Agenda - Council - 02/23/2021 - Laserfiche WebLink

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A- ANOKA COUNTY Regional Economic Development Positioned for Success 2021 Goal Implementation & Action Plan Alignment and Regionalism Goal 1: Improve communication to business leaders and area stakeholders in Anoka County Implementation: o Continue to update Constant Contact database with business, real estate, community a nd other sta keholder contacts. Categorize contacts for strategic outreach. Report growth in this data base quarterly o Communicate through consistent quarterly Economic Development newsletters to broader audience. In addition, communicate to to rgeted audiences about events and new financial resources available to businesses. o Keep the ACRED COVID Relief WebPage and Handout updated with the latest resources available to businesses and nonprofits affected by COVID; review weekly. Assist in the administration on local relief grants when or if funding is received. Offer assistance to communities with program promotion or guidelines. o Continue to host ACRED Partnership meetings with a topic focus in the following categories: business retention, COVID-19 business resources, incentives for new projects, watershed district opportunities for partnership, and readiness. o Connect with area chambers qua rterly via meetings or one on one phone calls with Executive Directors or presidents at each chamber. o Connect with banking, credit union, and CPA/accounting leaders when there are new resources to help area businesses through the pandemic. Include this audience in the ACRED quarterly newsletter. Ensure the quarterly newsletter offers information about regional incentives such as PACE financing or utility incentives. • Goal 2: Improve Business Retention and Expansion outreach and collaboration among county- wide stakeholders Implementation: o Host a BRE Workshop in Q2 2021 with all chambers and cities present, Connexus, Xcel Energy and County leadership (Workforce, Open to Business). Discuss red flags, how to follow up on these. 3