Conduct primary research with the region’s business community to complete the first round of an ongoing Regional Business Retention & Expansion Initiative. The expansion component of BRE includes new business ‘Attraction’. The primary research will be done in concert with the St. Paul Labour Market Scan. The BRE Project and St. Paul Labour Market Scan & Plan Project will form a set of BRE-WD data. This data will be used to :
1) Guide the business development and investment attraction activities of the new St. Paul Regional EDO starting in 2021;
2) Create a set of economic development and WD ‘Projects’ that the STEP Committee and its partners can consider pursuing in 2021 and beyond;
3) Guide the organizational planning of regional stakeholders like the four municipal governments, secondary and post-secondary educational institutions, and businesses.