Madison Region Economic Partnership: Releases results of business retention & expansion survey

Contact: Betsy Lundgren

608.571.0404 | blundgren@madisonregion.org

Madison, WI – Madison Region Economic Partnership (MadREP) released today the results of an expansive Business Retention & Expansion (BRE) survey conducted in 2015. The survey was conducted as part of MadREP’s multi-pronged approach to economic development, which is based in supporting the growth of the region’s existing businesses.

“Business retention and expansion lies at the core of what we do to enable the region’s companies to succeed,” notes Paul Jadin, president at MadREP. “While our priority is always to meet with and assist companies one-on-one, this survey enables us to better understand the challenges and opportunities facing companies in the aggregate. We will use the primary data collected here to further inform our activities as they relate to business growth.”

MadREP contacted 2,500 businesses about this survey in both digital and hard copy form, achieving a 10% response rate. MadREP collaborates with 90+ economic development partners at the municipal and county levels throughout the eight-county Madison Region, and this survey supplements the BRE efforts in which these partners are currently engaged.

Topics covered in the survey include expansion plans, workforce, company ownership, innovation, international business, and more.

The survey results from 247 responding companies are presented in the attached executive summary. The results are reported in the aggregate and are anonymous. Companies from all eight of the region’s counties are represented.

This survey was created with support from Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership and Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, and in partnership with Dane County Regional Airport, Capital Area Regional Planning Commission and the Wisconsin Realtors’ Association, and distributed in partnership with InBusiness Magazine.

About Madison Region Economic Partnership (MadREP):
MadREP is the economic development agency for the eight-county Madison Region. MadREP is the lead agent behind the region’s five-year Advance Now Strategy for economic growth, which is a five-plank platform consisting of economic competitiveness, innovation & entrepreneurship, human capital, marketing, and leadership & diversity. Through these five goal areas, MadREP and its partners aim to proactively and strategically position the region to take advantage of economic and business development opportunities. The Madison Region includes Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Rock, and Sauk Counties.