BR&E survey analysis underway Action plan to be unveiled in October

With Phase One of the local Business Retention & Expansion survey having wrapped up at the end of March, community development officer Cassandra Parise will have her analysis of the results ready by June.
During a Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce mix-and-mingle yesterday at La Flambée, Parise noted she has begun her analysis of the survey, processing the data that has been entered into a database, reviewing print-outs, and interpreting the results to identify themes, issues, or opportunities.
She’s already compiled 40 pages of information for the preliminary report, which she expects to be up to 80 pages long by the time it’s completed.
“This report is due in June to the [BR&E] task force committee, and then over the summer months, we’ll be going through it and figuring out an action plan based on all the issues and concerns in my report,” Parise explained.
“The final report, after we go through the action plan and change a few things maybe I missed, will be presented in October at a public meeting,” she added.
Parise said a total of 86 businesses participated in the study. This number is a little short of the study goal of 100, but the deadline for surveys was extended from Feb. 29 to March 31 and the 100 mark still wasn’t reached.
Parise noted the majority—66 percent—of the businesses responding were from the retail/service sector, with the balance falling into tourism, agricultural, and other sectors.
Only one percent of the responses came from manufacturing.
Parise said many of the businesses that participated also took the survey when the first BR&E study was conducted in 2001.
“They were kind of interested to see what kind of change has happened from then to now, if anything,” she noted.
Parise said volunteer Irene Laing should be credited for helping her conduct the surveys with local businesses.
The current BR&E project actually began in April, 2007 but was delayed after Kerri Dittaro, who had been the community development intern heading up the BR&E survey, left the position for another job in mid-May.
Because the one-year position was funded by the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corp., the Chamber then had to request the NOHFC allow for an extension until a new intern could be hired and the study completed.
They received confirmation in September that this could be done.
Parise was hired as community development officer in late November and immediately got to work.
In the interim, however, the study was not at a total standstill as Laing continued to conduct the BR&E surveys with local businesses to keep the momentum going.
The BR&E project has been financially supported by the Chamber of Commerce, Rainy River Future Development Corp., and Town of Fort Frances.