. Rethinking and will change our BRE visits."

"I have done BRE visits for (town name withheld) in SE Colorado and this training was excellent. It continues my appreciation of BRE as an economic development strategy."

"Kudos for running the course in such an effective manner. I was able to gain a lot of insight during the eight-week period. Furthermore, we are exploring whether some elements of our BRE training can be delivered virtually, so it was great to see that web-based learning can be effective as a teaching tool."

"The BRE class was highly informative and applicable to my daily work in economic development. Learning the history, theory and practice of BRE has positively impacted my effectiveness as a business developer as I engage with employers in our community."

"The online BRE class provides an excellent platform and toolkit for undertaking a community business retention and expansion program. The online offering provides flexibility needed for busy economic development professionals."

"The availability of an online class allowed our community BRE stakeholders to take this class together without leaving our community. The communication from the instructors was informative and prompt. The lessons were informative, and we all gained useful information for our next community BRE survey to have great results."

"I think it was a great class and having the ability to take it online was an excellent option. If it hadn't been offered online, we wouldn't have had this opportunity."

"This was my first online course, and I was pleased with the entire experience. I felt the presenters, materials, communication, and process was well done, and I could manage the time while working full time."

"Both presenters were very knowledgeable and excited about BRE. Very positive and respectful."

"Thanks for a good class. Hopefully, some of this will sink in so I can use it in 6 to 12 months when I am ready."

"Online is always great, as well as being able to do and submit your assignments so easily. Methods that save time, yet keeps you connected so much easier."

"I've used my BRE training extensively. It was a great class and has been profitable for my company and our client communities."