Business Retention and Expansion: Helping Existing Employers Grow
If economic development is the process of creating material wealth and using it to improve the well‑being of people who live here—healthy workers, better infrastructure, stronger opportunity, and an economy that doesn’t leave people behind—then one of the most practical places to start is not with the next company we hope to attract, but with the employers and businesses that anchor our local economy.
That is the premise behind Business Retention & Expansion (BRE): a “listen‑first” approach to growth, risk, and service coordination in which we build real relationships with existing employers, identify challenges early, and connect businesses to the right partners and resources before problems become decisions.
What BRE Is and Why It Matters
The International Economic Development Council puts it plainly: about 80% of new jobs and capital investment comes from companies that already exist in your community. That single statistic should change how we think about “growth.”
BRE is widely regarded as one of the most practical and accessible approaches to local economic development because it focuses on strengthening the connection between businesses and the community, encouraging businesses to continue operating and expanding. It’s an asset‑based approach centered on what a place already has, not what it wishes it had.
In other words, BRE is a discipline with clear goals:
Business retention is about helping businesses solve issues that could force them to fail, close, or relocate.
Business expansion is about helping businesses grow, which could mean new equipment, new markets, new space, and/or new jobs.
A strong BRE program also becomes an intelligence system. It generates local insight that can improve strategy and even strengthen attraction over time.
For Grant County, BRE Starts with a Reality Check
Grant County’s economy is not made up only of a few large employers. It is also sustained by a broad network of small businesses.
The Growth Council’s business resources page highlights that nearly half of all Grant County employers have fewer than five employees. A reminder that “supporting local business” cannot mean only supporting the biggest names.
That same page notes that Grant County’s workforce continues to grow across key industries like healthcare, manufacturing, and education, reflecting a diverse economic base and shifting labor needs.
So, the question becomes: What would a best‑in‑class, countywide BRE program look like here in Grant County?
The Two Core Components of BRE
If we strip BRE down to its essentials, there are two core functions that matter most.
Outreach
Outreach means building relationships before a crisis. It is the regular, structured practice of checking in with employers across sectors, sizes, and geographies to understand what is working well, what is changing, and what may become a constraint.
Modern BRE practice has largely moved toward a continuous visitation approach that includes ongoing visits throughout the year by professionals (sometimes with selected board members or partners) rather than one-time “all‑at‑once” volunteer survey blitzes.
Issue Triage and Response
Triage means that when a business raises a concern, we don’t simply “take notes.” We route it to the right partner fast, coordinate the response, and follow through.
The Indiana Economic Development Corporation’s BRE model is instructive here: it describes BRE as a collaborative approach where businesses meet with a specially selected team that can include economic development representatives, workforce experts, higher education, utilities, and key partners, and emphasizes quick follow-up after the initial meeting.
That team‑based model matters because business needs rarely fall into one category. A company’s “workforce issue” may also be a transportation issue, a training capacity issue, a shift scheduling issue, or a childcare barrier. A “facility problem” may be an electric capacity constraint, a permitting bottleneck, or a financing gap.
The Growth Council maintains active working relationships with local utilities, municipalities, and key community partners that make this kind of rapid, coordinated triage possible. BRE is where we connect the dots.
What BRE Could Look Like in Grant County
Here is an “ideal state” model that fits Grant County’s size and asset mix, using systems already in place.
A Single Front Door for Business Signals
The Growth Council recently launched an online tool called “Tell Us What’s Happening” because some of the most important work happens in conversations with business owners, but many don’t have time for meetings during a busy workday.
The form is a simple way for any business to share milestones reached, challenges faced, and ways the Growth Council might help without an appointment, so we can respond in real time and identify patterns.
Responses are voluntary and confidential, and business details won’t be shared publicly without permission.
In a strong BRE system, that “front door” becomes one of three intake pathways:
A website form for quick signals (wins + needs)
A scheduled visit request option (for deeper conversations)
A partner referral pathway (utilities, workforce, chamber, etc.)
A Countywide “Response Bench” Mapped to Common Business Issues
Grant County already has many of the components of a coordinated response network. The opportunity is to make the coordination visible and repeatable.
Workforce and training coordination
Northeast Indiana Works, whose mission is to align workforce skills with employer demands across 11 counties using innovative programs and customized services. Grant County is placed within this regional service area by Indiana’s Department of Workforce Development (DWD).
Indiana DWD, which offers business-facing resources including work-based learning and apprenticeship, employer training grants, and business services and resource guides.
Project Leadership, which partners with schools and employers to help students complete workplace experiences like job shadows, internships, or field trips with a mission focused on equitable access to education and careers beyond high school.
Greater Grant County, which has a focus area on workforce development initiatives in our community and champions Grant County's success through the development of strategic partnerships and networks connecting education, industry, and community resources.
Small business advising and scaling support is anchored by the Indiana Small Business Development Center (ISBDC), which provides no‑cost advising, training, referrals, and tools to help businesses succeed from startup through transition.
Local and flexible financing
A USDA-supported revolving loan fund providing up to $30,000 for eligible uses (land acquisition, renovations, equipment, etc.).
A City of Marion revolving loan fund (with Growth Council partnership) offering loans up to $50,000 at 1% annual interest, with eligibility requirements and job creation/retention expectations.
Business community connectivity is strengthened by Greater Grant County, established in 2023 through collaboration among former chambers and dedicated to a holistic approach to business development: providing information, venues for interaction, and tools supporting business and organizational growth across the county.
This is what “service coordination” looks like when it works: a business doesn’t need to navigate twelve systems. The business needs one conversation and then a coordinated team response.
Utility Partners: Where BRE Gets Practical
Utilities are one of the clearest places where BRE moves from concept to action. A company may describe its problem as “growth,” but what sits underneath that word is often utility-related: enough electric capacity for new equipment, reliable natural gas for process heat, water and wastewater service that can handle production, stormwater solutions for site expansion, or a clear read on future operating costs. In a strong BRE system, utilities are not brought in late. They are at the table early.
That is why the Growth Council’s active relationships with local and regional utility partners matter. For Grant County, that partnership is not abstract.
Each community in Grant County manages its own utilities, including water, wastewater, and stormwater services. In Marion, the county seat, Marion Utilities serves as a key local partner, helping support a reliable foundation for business operations and growth. These services are not side issues in BRE; they directly influence whether existing employers can modernize, expand, or operate efficiently. When a manufacturer considers adding a production line, a food processor evaluates wastewater capacity, or a property owner plans site improvements; coordination with local utilities can determine whether a project moves forward smoothly or faces delays.
Electric utility partners play a critical role in supporting Business Retention & Expansion across Grant County. Providers such as American Electric Power (AEP), Indiana Municipal Power Agency (IMPA), and Duke Energy offer more than just power—they bring economic development expertise that helps existing employers plan for growth with confidence. Through services like site selection support, energy cost analysis, infrastructure planning, and access to incentive programs, these utilities help businesses evaluate expansion opportunities early and with greater certainty. Their focus on reliable, cost-effective, and sustainable energy ensures that when local employers consider adding capacity, upgrading equipment, or reinvesting in their operations, they have the information and support needed to move forward—turning potential barriers into clear, actionable next steps.
CenterPoint Energy frames its economic development work around personalized support, a dedicated economic development contact, and utility planning tied to site readiness. Its Midwest economic development materials emphasize service reliability and price stability. Seven interstate pipelines feed its Indiana and Ohio natural gas service areas, and it offers “Utility 101” materials on regulatory facts and site readiness. For BRE, that matters when an employer is evaluating an equipment upgrade, an energy-intensive process change, or a facility expansion and needs fast answers on gas delivery, timing, and long-term infrastructure planning.
That is what a good utility partnership looks like in BRE. It is not just about poles, pipes, or bills. It is about response. A company raises concerns. The Growth Council helps convene the right people. The utility partner can speak to capacity, timing, reliability, and cost. Local governments can address permitting and processing. Workforce partners can address labor. And the employer gets a coordinated team.
How We Think About Reaching Every Kind of Business
One of the most common failures in BRE is hearing from businesses that already have the time and comfort to attend meetings. We think about outreach in three tiers, not to create separate programs, but to make sure no business falls through the cracks:
Top employers and high-impact firms receive scheduled annual visits, with quarterly check-ins (virtual works well for these).
Growth-stage small businesses receive semiannual “pulse” check-ins and referrals to the SBDC and financing resources.
Microbusiness and solo operations are reached through lightweight, repeatable touchpoints—short surveys, open office hours, and the “Tell Us What’s Happening” intake form.
Done well, this is how BRE becomes a genuine community service rather than a program that only reaches those who already know to ask.
What a Growth Council BRE Visit Looks and Sounds Like
A BRE visit doesn’t begin with programs or pitches. It begins with clarity, respect, and good questions, and it’s designed to surface actionable issues without overwhelming the business owner. Here’s an example of what one of those visits might look like:
A first touchpoint, whether in person or by phone, typically runs about ten minutes and follows a straightforward structure.
We open by setting the purpose: “My goal today is to understand how things are going—what’s working, what’s hard right now, and where we can help connect you to resources.” If relevant, we note that the conversation is confidential and that we won’t share business information publicly without permission.
We then spend the first few minutes on what’s going well: sales, operations, staffing, customer demand, and then ask what the business owner is proud of from the last six months. This isn’t small talk; it establishes the baseline.
From there, we shift to where the pressure is: “If you had to name one constraint limiting growth, what is it?” Depending on what comes up, we may probe further on workforce (where hiring is hardest, which skills are scarcest), on facilities and infrastructure (whether space, utilities, or permitting is a bottleneck), on capital (whether financing is a barrier to equipment or expansion), or on succession planning for smaller firms.
Before closing, we ask about what’s coming: planned changes in the next six to twelve months, new markets, staffing needs, or what would make it easier to grow in Grant County.
The visit closes with a specific next step: a commitment to follow up within 48 hours with a resource, a referral, or a next meeting. A key discipline from program evaluation work is not to confuse activity with progress: a visit is an activity; the meaningful work is whether it leads to issues resolved, resources accessed, and growth enabled.
How We Measure BRE in Grant County
BRE can’t be judged only by anecdotes or by the number of visits. We focus on the discipline of measurement: clear terminology, baseline data, and progress rather than simply counting activities. A practical Grant County BRE scorecard tracks:
Response time: the percentage of business contacts receiving follow-up within 48 hours
Issues resolved: a count of resolved workforce, permitting, financing, or infrastructure needs
Growth signals captured: expansions planned, new equipment purchases, and new hires projected (confidentially aggregated)
Systemic issues identified: recurring constraints, including occupational shortages that appear across multiple employers, indicating the need for community-level solutions.
Working Toward a Better Answer
If BRE is the work of strengthening the connection between businesses and the community, then the first step is letting that connection be easy.
For businesses in Grant County, the Growth Council’s “Tell Us What’s Happening” form is that first step. It’s a way to share wins, needs, or barriers without an appointment. Responses are voluntary and confidential.
More broadly, we’re working to ensure that when a business raises a problem, the answer is a team response, not a phone number. That means maintaining the relationships with workforce agencies, educational institutions, utility providers, and local municipalities that allow us to route a business need to the right partner quickly and follow through.
Economic development isn’t only about what a community attracts. It’s also about what it supports, sustains, and grows, so the wealth created improves the well‑being of the people who live here.
References
American Electric Power. Economic development. https://www.aep.com/economic-development
CenterPoint Energy. Midwest economic development. https://www.centerpointenergy.com/en-us/business/services/midwest-economic-development?sa=IN
Duke Energy Corporation. Economic development. https://www.duke-energy.com/partner-with-us/economic-development
Grant County Economic Growth Council. Grant County business resources. https://www.grantcounty.com/grant-county-business
Grant County Economic Growth Council. Revolving loan funds. https://www.grantcounty.com/revolving-loan-funds
Grant County Economic Growth Council. Tell us what’s happening: A new way for Grant County businesses to stay connected. https://www.grantcounty.com/news/tell-us-whats-happening-a-new-way-for-grant-county-businesses-to-stay-connected
Greater Grant County. Grant County Chamber. https://www.gogreatergrant.org/
Indiana Municipal Power Agency (IMPA). Economic development. https://www.impa.com/economic-development
Indiana Economic Development Corporation. Business retention & expansion. https://www.iedc.in.gov/business-retention-and-expansion/
Marion Utilities. Home. https://www.marionutilities.com
Indiana Department of Workforce Development. Business services. https://www.in.gov/dwd/
Indiana Small Business Development Center. About ISBDC. https://isbdc.org/
International Economic Development Council. Why and the impact of business retention and expansion (BR&E). https://www.iedconline.org/clientuploads/Downloads/Key_Strategies/IEDC_Why_and_Impact_BRE_NEW.pdf
Northeast Indiana Works. Home. https://neinworks.org/
Project Leadership. Home. https://www.projectleadership.org/
Routledge/Taylor & Francis. https://api.pageplace.de/preview/DT0400.9780429508639_A39908756/preview-9780429508639_A39908756.pdf
University of Florida IFAS Extension. Evaluating business retention and expansion programs (FE658). https://ask.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FE658