Chamber-City survey will document corporate community needs

ThisWeek News – January 16, 2008

Many residents have responded to or at least heard about Dublin’s biennial community survey where we solicit residents’ feedback about the job we’re doing and areas in which we can improve.

A different kind of survey – no less important – will be circulating soon through out the city, but with a different target audience and different focus.

Through this business survey, which was developed in partnership with the Dublin Chamber of Commerce, the city wants to learn more about the needs of its corporate community.

Beginning this month, our goal is to reach CEOs of all Dublin businesses and ask them to participate in a survey designed to help the city better understand their needs.

The survey represents one of several chamber-city programs designed to help companies grow and stay in Dublin, which also include the Small Office Home Office (SOHO), the small business networking group; and NextGen Dublin, which aims to further engage young professionals in our community.

As Deputy City Manager/Director of Economic Development Dana McDaniel says: “We want to do everything we can to retain, expand, create, and attract businesses in Dublin. Our goal is to use information obtained from the survey to guide future planning and resources to continue to make Dublin the premier location for businesses.”

The importance of economic development and planning to the city is spelled out as one of the highest priority goals established by City Council for 2007-2008.

The city has hired Saperstein Associates to oversee the survey.

The survey will be conducted in phases to reach different points of contact within a company and to provide them with the opportunity to answer questions relative to their function.

In addition, this will reduce the time any one employee will spend answering survey questions.

Much like the community survey, which will also take place this year, the business survey asks businesses about their satisfaction with city services, and such information as how likely they are over the next two years to increase the number of employees in Dublin.

Information provided through the survey will be combined with the responses from other businesses. Proprietary information will be kept confidential unless authorized for release.

A letter from Mayor Marilee Chinnici-Zuercher and me will be sent the week of January 21 to businesses requesting participation in the online survey.

The survey will have a link from the city of Dublin Web site (dublin.oh.us), the Economic Development Web site (DublinEconDev.com) and the Dublin Chamber of Commerce Web site (dublinchamber.org).

To participate, Dublin businesses can follow the link in the letter, visit one of these Web sites or call 614-410-4618.

I urge our corporate citizens to fill out this survey.

We want to hear from you so that the city can be responsive to your needs.