(FRENCH LICK), Ind. (Nov. 17, 2022) – Orange County Economic Development Partnership (OCEDP) announces a unique new Business Retention and Expansion (BR&E) program to learn more about conditions at businesses throughout the county and how OCEDP can help support them.
Local businesses can expect to receive a phone call and/or email in the coming weeks from the organization and will have an opportunity to share more about their business, projected future growth, challenges or concerns, and more.
One of the primary roles of a local economic development organization is to assist existing local businesses, big and small, and help them navigate common challenges associated with growth including workforce, employee training and education, and expansion planning. As part of those efforts, this new program is provided at no cost to the local businesses and the results will be used to inform future economic development strategies for Orange County.
“Our local economy depends on the success of our existing businesses, and we want to do everything we can to support them and help them thrive,” said Kristal Painter, Executive Director of Orange County Economic Development Partnership. “We ask that our businesses please participate in this program and provide honest, thorough feedback to help us achieve that goal.”
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 66% of all jobs created come from growth at existing businesses, and 62% of all net new jobs come from small businesses.
“We know that local stores sell us goods, local factories bring us jobs, and local companies invest here and serve here. These are our friends and neighbors and the people who meet our community needs, so it’s important that they have a helping hand when we can lend one,” Painter explained.
OCEDP hopes that in addition to gathering information, this intentional effort to connect will build strong relationships with the businesses that already have a footprint in the local community and provide further opportunities for growth and retention in Orange County. Any local company that has questions about the program should call OCEDP at 812-936-3388 to learn more.