This year, we want to hear from you. And there could be a fiver in it for you!
Beginning in January, the Central Avenue Business District will contact the 500-plus tenants who make up Central Avenue’s commercial corridor, and find out how the BID can serve them better. They will speak directly with small business owners about marketing, employment, and community programs to find out more about what they’re doing, and how they can work together moving forward.
“Constant communication with our members is critically important,” says Anthony Capece, Executive Director for the Central Avenue BID. “Business changes constantly and we have to keep up with that.” Capece stressed employment as a critical part of the puzzle for district members, and said connecting district members with a pool of work-ready employees was a big step in the right direction for today’s shifting economy.
The survey is the product of an organization-wide effort to create tailored solutions for district businesses, whether they’re small mom-and-pop operations or multi-million dollar car dealerships. It’s also an opportunity to speak directly with the district members and introduce the BID’s organization and mission, he says. https://sites.google.com/a/
The three-page survey was created with the help of University at Albany’s School of Social Welfare and BID staff, and is part of an organization-wide effort to match businesses with existing programs and to create tailored solutions for hard-to-solve issues.
This year, the BID connected one district member with funding for expansion for her business through a new program called the Small Enterprise Economic Development (SEED) project, sponsored by SEFCU and the University at Albany. As a result, this business owner just signed a lease on a new 20,000 square foot space, and she will hire three additional employees in 2012.
After frequent complaints from a business owner about littering and public urination in front of her store, the BID helped install a security camera and coordinated with local police to deter repeat offenders. As a result, the problem has nearly been eliminated.
These are just two examples of the kind of one-on-one attention and customized solutions the BID wants to give to each of the more than 500 businesses in the district.
As a result of this survey, the BID will also be able to build an employer database to assist with our “On the Job” Access program. Staff will be able to use the database to match employers with ready-to-work interns. Employers will also provide a boost for important community programs like College Experience at the College of St. Rose and the Adult Learning Center, providing mentors and job shadowing opportunities for students.
The BID will also learn more about our business’s marketing habits. They will offer the services of the BID’s new marketing specialist to help promote special events and leverage this relationship into a platform for other businesses to work with. The BID marketing department will construct a menu of publicity services that all members can access and benefit from.
Finally, the survey will help build community morale in the district and increase participation in BID events and programs. The BID wants to reach out to our members to remove any stumbling blocks to participation: “What do we need to do to make these events and programs more useful for our members? Do we need to roll out events further in advance so members can plan better? Can we connect members with existing programs to meet their needs?”
Have a few minutes? Be one of the first to complete the survey, and we’ll split lunch with you. The first 30 businesses to complete surveys online will receive a $5 gift card for lunch at a restaurant in the district.
To complete a survey online, please visit our website: https://sites.google.com/a/
