Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) is designed to retain or keep existing businesses in a community and provide assistance for businesses to expand. BRE is a core function of any economic development program. Addressing workforce needs, access to capital, providing tax and non-tax incentives, assistance with infrastructure, land and buildings, and providing technical assistance are all part of the BRE process. This page will serve as a toolbox for businesses, local governments, nonprofits, and any other organizations in our region that might benefit from tools to use for business retention and expansion efforts.
One tool NWCCOG is employing is to send out quarterly bulletins with useful information on BRE strategies and tools.
BRE Bulletins
December 2019: Workplace Culture: A Valuable Employee Retention Tool
September 2019: Employee Turnover is Expensive – highlights a recent news article in the Vail Daily regarding the impact employee turnover has on an organization
BRE Topics
Employee Ownership Network – Office of Economic Development & International Trade (OEDIT) – Housed in the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade, the Employee Ownership Network brings together subject matter experts such as employee-owned businesses, attorneys and economic development experts to promote employee ownership in Colorado. Employee-owned businesses promote a higher quality of living for the employee-owners themselves – including higher wages and a longer job tenure — and secure greater economic stability for the communities.
Great for Business, Great for Workers: Strategies that Boost Worker Prosperity and Meet Business Needs – a report by the International Economic Development Council Development Research Partners.
Hiring, retaining workers difficult with limited housing available: New Study by Trust for Community Housing in the Telluride Region – The worker-housing problem is documented in this study which says that local employers reported 833 people lost their jobs due to housing problems and, at a cost of $5,200 to replace an employee, that meant a total cost of at least $4.3 million to replace workers who leave.