Here’s the agenda from this week’s ERC meeting, communicating results from a recent survey:
The ERC survey was a by-product of a sub-committee formed as a result of the ERC’s May 2012 board retreat.
The survey gathered critical and candid information with a 9 percent return. It was not surprising that 69.8 percent of the businesses that took the survey have been in business for greater than 10 years, with 64.3 percent of those having fewer than 10 employees.
They chose to locate their businesses in Nevada County for four primary reasons:
•Native to Nevada County or have family here
•Quality of Life
•Outdoor Recreation
•Arts
Companies that relocated here came from two major areas — the Bay Area and Southern California.
The key findings were:
•Inadequate communications infrastructure
•Increase local government focus on:
-Regulatory process and the burden
-Service
-Collaboration in business development and growth
•Labor pool – Difficulty in recruiting and retaining skilled trades.
•Most were pleased with the infrastructure throughout the County.
•ERC needs to strengthen the organization; find additional opportunities to advocate for small business. Survey comments sighted lack of higher paying jobs. New businesses would revitalize tired economy.
The next step for the sub-committee is to get back together, drill down on the information and come up with 3-4 tasks that the ERC will focus on with its collaborative partners over the next 2-3 years. Update @8/12 board meeting.
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“. . . full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”