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<br /> <br />The Lake Elmo Economic Development Authority (EDA) is committed to preserving and enhancing our <br />community by creating an attractive business climate and listening to businesses and residents to <br />prepare for the economy of tomorrow. <br /> <br />Informational Memo <br />To: Lake Elmo Mayor and City Council <br />From: Lake Elmo Economic Development Authority <br /> <br />BACKGROUND: <br />The highest priority goal for the Lake Elmo Economic Development Authority in their 2022- <br />2024 Work Plan was: <br />Develop strong relationships with existing businesses and explore options for a Business <br />Retention and Expansion (B,R&E) Program. <br /> <br />With the assistance of Washington County CDA staff, a list of Lake Elmo businesses was <br />developed, reviewed, and organized into different sections by geography-Old Village, North of <br />10th St outside of the village and the following sections south of 10th St.: Inwood Ave to Keats <br />Ave, Keats Ave to Lake Elmo Ave, and Lake Elmo Ave to Manning Ave. <br /> <br />The EDA then began reaching out to businesses first in the Old Village area (also picking some <br />of those north of 10th) and in the third quarter of 2022 began reaching out to those in the Inwood <br />Ave to Keats Ave section. <br /> <br />Information was posted shared through the FRESH newsletter and social media. Each <br />commissioner had a goal of visiting 2 businesses each month in teams of two commissioners. <br />Prior to beginning the outreach each commissioner was provided with a copy of the survey <br />questions and guidelines for visits. <br /> <br />While the commissioners gathered information from business owners/representatives, the main <br />goal was to start creating relationships and thanking businesses for being in Lake Elmo. <br /> <br />SUMMARY OF KEY FINDINGS: <br />In 2022, commissioners complete BRE surveys for 13 businesses in the Old Village and westward. <br />A copy of the responses is also attached to this report. We tried to respect businesses privacy in <br />order to get honest feedback and so have not included any names. <br /> <br />Some of the highlights/themes of the response the commission discussed at their November 15, <br />2022 meeting and would like to bring to the Council’s attention include those around signage, the <br />process to get permits or an explanation of denial, and website updates to be more user friendly.