Is BR&E right for your community?

The BR&E Strategies program has been used by over 60 Minnesota communities, including neighborhoods, cities, counties, and groups of counties. Programs have focused on manufacturing; combinations of manufacturing, retail, and services; tourism; livestock; farming; and technology.

Although there is considerable flexibility in the type of BR&E program a community may select to do, a high level of local interest and involvement is necessary to ensure the program’s success in a community.

An educator will meet with you to talk about the BR&E Strategies Program.

Program Objectives

The BR&E Strategies Program focuses on both short-term and long-term objectives.

Short-Term Objectives:

Demonstrate community support for local businesses
Solve immediate short-term problems

Long-Term Objectives:

Increase the competitiveness of local businesses
Establish and implement a community strategic plan for economic development

The BR&E Strategies Program makes local businesses more competitive by evaluating and addressing some of their key needs and concerns. By addressing common business concerns, the community insures a healthier future for itself. Businesses that stay competitive are more likely to remain in the community and possibly expand. The program also establishes an economic development plan for the community and a broad-based community coalition to sustain long term economic development efforts.

Types of BR&E Strategies Programs

Minnesota BR&E Strategies Programs currently cover the following industries:

Manufacturing
Tourism
Dairy
Swine
Farming
Technology
Mixed Business (manufacturing, retail, services)

Specialized surveys are available for each of these industries. The surveys were carefully developed with the assistance of business leaders and development professionals in each sector.

While the overall process for implementing each type of program is similar, the make-up of the local Task Force varies with the type of program. For example, the business persons and development professionals in a tourism project will likely be different than those in a manufacturing or dairy program.

Main Community Players

Every local BR&E Strategies Program includes three major groups of volunteers:

Leadership Team
Task Force
Business Visitation Teams

These groups visit firms and make decisions about what should be done to help local businesses survive and expand.

The Leadership Team (usually 4 or 5 persons) promotes the program to the community, coordinates task force meetings, and organizes immediate follow-up to the survey results. The Leadership Team also arranges for the training of Business Visitation Teams.

The Task Force is a group of local community leaders. It should include representatives of business, government, education, economic development organizations and other well-respected, influential community leaders. The Leadership Team is part of the Task Force.

Business Visitation Teams — two per team — visit two to four firms each. These teams are made up of Task Force and Leadership Team members, educators, business people, retirees, or other community members. The Task Force and Leadership Team decides the number and types of firms visited.

Community players are supported throughout the program by Certified BR&E Consultants and BR&E applied researchers who assist the local leaders with the organization and technical research involved in the program.

How we help

See our Business Retention & Expansion Offerings

Benefits of the Program

BR&E benefits both the community as a whole and those who volunteer to serve in the program. A successful program can produce both short-term and long-term benefits in many different areas.

BR&E volunteers like the program.

BR&E programs are fun! Everybody says "This is fun" after completing their first firm visit. You will enjoy socializing with other key community leaders and participating in important community decisions.

BR&E programs build networks. You can build relationships with local businesses and leaders and with regional and state economic development professionals, as well as University Of Minnesota staff. These contacts can help your community in the future.

BR&E programs are a learning opportunity. You will learn about your local economy's strengths and weaknesses from the perspective of local businesses.. You will learn about new options for working with existing firms and ways you can shape your local destiny.

BR&E programs bring communities together. In many communities, citizens and local leaders think about their future, but are not working together to influence that future. BR&E programs can bring the community together. Business persons, local government officials, education officials, professional developers, and interested citizens all work together for the benefit of existing local businesses and their community.

BR&E programs are doable and generate results. People just like you and your neighbors have done this program in all sizes and types of communities. BR&E programs have been completed in rural, suburban and urban areas and are getting results. Naturally, success makes the experience rewarding.

BR&E programs demonstrate that "We care about local businesses." It is surprising how many business leaders feel unappreciated. They do not hear that the community values them. Just visiting firms demonstrates that your community cares and appreciates the economic contribution businesses make.

BR&E programs are low-risk. When done correctly, the BR&E program is safe. As one Task Force member and owner of a small firm said, "I just can't see any risk in getting involved in this. How can you possibly lose?"

Program Costs and Financing

The fees for BR&E Strategies Program options help to defray the cost to University of Minnesota Extension for providing technical assistance and research services. Extension absorbs part of the cost to make the BR&E Strategies Program affordable for Minnesota communities.

The one-year contract is priced at $12,000 - $18,000 depending on location and complexity of the program. A scholarship is available to communities that work with us on a research project about the impact of BR&E on social capital.

Communities have received help in generating the program fee from a variety of sources, including private companies and foundations. Some examples include the Initiative Foundation, McKnight Foundation, the Blandin Foundation, Southwest Minnesota Foundation, West Central Initiative Fund, Initiative fund of southeast and south central Minnesota, Sprint, local utilities (such as Connexus Energy, Alliant Energy, Center Point Energy, Xcel Energy), city and county governments, chambers of commerce and others. For some specific types of programs, scholarships are available from industry organizations. Extension can help your community explore some options to help finance the program.

Contact your Community Economics Regional Educator for more information.


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