6.0. EDSR 2-11-2002 Item 6.
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City of
Elk - -1
River
MEMORANDUM
TO: Economic Development Authority
FROM: Heidi Hall, Economic Development Assistant l\/
DATE: February I I, 2002
SUBJECT: 2002 Business Retention and Expansion Survey
Attachments
• City of Elk River 2002 Business Retention and Expansion(BRE)Survey Form
• 1999 Business Retention &Expansion Survey Summary and Report, Marc Nevinski,
• September 1999
2002 Business Retention & Expansion Survey
Staff will use a simmethodology 2002 Survey as was used in the 1999 Survey with the
following exceptions: 1) The companies will be asked the same questions however the
wording and order of the questions will be simplified. 2) Staff will use a different
timeline to conduct the survey.
2002 BRE Survey Timeline
February 11
• Mail letter stating company will be contacted within the next couple of weeks to
schedule site visit, enclose 1999 BRE survey results with letter
• Finalize 2002 survey form after EDA meeting
February 14-15
• Contact companies by phone to schedule site visit
• Mail survey form to companies (company will be asked to review the form to
encourage suggestions at the time of the visit)
February 25-March 8
• Complete visits and conduct surveys at forty companies (four visits a day)
March 11-22
• Compile survey results
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April 8
• Present survey findings to EDA
April 9
• Mail 2002 survey results to the forty companies
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Mfg
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City of
Elk
River
2002 Business Retention & Expansion Survey
Interview Date
Business Name
Name of Person Interviewed
Title
Address
• Phone Fax
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E-mail Web Site
Note: All information in this survey is confidential and will not be published in its raw form.
1. Please describe your company's products and/or services. What is unique about your
products and/or services relative to other companies within the industry?
2. Do you have a sister facility producing similar products?
3. Where are your suppliers located? What changes or trends are they experiencing in their
industries?
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4. Who are your top customers and where are they located?
5. Who are your competitors (or potential competitors)? Where are they located?
6. What are the most significant trends influencing your industry over the next five years? How
will they impact your company?
7. How many of your employees work full time, part time, and seasonally?
a. How many employees did you have one year ago?
b. What is the current average wage?
c. Do your employees receive health and/or life insurance, retirement plans, tuition
reimbursement, or other types of benefits?
d. How many employees would you like to hire within the next year?
e. How many employees do you actually expect to hire within the next year?
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8. What has been your experience recruiting or retaining the following employees?
Recruiting Retaining
Easy Difficult Easy Difficult
Professionals 1 2 3 1 2 3
Sales 1 2 3 1 2 3
Skilled Labor 1 2 3 1 2 3
Unskilled Labor 1 2 3 1 2 3
9. To what degree are the local secondary and post secondary schools preparing students for
work (poorly, adequately, or well)?
• 10. What assets does the Elk River area provide your business?
11. What services are not available to your business in Elk River?
12. In the next five years, do you believe your business will expand, relocate, shut down, or
remain in its current facility?
a. If you were planning to relocate, would you choose to stay in Elk River?
13. Have other cities, counties, or state solicited your company to move or expand?
14. What is the most important thing Elk River can do to promote new and existing business
growth?
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CITY OF ELK RIVER
1999 BUSINESS RETENTION & EXPANSION SURVEY
SUMMARY & REPORT
Marc Nevinski
Assistant Director
of Economic Development
September 1999
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• Table of Contents
Introduction 3
Methodology 3
Findings 3
Market Data 3
Labor Markets 5
Business Climate 6
Recommendations 7
Appendix A- Survey form 8
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• INTRODUCTION
An important strategy in growing and developing a community's industrial base is to
promote the retention and encourage the growth of its existing industries. Growing
already established businesses is more cost effective than attracting new firms to the
community and it creates a pro-business environment that attracts additional investment
to the area. A business retention and expansion survey (BRE) can help a community to
better understand its local economy and guide it in developing policies and strategies that
promote both private and public investment.
METHODOLOGY
From June through August staff conducted on-site interviews with twenty six of
approximately thirty of Elk River's local industrial business owners and officers.
Interviews were often supplemented by a tour of the facility.
To provide relatively consistent data throughout the survey, interviews were conducted
using a questionnaire. Although the survey attempted to generate quantitative data, the
diverse nature of the city's industrial companies requires that much of the information be
gathered in a qualitative format. With a baseline survey established, perhaps a more
quantitative approach can be developed for future surveys.
Three primary types of information were sought in the survey. First, the survey
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requested information on industry trends and experiences of customers and suppliers in
the marketplace. Such information provides insight into the various industries and may
provide indicators of future struggles or growth.
Secondly, several questions were asked regarding the company's employment levels and
its experiences in the tight labor market. The low unemployment rate is a relatively new
phenomenon to the private and public sectors, and understanding how it impacts Elk
River's local economy is a critical component to economic development.
Finally, respondents were asked to comment on the impact of the city's policies, assets,
and location on business development in the area. Such insight should help the city
better identify its strengths and weaknesses with regard to community development.
FINDINGS
I. MARKET DATA
Industries and Products
One half of the companies surveyed manufacture products to their customers
specifications. Primary examples include the machining of components for medical or
industrial equipment or the formation of molds or dies.
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The remaining surveyed companies manufacture products specifically for sale to
consumers or other businesses, which then assemble a value added product. Examples
include valves, motors, and building materials.
Several companies manufacture both a product line and provide custom or job shop type
services to their customers. These are generally, but not exclusively, larger firms. In some
cases, a company only manufactures a product line to custom specifications, thus
obscuring the distinction between a job shop and a manufacturer.
Five of Elk River's industrial firms are associated with the plastics industry, including
the manufacturing of molds and the production of plastic items. Three of the companies
surveyed are associated with the concrete industry, and either provide the raw materials
or manufacture construction materials. Two companies are associated with high-tech
industries and manufacture products for the computer industry or scientific pursuits.
Although many companies either have machining capabilities or provide machined
products to a specific customer, five companies provide general machining services for an
array of applications. These tend to be smaller companies who have either not defined a
specific market niche or who have chosen to diversify their customer base.
Elk River is home to three companies who manufacture or distribute the tools used by
• machine shops and mold makers. These firms are especially notable for their ability to
gauge the strength of the economy. Unfortunately, only one of these companies was able
to be formally surveyed.
The remaining nine companies surveyed manufacture product lines for a variety of
applications, most of which are used by other businesses in production or sales
applications.
Markets
The majority of companies received their supplies from the Minneapolis — St. Paul area,
with the next main source of supplies being Chicago. Nearly all respondents had a
national customer base and competed nationally with other similar firms. Three
companies had other U.S. facilities.
Machine shops as a group tended to have a more state or regional focus. Several business
owners noted that Minnesota is a "hot bed" for machinists and plastic molders. One
machine shop owner estimated that he had over one hundred competitors in Minnesota
alone.
Several companies had overseas customers, suppliers, and competition. The general
consensus was that overseas production costs were less but the quality of the work was
not as good. One company stated that it had established facilities in both Europe and
Asia.
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Trends
When asked about the most significant trends facing their industries in the next five
years, the majority of respondents cited market demands as their primary concern.
Issues such as improved customer service, changes in market focus, increased production
efficiency, and diversification of capabilities topped the list.
Advancements in technology were also cited as important trends that local businesses
will face in the near future. For example, the ability to machine pieces with increasingly
tighter tolerances with new technologies will require more capital investments by
machine shops. As another example, plastics are being used in increasingly broader
applications, subsequently expanding the markets for plastic molders and mold makers.
Finally, economic factors, such as increased mergers, more international competition, and
an economic downturn were trends businesses owners expected to see in the next five
years.
II. LABOR MARKET
Employment in Elk River
➢ Elk River industrial firms employ 40 people on average, with a range of 3 to 220
employees.
• ➢ The average hourly wage of an Elk River industrial employee is $11.54. Nearly all
such employees are provided a health insurance and retirement package. Tuition
reimbursement for work related training is also common.
➢ Employment levels have generally remained stable over the past twelve months.
Employee Recruitment and Retention
As expected, finding good employees is a difficult task for most business owners and
managers. Locating unskilled workers is the most difficult, followed closely by skilled
workers, such as draftsman and technicians (see figure 1). Many companies are willing to
train workers but finding trainable people is the primary challenge. It was not
uncommon for employers to hire five or even ten people to find one trainable employee.
Employee Recruitment: Figure 1
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15 0 Easy
10 i — •Mod.
5 ❑Difficult
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Prof Sales Skilled Unskilled
Salespersons were relatively easy to find and not usually a concern to most business
owners. Professionals, such as engineers, however, were more difficult to find.
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Retaining employees was considerably easier for most businesses than recruiting them,
although retaining both skilled and unskilled workers in general was still rated as
difficult (see figure 2). Perks such as flex-time, company picnics, profit sharing, training
programs, and strong benefits packages helped to encouraged existing employees to stay.
Employee Retention: Figure 2
10
Easy
5 — ■Mod.
0 Difficult
Prof Sales Skilled Unskilled
III. BUSINESS CLIMATE
Community Assets
Access to the metro area was cited as the primary asset Elk River provides to industrial
business. Highways 10, 169, and 101 allow businesses to reach customers, vendors and
other suppliers easily. However, many other communities provide good, if not better,
access to the metro area, so why not locate someplace closer? Other assets cited included
access to labor pool from both the metro and out state areas, lower rent costs, and access
to materials. Finally, several business owners cited relationships with local lenders and
other business owners as the key reason for coming to or staying in Elk River.
Conversely, Elk river lacks certain assets that make doing business in the community
more difficult. A lack of local suppliers was citied as a primary complaint, followed
closely by a poor local transportation network. Specifically noted was the accessibility to
industrial areas with springtime road restrictions as well as driving through town.
Finally, one respondent cited a lack of affordable housing as limiting the available
workforce.
Five Year Plans
Questions about future expansion plans elicited a variety of responses. Approximately
five business owners intended to sell their business either to a family members or another
party. Eight businesses indicated plans for expansion, but only three stated they were
committed to staying in Elk River. The remaining businesses had plans for slow, steady
growth and either did not see needing to expand in the next five years or had recently
completed an expansion.
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. Issues For Elk River To Address
The final question of the survey asked businesses to identify one issue that the city
should address to improve its business environment. The responses are grouped by issue
and the number of responses for each issue are highlighted in parentheses.
➢ The city must incorporate the expansion of local businesses into its strategy for
industrial growth. (8)
➢ The City should continue to work towards further development of an industrial
base(5).
➢ Better access to main roads from industrial areas is needed.(3)
➢ The city is doing a good job of promoting business development and should continue
on its present track. (2)
➢ Lower taxes.(2)
➢ Address issues surrounding the tight labor market— housing, training, etc... (2)
➢ Growth increases taxes and creates competition for existing employees. (1)
➢ The City should develop a clear consensus for community development. (1)
➢ The community must be more welcoming of newcomers. (1)
➢ City should not compete with the private sector in the marketplace. (1)
➢ No comment. (5)
RECOMMENDATIONS
• Interestingly enough, business owners identified many of the same strengths and
weakness that were identified by the EDA in its recent strategic planning session.
Perhaps the primary example is the agreement between the private and public sector
that more attention should be paid to the city's existing industries. As spokespersons for
Elk River to other industries, their growth and satisfaction should be a primary concern
of the community. This issue has been incorporated into the Economic Development
Strategic Plan and implementation of various action steps has already begun.
Several business owners discussed in their interviews the importance of providing areas
zoned light industrial where smaller firms would be able to establish themselves in less
expensive metal structures. This is a point that is not lost on the EDA or staff and which
should be discussed among and between the city's various commissions.
A third issue of great concern to both business and government is the shortage of
available labor. A limited workforce restricts both business, and subsequently,
community growth. Because this issue is not only a factor of a strong economy, but also a
factor of demographics, it is likely to be a problem for many years, even in the event of an
economic downturn. Moreover, no magic bullet exists to solve the problem and both the
public and private sectors will have to work together to develop solutions. Education,
training, housing, and transportation are areas where portions of an overall solution
might lie.
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APPENDIX A
Survey Form
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