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01/13/2017 03:58 PMAn energized North Branford Economic Development Commission (EDC) hopes to draw many of the town's business owners, or their representatives, to a free Economic Development Breakfast Tues. Jan. 31, 7:30 a.m. at Town Hall, where answers gathered from a recent survey of the business community will be discussed.
The all-volunteer EDC works to support business growth in town and has been making great gains in generating confidence and enthusiasm in members of the business community in the past year. The five-member EDC helped spearhead the Shoreline Chamber of Commerce's decision to add North Branford to its representation, joining Branford and Guilford. The EDC also successfully encouraged the Town Council to adopt a business growth-friendly Assessment Deferral Program which kicked in on Oct. 1, 2016. In addition, this past summer, the EDC reached out into the business community with a business retention and expansion survey. Nearly 70 businesses responded to the survey, and the overall results will be discussed during the breakfast gathering, said EDC chairperson Jan Finch.
"We'll have a light breakfast and then we're going to go over the survey, which had a very good response," said Finch. "We surveyed all types of businesses. One of the questions we asked was how long they've been in North Branford, and it was surprising to find a lot of those who responded have been here 15, 20, 25 years."
When launching the survey, the EDC encouraged participants to respond not only to help address their needs and concerns, but to help EDC in its mission of improving conditions for the entire local business community. The responses have provided some "vital information" that the EDC hopes will help enable change, said Finch.
The EDC is bringing recommendations from the survey to the Town Council and council members are also among the officials invited by EDC to help field comments and questions from attendees at the Jan. 31 breakfast. Business owners' questions and comments will also be answered that morning by Town Manager Michael Paulhus, Town Planner Carey Duques, Town Assessor David Ambrose and other pertinent department heads, said Finch.
Paulhus said the EDC has been working hard during the past year to help foster a growing, successful business climate in North Branford.
"It's really a good group that's energized and very focused," said Paulhus.
Serving together as EDC appointees with Finch are current EDC members Joan Tutor (Vice Chairperson) Elisabeth Caplan, Chris Kranick and Scott Small. Finch said a wish-list item for the EDC would be to hire a part-time staffer. The town currently has no staff hired specifically as Economic Development personnel.
In addition to gathering local business owners and representatives at Town Hall on the morning of Jan. 31, the EDC will reconvene that evening, at 5 p.m. for a Fundamentals of Economic Development training session with CT Economic Resource Center (CERC) and the CT Economic Development Association. Town Council and town employees will also attend the workshop.
Paulhus noted Town Council's efforts to help the EDC retain and grow business through the new Deferred Assessment program are already underway. Some recent success stories include the council's approval of two assessment deferrals which are allowing two different business to expand here; Capasso & Sons (Northford) and Commercial Air Services in North Branford.
The new program enables a property's assessment to be unchanged during the period of construction or rehabilitation and enables the increased assessment to be deferred for up to five years.
The North Branford EDC Breakfast is Thurs. Jan. 31, 7:30 a.m. at Town Hall, 909 Foxon Road. There is no charge to attend but RSVP requested. RVSP to Town Manger Michael Paulhus at (203) 484-6000 or email
townmanager@townofnorthbranfordct.com Please include name, business and affirm your plan to attend.