HomeMy WebLinkAbout06 27 2019 BEC minutes
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4646 Dakota Street SE
Prior Lake, MN 55372
CITY OF PRIOR LAKE, MINNESOTA
BUSINESS ENGAGEMENT COMMITTEE
MEETING MINUTES – June 27, 2019
1. Call to Order
The meeting was called to order at 7:34 a.m. in the Wagon Bridge Conference Room at Prior Lake City Hall. Members
present: Kim Prchal, Tim Marco, Sandi Fleck, and Tommy Hesch. EDA Liaison Marie Boucher-Hoese. Staff present:
Casey McCabe and Amanda Schwabe.
2. Approval of Meeting Minutes
a. May 23, 2019
MOTION BY PRCHAL and SECOND BY HESCH to approve the May 23, 2019 meeting minutes. Motion
adopted unanimously.
.
3. Old Business
a. Construction Customer Attraction Update
SCHWABE provided an update on upcoming #PLWorthIt events and activities including Cork, Suds & Grub on
June 29 and Conquer Ninja Clash of the Heroes event on July 20. She encouraged members to promote the
event on social media and to participate if available. Discussion followed regarding the upcoming events.
b. Commercial Area Liaison Update
MCCABE questioned how the members would like to see the commercial area liaison visits evolve into the
future. He stated that some areas are getting more visits than others given the construction projects.
CARROLL stated that it is important to have higher quality and quantity of business visits. She suggested
members indicate which businesses they plan to visit in the next 30 days and report back to the group.
PRCHAL shared that the commercial area liaison visits are a good way to connect with local businesses
although liaison turnover and understanding that the members are busy also can make it difficult to connect
with businesses. She shared that staff and other members are available to assist if a liaison is unable to connect
with their businesses.
CARROLL suggested recommending members visit businesses in stages rather than trying to touch base with
every business over the course of a day or two. Members could state at every meeting which business(es) they
plan to visit in next 30 days.
MCCABE shared that future agendas can include an item for liaison reporting and continued discussion
regarding goals of the program.
CARROLL questioned if staff could provide a list of businesses in the different liaison areas for tracking and
accountability purposes.
Staff will work to provide a list of business contact information to Tom Driscoll for the South Lake Village area.
CARROLL suggested a follow-up email to the group requesting each member bring information from two
business visits to our next meeting.
c. Community Partner Program
MCCABE shared that we discussed recognizing businesses who make contributions at the last meeting. At
that time BEC had questions regarding how the program could be handled.
The EDA felt it was an appropriate program for the BEC due to their connectivity with the businesses.
CARROLL suggested the CC recognize businesses at their meeting following a contribution in real -time and
then the BEC recognize the nominated individuals at our mixer.
PRCHAL shared that the Chamber already has a really strong program to recognize community partners and
this may create hard feelings amongst businesses.
CARROLL has concerns about bias with this type of program.
MARCO suggested having a space on the city website or social media for people to acknowledge a great
experience with a business, staff member, anniversary, etc.
MCCABE shared that with the recent hiring of a City Clerk, there may be opportunity for other staff positions to
assist with social media posts on the City Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
4. New Business
a. None
Other Business
a. Residential and Commercial Activity Update
MCCABE provided an overview of the residential and commercial building permit activity as of May 31, 2019.
b. Staff Update
MCCABE informed the BEC that bids have been received for the 13/21 construction project. The Prior Lake
City Council recommended the Scott County Board approve the bids, subject to removal of median monuments.
The Scott County Board will be considering approval of the bids at their first meeting in July.
c. Member Ideas/Recommendations
Discussion occurred regarding doing the Business Pages e-newsletter again. Staff will bring forth topics to the
next meeting.
5. Next Meeting Date.
The next regular meeting of the BEC will be on Thursday, July 25, 2019 at 7:30 a.m.
6. Adjourn.
MOTION BY HESCH and SECOND BY MARCO to adjourn the meeting. Motion adopted unanimously. The meeting
adjourned at 8:28 a.m.
Submitted by: Amanda Schwabe