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Role of Land-Grant University Extension Services in Sustaining and Growing Local Businesses through Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) Initiatives

Cooperative Extension professionals stay updated on local community needs, whether via continuous Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) programs or specific evaluations. They leverage research-driven tools and resources from land-grant universities to devise solutions. This document offers a...

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Extension Services of Land-Grant Universities in Facilitating Local Business Stability and Growth...
Extension Services of Land-Grant Universities in Facilitating Local Business Stability and Growth through Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) Initiatives

Unleashing Business Growth: Cooperation Extension's Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) Approach

Role of Land-Grant University Extension Services in Sustaining and Growing Local Businesses through Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) Initiatives

Formed through the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890, land-grant universities partner with the community to develop business retention and expansion (BRE) programs. Cooperative Extension professionals serve as the bridge between these institutions and local citizens, utilizing research-based tools and resources to support local businesses.

Situated at the heart of community development, Extension professionals are recognized as influential leaders, coordinating BRE programs that bring together key community stakeholders, civic leaders, and business professionals. By offering customized BRE programs, they aim to bolster local businesses and, by extension, strengthen communities, relying on their expertise in facilitation, strategic planning, and leadership development.

Ohio State University Extension’s community development educators actively assist localities with BRE initiatives. According to a 2020 JobsOhio presentation, 80% of JobsOhio projects come from existing companies, and these projects close 30% faster than others. Extension-based options can bridge gaps in support for small businesses, cluster-specific industries, or even disaster recovery efforts.

A thriving BRE program focuses on retaining and expanding local businesses, thereby improving the business climate, ensuring competitiveness, increasing employment, and stabilizing the economy.

Spurring Small Business Growth

Cooperative Extension's comprehensive work in nurturing entrepreneurship extends to small business-targeted BRE. Small businesses account for approximately two-thirds of net new jobs in the U.S since 2010, with at least 20-employee startups playing a significant role in net job creation and ongoing business survival. These endeavors can provide valuable opportunities for minorities, women, and immigrants to enter the economic mainstream.

BRE Programs Customized for Community Needs

Cooperative Extension can help communities pinpoint their economic needs and develop tailor-made BRE programs. Leveraging university expertise in economic modeling, data-driven decisions, and community volunteer participation, Extension professionals forge connections and partnerships that cater to regional industries or business clusters. The Ohio State University BRE program offers targeted surveys on agriculture, healthcare, downtown retail, energy, and home-based businesses.

Adapting to Community Crises with BRE Programs

The COVID-19 pandemic underscores the requirement for additional community-based crisis BRE programming. Extensions act as local and regional networks, connecting businesses of all sizes to critical educational resources and support during challenging times. For instance, one rural Ohio county Extension office developed a brief needs survey, online workshops, and informational documents to aid businesses in crisis.

Fueling Community Growth through Extension-Based BRE Resources

A variety of land-grant universities offer BRE programs, with Ohio State University at the forefront. Ohio State's program has existed since the mid-1980s and offers several tools and resources, including:

  1. A comprehensive BRE Bulletin
  2. BRE Training (Four Modules) with a BRE Handbook
  3. A Pre-tested Survey Question Bank (for General and sector-specific BRE efforts)
  4. Journal of Extension Article: "The Value in Evaluating and Communicating Program Impact: The Ohio BRE Program"
  5. Business Retention Expansion Program Fact Sheet (CDFS-1562)
  6. Involving Volunteers in a Community-Led Business Retention Expansion Program Fact Sheet (CDFS-1563)
  7. Coordinating a Community-Led Business Retention Expansion Program Fact Sheet (CDFS-1564)

Engaging Communities: A Selection of BRE Extension Programs

Beyond Ohio State University, other land-grant universities offer similar BRE initiatives:

Purdue University Extension

Purdue’s BRE program guides communities in identifying local business needs and developing comprehensive strategies to address them.

The University of Minnesota Extension

The University of Minnesota Extension’s Community Vitality program provides BRE courses since 1996, catering to economic and community development professionals, community leaders, and other stakeholders.

North Carolina Cooperative Extension

Administered by The Southern Rural Development Center, CREATE BRIDGES program focuses on enhancing retail, accommodation, tourism, and entertainment sectors, which contribute to quality of life and job creation in rural communities.

West Virginia University Extension

West Virginia University Extension’s BRE program collaborates with local economic development leaders and businesses, aiming to identify opportunities for growth, avoid job losses, and build business-friendly communities.

Propelling Local Economies Forward

Ultimately, the objective of BRE programs is to empower existing businesses, fostering thriving local economies that engage citizens and harness the resources of land-grant universities. Merely serving as portals for community engagement, Extensions connect localities to academic resources and provide essential support for addressing both local and global issues.

  1. Cooperative Extension's small business-targeted Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) programs can help rural communities, as they rely on their expertise in facilitation, strategic planning, and leadership development, aiming to strengthen local economies by bolstering small businesses.
  2. In response to the diverse needs of communities, Cooperative Extension can customize BRE programs, utilizing university resources in economic modeling, data-driven decisions, and community volunteer participation, to cater to specific sectors or industries, such as agriculture, healthcare, and home-based businesses.
  3. During crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, BRE programs provided by Cooperative Extension serve as vital local and regional networks, connecting businesses of all sizes to educational resources and support during challenging times, thus fostering resilience and promoting economic recovery in rural communities.

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