Bethlehem’s Economic Development staff is asking business owners to participate in a new online survey from the town.
The survey was launched last month with the purpose of helping the town better meet the needs of its local businesses. It is part of a new initiative by Bethlehem’s Economic Development and Planning Department to do more outreach with the business community in hopes of builder better ties and attracting new companies to the town.
“We want to get an understanding of how the town can better meet the needs and desires of businesses,” said Economic Development and Planning Director Rob Leslie. “We want to know how they are doing, how long they’ve been here, their plans for the future, and how many employees they have.”
Leslie said the survey would be used to gauge the effectiveness of the town’s current policies. It will also give them insight into how new policies should be enacted in the future.
“We want to know how to better meet their needs, because we want our businesses to succeed,” said Leslie.
Leslie was promoted last year, following the retirement of former Economic Development and Planning Director Mike Morelli. A partnership between the town and Bethlehem Industrial Development Agency then led to the hiring of Senior Planner and Economic Development Coordinator Elizabeth Staubach, so more resources could be placed on attracting new businesses to the town.
In June the town and IDA co-sponsored an Economic Development tour, which was one of Staubach’s first projects. The event was meant to bring about awareness of the town’s available commercial and industrial properties.
Staubach said another reason for the tour was to display how the town can meet a variety of needs for business owners. Small start-ups may be more attracted to one of the available spaces within an already established building, whereas industrial developers may be looking for vacant land near the edge of town.
“The tour resulted in a good networking opportunity with developers,” said Leslie. “Liz and I are now in contact with them, and we are able to follow-up.”
Similar events will most likely be planned for the future because of the tour’s success. The business survey is being done in the same vein.
How the town responds to the information in the surveys will depend on the number of participants and the types of answers they receive.
“We’re looking to find out the types of businesses that are here, but perhaps if there was another business or industry located in town, it could also help those existing businesses,” said Leslie. “One of the questions is directly about that, and if we found a common trend, perhaps that’s where we focus next.”
The goal is for the Economic Development and Planning Department to be better utilized by the town’s business community as a resource. Leslie said often times the town can connect business owners with state programs to reduce costs or loan funds, but many don’t know where to turn. The town can also help with scouting appropriate sites if a business wants to move to the town or grow.
“I think we have a lot to offer that people don’t know about,” said Leslie.
The survey will be hosted on the town’s website through mid-October. To take the survey, visit www.townofbethlehem.org/133/Economic-Development-Planning.