The Red River Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) Program is a community-based program used to open lines of communication and build relationships among the Town and local businesses in order to maintain a healthy local economy and an improved business climate. The Red River BRE Program promotes job growth and business expansion by helping identify concerns and barriers to the survival and growth of local businesses.
Program Goals
• Establish and build relationships with local employers to accurately assess their business needs, challenges, or opportunities for expansion and growth.
• Provide better information and understanding for all local leaders of the strengths and weaknesses of the business climate.
• Foster more employment opportunities.
• Build cooperation and consensus among local government, economic development organizations, and businesses and support collective action focused on improving the local and regional business climate.
Short-term objectives
• Provide community support for local business
• Help businesses improve profitability
• Identify and address immediate concerns of individual business
• Let local businesses know how much they are valued in the community
• Establish an implementation plan to improve the business climate
• Compile an inventory of existing businesses with contact information
Long-term objectives
• Increase the competitiveness of local businesses
• Promote business development and job creation
• Establish an implementation plan of action for business growth
Ultimately, BRE programs serve to answer the following two questions:
1) Who can we help to grow in order to expand employment and the tax base? and,
2) Who is at risk of closing or moving that we can help to stay open or remain in the community?
Additionally, the BRE Program will assist the Town, the Office of Economic Development & Tourism, partners, and community leaders gather business intelligence on local businesses. BRE surveys, company visits, and other formal or informal data-gathering techniques can provide a snapshot of the community’s business climate.