Loading...
05. Business Breakfast Staff Report Date of Meeting: August 25, 2026 For: EDA President Kronmiller and Board members From: Kyle Morell, City Administrator Subject: Business Breakfast At our last meeting, we scheduled our first Business Breakfast for Wednesday, October 7, 2026. The Board committed to planning the event this month and to beginning advertising for it in September. Discussions last month focused more on an introduction and on what the attendees would like to see from the City. We talked about interactive tech that would allow audience participation via a scanned QR code and focused questions or open suggestions. City Tresurer Veronica Korby has put the following together for the Board’s review. To establish a quarterly breakfast meeting for Scandia businesses to build stronger relationships among the City, the Economic Development Authority (EDA), and the local business community. The meetings would provide a casual, informative setting where business owners can connect with one another, share ideas and concerns, identify resources they need, and learn about opportunities that may help their businesses grow. Rather than creating a traditional presentation-based meeting, the intent is to make these gatherings interactive and driven by the needs of local businesses. Proposed First Meeting Date: Wednesday, October 7, 2026 Time: 7:00 AM Breakfast At the first meeting, a simple breakfast would be provided, including:  Scones  Cookies  Breads  Coffee Proposed Meeting Format 1. Welcome & Business Networking The first portion of the meeting would provide an opportunity for businesses to meet one another, make connections, and become familiar with the purpose of the quarterly meetings. The meetings could also provide an opportunity to introduce new businesses, highlight local businesses, and encourage collaboration among Scandia businesses. 2. Interactive Business Needs & Growth Session A primary feature of the meetings would be an interactive session designed to learn directly from local businesses. Rather than assuming what businesses need, the City and EDA would use the session to ask businesses what would actually be useful to them. Potential questions could include:  What would help your business grow?  What challenges are you currently facing?  What type of training would help you or your employees become better at what you do?  Are there business skills you would like additional training or resources for?  What state, county, or other programs would be helpful to your business?  Would you participate in training or educational programs if they were offered locally?  What topics would you like to see addressed at future meetings?  What could the City or EDA do to better support your business? An online interactive platform could be used to collect responses during the meeting, allowing businesses to provide input anonymously and giving the EDA useful information to guide future programming. Potential Platforms  Mentimeter – All Hands Meetings  FlexiQuiz – Plans The information gathered could be used to identify training opportunities, speakers, programs, and resources that would be most valuable to Scandia businesses. 3. Training opportunities, speakers, programs, and resources One hour of speaker training or program content. Proposed Goals for the Quarterly Meetings If approved, the quarterly breakfast meetings would be intended to: 1. Build relationships among Scandia businesses. 2. Create an ongoing dialogue between businesses and the City/EDA. 3. Identify business needs rather than assuming what resources businesses want. 4. Connect businesses with available programs and resources. 5. Identify training opportunities that could potentially be offered locally. 6. Provide opportunities for businesses to learn from one another. 7. Discuss issues affecting business growth, including housing, workforce, regulations, and financing. 8. Develop future EDA initiatives based on direct business feedback. Proposed Quarterly Schedule The first meeting would be held on: Wednesday, October 7, 2026 at 7:00 AM If the initial meeting is successful, the breakfast meeting would continue on a quarterly basis, with future dates and discussion topics established in advance. Each meeting could include: Breakfast → Networking → InteracƟve Business Discussion → Featured Topic → Open Discussion → Next Steps The format could remain flexible so that the meetings evolve based on feedback from the businesses participating.