The document outlines Ontario's Business Retention and Expansion program, a community-based approach where volunteers conduct confidential interviews with local businesses to identify challenges and opportunities, and then develop action plans to address priorities. It discusses the 4 stage process, from preparation to implementation and monitoring, and provides examples of successes from previous BR+E projects in Northumberland and Wellington counties.

1. Stephen Morris Team Lead
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs
August 2017
Ontario’s Business Retention +
Expansion Program

2. @stevepmorris
https://onregionalecdev.com/
http://www.omaf.gov.on.ca/english/rural/edr/bre/index.html
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3. Our Programs, Services & Resources
Support clients in the planning and implementation of their economic development activities
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Programs & Resources Lower Capacity Higher Capacity
Business Retention & Expansion 1998
Rural Economic Development Program 2001
Regional Advisor Services 2001
Economic Development Analysis
Resources
2004
Downtown Revitalization 2006
First Impressions Community
Exchange
2007
Community Immigration Retention in
Rural Ontario
2010
Community Economic Development 101 2011
Performance Measurement 2014
Strategic Planning 2015

4. Ontario’s BR+E Model
 A community-based approach to business
retention and expansion
 Trained volunteers to conduct confidential
interviews
 Community’s are responsible for determining
priorities and developing their action plan.
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5. 5

6. 2013 Review Findings
Successes to Build on:
• Acting on Results
• Monitoring outcomes
of their action plans
• Training
• Provincial Staff
support
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Challenges to Address:
• Survey
• Database system
• Data Analysis &
Reporting

7. Updated Four Stage Process
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STAGE I
PREPARATION
STAGE II
COLLECT DATA
& ANALYZE
STAGE IV
IMPLEMENT &
MONITOR
STAGE III
DEVELOP GOALS
& ACTION PLANS

8. Stage I - Preparation
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STEP 2. Form the Leadership Team

9. 9
Stage II - Collect and Analyze

10. Stage III - Develop Goals and Action
Plans
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11. Stage IV - Implement and Monitor
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12. Is right
for your
Community?
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13. Community Readiness Assessment
• Leadership
• Volunteers
• Organizations working
together
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• Community-based
planning
• Municipal support
• Financials

14. Community Readiness Assessment
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15. Leadership Team
 Comprised of key community leaders and
partners (6 to 12 people)
 Manages the overall BR+E in the community
 Sets clear, attainable and manageable
objectives for the project
 “Champions” the project, and motivate others
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16. Elements of Project Design
 Project objectives and scope;
 Performance measures;
 Work and communications plans;
 Survey methods;
 Select and sample businesses to interview;
 Update the list of community businesses;
 Establish the resource network;
 Review the BR+E survey questions; and
 Consider additional community questions.
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17. Project Objective and Scope
 Are there other strategies that this project
should align with?
 What is the scope of the project?
 Large employers
 A specific sector
 A specific geography
 What is realistic given our resources?
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18. What Will Success Look Like?
• Why measure?
• To understand the differences the project made
• Document actual outcomes of the project (jobs,
investment, business expansion and retention etc.)
• Secure ongoing support from business, local
government and partners
• Understand scale of BR+E effort
• How and what will you track to assess the
overall results of the project?
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19. Performance Measures
The leadership team should determine which performance
measures to track and monitor during the project
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20. 20

21. Sample Brands
 Burlington – businessFirst
 Halifax – SmartBusiness
 Guelph – growGuelph
 Robertson County- S.E.E.
(Supporting Existing
Employers)
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22. BR+E Survey Review
Question review principles:
• Assist with strategic planning
• Identify specific business
growth or retention
opportunities
• Provide general business
information
110
65 66
50
60
70
80
90
100
110
120
2008 2011 2015
Number of questions
in the retention survey

23. Important Considerations
 There is no perfect survey
 The survey depends on the goals of the
project
 Each community may have a different focus
 Focus on need to know vs. nice to know
questions.
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24. Sector Surveys
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Tourism
Manufacturing
Agriculture
Downtown Revitalization
/ Retail
Local Food
Natural Resources

25. Provincial BR+E Survey Results -
Business Climate
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N=3,121 N=3,072

26. Indications that Firms may be At-Risk
(source IEDC)
• Declining sales/employment
• Larger, non local corporate
ownership
• Recent ownership change
• Lease expiring
• Other facilities producing the same
product
• Negative attitudes about the
community
• High regulatory burden
• Union contract expiration
• Expanding employment/sales
• Facility and site expansion
• Obsolete or land-locked facility
• Location in a problem neighbourhood
• Older product lines or production
technology
• Contentious labour-management issues
• Lack of export/ international focus
• Family owned firms with aging owners
and no succession plan
• Gradual corporate downsizing over time
• Relocation of top managers and
corporate officers
• Loss of longstanding supplier
contracts/relationships
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27. Success Story: Northumberland
 Regional Local Food BR+E
project undertaken in 2012
 Identified a need for value
added food processing
 2014-15 creation of a 15,000
sq. ft. facility. $1.1M
investment
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28. Success Story: Wellington
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 In 2012 Wellington County undertook its first
economic development strategy. One of the
objectives of that strategy was a BR+E program
focused on the County’s key sectors
 Interviewed 270 businesses across the 7
townships in 4 key sectors:
 Agriculture
 Manufacturing
 Creative Economy
 Health Care
 Final report and action plan released April 2014
 $175,000 Budget commitment to implement

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30. Questions
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Twitter @stevepmorris
Blog https://onregionalecdev.com/
http://www.omaf.gov.on.ca/english/rural/edr/bre/index.ht
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