The Ohio BR&E Initiative offers a set of tools, training and resources that can be adapted to fit the needs of communities and the skills and interests of local economic developers.

They include:

 

Workshops

Education and training are essential components of the BR&E Initiative. One of the primary objectives of the Initiative is to build capacity among local leadership within the context of community and economic development. This is accomplished through the development and implementation of workshops designed specifically to assist communities in conducting successful BR&E programs.

 

The Ohio BR&E Initiative offers three workshops:

 

The Coordinator's Workshop

The Coordinator's Workshop is offered on The Ohio State University campus in Columbus. The local leaders should attend this workshop prior to the official launch of their BR&E programs.

 

The workshop is a full-day event and provides attendees with an overview of the Ohio Business Retention & Expansion Initiative, training on the BR&E process and vision, and an opportunity to network with leaders from other communities conducting a BR&E program. At the workshop, attendees work on finalizing their program objectives, defining "community", determining how the information will be used, and discussing how to conduct their survey. The standard survey instruments and pre-tested questions from the Initiative Question Bank are reviewed, as well as procedures for selecting the sample to be surveyed.

 

The Task Force Workshop

Successful BR&E programs exist because of the teamwork associated among all of the organizations and individuals involved in the program. Major players in the BR&E program are the members of the BR&E Task Force. The Task Force, which is comprised of local leaders and managed by a Task Force Coordinator use the results of the BR&E survey to identify and address actionable items to improve the business climate of the community and help local businesses remain competitive.

 

The Task Force Workshop is held onsite. Topics covered in the workshop include an overview of the BR&E process and vision, review of the program objectives, review of survey procedures and the questionnaire.

 

The Data Analysis and Reporting Strategies Workshop

The Data Analysis and Reporting Strategies Workshop is held on The Ohio State University campus in Columbus. At a minimum, the Task Force Coordinator and the person responsible for entering and analyzing the survey data should attend. However, this workshop is also open to Task Force members and other community leaders who are interested in learning how to analyze, interpret, and present data for use in their local BR&E program, as well as other economic development-oriented projects such as comprehensive strategy planning, writing grant proposals, or developing community marketing materials.

 

A critical component of the workshop covers analysis, interpretation, and reporting strategies of the primary and secondary data as they apply to the program objectives set by the BR&E Task Force. This process is often the most challenging for many Coordinators and Task Force members. Therefore, the workshop is designed to help attendees sort through the data, select and analyze what is relevant to the program objectives, and then construct a narrative that interprets the information. This narrative of the local economy can then be used for action planning, policy setting, and other economic development ventures. Attendees are encouraged to bring with them their program objectives and data files, if available. The workshop provides sources for secondary data, evaluation techniques, report templates, and a methodology for understanding and communicating the local community's economic story.

 

 

BR&E Handbook

Click here to view Table of Contents

 

 

Pre-Tested Survey Questions

The Ohio BR&E Initiative provides several options for questionnaire development. In addition to standard questionnaires for a number of industry sectors including:

  • retail and services,
  • office,
  • health care,
  • industrial/manufacturing,
  • agriculture,
  • and travel and tourism,
Initiative members can also create their own customized questionnaires using pre-tested questions drawn from the Initiative Question Bank, by modifying a standard questionnaire or working with an Initiative representative to develop new questions.

 

All of the questions in the standard questionnaires and the Initiative Question Bank have been developed over time and pre-tested in prior BR&E programs. Standard questionnaires and the Question Bank are available online to member communities of the Initiative. They are also available from the Ohio BR&E Initiative office at the Ohio State University. Click here to view a sample questionnaire.

 

 

 

Online Access to Forms, Reports, and Questionnaires

Membership in the Ohio BR&E Initiative includes online access to materials Task Forces use to conduct their local programs. They include workshop schedules and registration, forms for organizing the survey and planning process, sample reports and report templates, access to the Initiative Question Bank and pre-formatted standard questionnaires, and the BR&E Handbook.

 

 

 

Program Support

Representatives from the Ohio BR&E Initiative are available to assist member communities via telephone, e-mail, and onsite community visits. Initiative representatives are experienced BR&E consultants with extensive backgrounds in business management and marketing, research and education.

 

 

Complementary Products

The Ohio BR&E Initiative offers a complementary product that enhances the results of the BR&E surveys with additional research and analysis of the retail sector.

    Retail Market Analysis

    Retail market analysis seeks to identify market trends in local and regional retail sectors using detailed demographic and retail sales data on local communities. The goal of the program is to provide relevant information and analysis that can be used as input into economic development strategies for local communities.

    The program was developed by Elena Irwin, state specialist in community and regional economics and associate professor in the Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics at The Ohio State University. For more information about the Retail Market Analysis Program, contact Greg Davis (614-292-6356) or Jill Clark (614-247-6479) or read more at http://localecon.osu.edu

    Central Business District: Measures of Success

    The CBD-MS program seeks to identify determinants of central business district success and provide community decision-makers with the metrics against which Ohio communities can measure themselves and focus their central business district revitalization efforts.  Targeted to communities of approximately 15,000 pop. or less, the program is scheduled for release in late Summer 2008.  Contact Greg Davis (614-292-6356) or Jill Clark (614-247-6479) for more information.