Business Walks
With three simple questions:
How's business?
What do you like about doing business at your location?
How can business be made better?
...the Metro Chamber annually conducts a survey of the business climate in our region's business districts. The annual Business Walk series are held in conjunction with regional business and civic leaders.
 |
|
Grocery Outlet owner Eric Flick tells to West Sacramento Business Walk volunteers that business has been steady despite a rough economy. |
|
Business Walks Reports |
|
2009 Series
2008 Series
2007 Series
Archived Reports
|
The power of these Business Walks is that individual business owners and managers have the opportunity to meet with the business and civic leadership of their town who have the ability to act on their behalf to ensure a prosperous business climate.
For instance, during the recent West Sacramento Business Walk, businesses in the city were visited by Yolo County Supervisor Michael McGowan, West Sacramento Mayor Christopher Cabaldon and Vice Mayor Wes Beers.
The Business Walk series also supports the activities of partners in the region's Metro Pulse program, of which the Metro Chamber is the managing partner. The partners have invested in Metro Pulse to provide the program's benefits at no charge to the region's businesses. Metro Pulse leverages the expertise of professionals whose mission it is to help businesses succeed and grow jobs in our
region.
Visit the Metro Chamber Events Calendar for the 2009 Business Walk series dates and places or contact Matt Yancey at 916-321-9153.
Business Walk Day in Rancho Cordova: Metro Chamber, others finding out how’s business
Nearly three dozen business people, chamber and city officials were on the streets of Rancho Cordova, Thursday, Oct. 22, finding out how business is doing and collecting comments on how things can be improved. By the end of the day nearly 180 businesses had been visited by 13 teams.
The Rancho Cordova Business Walk is part of the Sacramento Metro Chamber’s year-long series in partnership with local chambers and cities and counties to improve the local economy. Business Walk participants ask three basic questions: How’s business, what do you like about doing business here and how can things be improved.
Says Rancho Cordova Chamber Chair Brandon Ivie: “The Business Walk lets the local business community know we care.”
This is the second Rancho Cordova Business Walk. The first was held last year, and a report of its findings is available online here.
The annual Business Walk series is part of the Sacramento Metro Chamber’s Metro Pulse economic development program to retain and build businesses in the region.
“Metro Pulse is a strategy to stretch economic development dollars and have greater impact,” said Matt Yancey, director of economic development for the Metro Chamber, which manages the program for 15 regional partners.
The Rancho Cordova Business Walk is a partnership of the city of Rancho Cordova, Rancho Cordova Chamber and the Metro Chamber, with sponsors Volt Information Services and Hotel Sierra. The walk was underwritten by a grant from SETA Sacramento Works, Inc. After findings are tabulated, a report on the Rancho Cordova Business Walk will be available online here.
One business visited, the UPS Store on Olson Drive, reported a year that was a “rollercoaster,” beginning slow but now picking up.
Co-owner Tom Nguyen said his business is influenced by the pace of retail sales. “If Macy’s is not doing well—if they don’t buy it—they’re not going to ship it.”
He sees the economy having “bottomed out.”
As to the location of the store, Nguyen said it is very strategic, with a good mixture of business and residences and people.
Rancho Cordova Economic Development Director Curt Haven said to participants that he was amazed at the level of satisfaction of business owners and managers.
“It’s not all doom and gloom in Rancho Cordova,” Haven said. “When you talk to business owners, they are satisfied. They know they have to correct for the downturn and are now turning to planning for the future.”
Businesses visited are also able to report to city officials like Haven situations that impede doing business—such as traffic and security issues. With this direct kind of input, problems can be solved quickly.
As UPS store co-owner Tom Nguyen said, “Thanks for asking—this is way refreshing!”
Arden Arcade Business Walk September 25 visits nearly 100 businesses
How’s business? What can be done to make it better?
With those questions, more than two dozen business people and Sacramento County staffers visited businesses on Sept. 25 in the Arden Arcade district for the annual Business Walk to find out what kind of assistance can be brought to help improve the business environment.
Nearly 100 shops, offices and stores were visited along eight commercial corridors—including Watt Avenue, Fulton Avenue, Auburn Boulevard and Hurley Way, among others.
Business Walks help county officials make improvements in services to the districts, according to Howard Schmidt, chief of staff for Supervisor Susan Peters, District 5, where the event was taking place.
“Past business walks help us channel resources for things like law enforcement,” Schmidt told the participants before they hit the streets. The Sheriff’s Grinch Program to patrol the shopping malls during the holiday season is one example of the outcome of visiting businesses to find out what can be done by the county to improve the district. Last year’s holiday patrol of the malls netted more than 100 bad guys, he said.
Previous Business Walks (see links above) also helped the county craft flexible zoning regulations for business, curb aggressive panhandling and improve street pavement conditions.
And how is business doing right now?
Early reports from the teams show that many small businesses, such as computer firms, medical offices, real estate firms, are doing well.
Cary Warner of Aperio—an information technology administrator—said his business is doing well, improving through the use of marketing via social media outlets like Facebook.
He attends the Arden Arcade Business Council’s monthly mixers because they help him connect with people he finds via Facebook and social media. “That’s the small business pie I’m after,” he said. “The mixers are a great connector to see the people from online.”
Atlas Properities’ Elias Zumout, the onsite manger of the 2020 Hurley Ave. building, said he sees “business going up slowly.” After losing seven mortgage company businesses, he has 65 percent occupancy. He just signed a 3-year lease for a new company moving into two suites.
To help business improve, he has dropped lease rates and is making improvements in the building. “You have to spend money to make money.” But he sees things turning around.
Zumout said the Arden Arcade district is “a very good area”—and, as a basketball fan—is hoping the Sacramento Kings will move into the CalExpo arena. “It will be fantastic for everybody.”
The Business Walk is a partnership of the Sacramento Metro Chamber Arden Arcade Business Council, the Fulton Avenue Association and Sacramento County. It is sponsored by Volt Information Services, the Fulton Avenue Association and Hampton Inn & Suites, with support from SETA/Sacramento Works.
Upcoming Business Walks are set for Rancho Cordova (Oct. 22), Power Inn (Oct. 29) and West Sacramento (Nov. 20). For more information, contact Matt Yancey at 916-321-9153.
Read the Sacramento Bee coverage of the Arden Arcade Business Walk here.