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Request for Action <br />To <br />Item Number <br />Economic Development Author* <br />6.2 <br />Agenda Section <br />Meeting Date <br />Prepared by <br />General Business <br />March 20, 2017 <br />Amanda Othoudt, EDD <br />Item Description <br />Reviewed by <br />Director's Report <br />Cal Portner, City Administrator <br />Reviewed by <br />Action Requested <br />Information presented for discussion only in effort to keep the EDA updated development activity. <br />Background/Discussion <br />BUSINESS VISITS <br />3 BR&E visits have been completed this year. More retention visits are in the scheduling process, watch <br />for the emails, and please RSVP and let us know if you are able to attend. <br />Coborn's BRU <br />CM Olsen, HRA Chair Toth, Commissioner Burandt, and staff met with Store Director Anthony <br />Fridgen and Asst. Store Director Devin Garrett. Coborn's have been in Elk River for over 20 years and <br />employs roughly 105 people, 27 FT and 70 -75 PT. Anthony indicated their relationship with the city has <br />been great and have no complaints. We provided info on the EDA Energy Efficiency Microloan <br />program and energy rebate opportunities through ERMU which they may have an interest. Amanda put <br />Anthony in touch with Tom Sagstetter to discuss the rebate programs in more detail. <br />Solors Optional Axis BRU <br />Amanda, Chris, Debbi Rydberg and Chair Toth met with Dave and Colleen Solors, owners of Solors <br />Optional Axis. Located near Spectrum Schools, they provide precision CNC machining services, <br />specialty machining, job shopping services, and specialize in prototype development. They work with <br />wood, soft metals, and plastics and employ 5 FT and 3 PT paying average hourly wages of $15-$20. They <br />lease their 10,000 sf space which is sufficient. They are looking into energy efficiency improvements. <br />They mentioned concerns with the lack of CenturyLink's broadband connectivity in the Industrial Park. <br />Amanda followed up with her contact at CentryLink to discuss this issue. <br />Serrano Brothers Catering BRU <br />Staff met with Mike, Marco and Dotty who are in the process of building a new restaurant and banquet <br />hall near the Sherburne County Government Center. They employ 3 FT and 4 PT. They expect to hire <br />30 employees upon completion of their new facility which will break ground this spring with a 6 -month <br />buildout. They propose a family -friendly atmosphere with locally sourced meats and vegetables. I <br />anticipate they will seek financial assistance for Sewer Access and Water Access Charge. Our policy was <br />adopted in 2012 to minimize the impact SAC/WAC to new restaurants by allowing for a tax assessment <br />payment schedule for charges. Many restaurants fail frequently for many reasons. Once a building has <br />4A UR <br />