BERWYN DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
2019 QUARTERLY REPORT 2ND QUARTER
3322 S Oak Park Ave | Berwyn, Il 60402 (708) 788-8100 | info@berwyn.net | Berwyn.net f @BerwynDevelopmentCorporation i @Berwyn Development Corporation
2019 TIMELINE
APRIL - JUNE
APR
MAY
•
Roosevelt and Depot TIF Extensions approved by the Berwyn Township
•
Business Corridor Roundtable: Cermak Road
•
Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting | Crepas Culichi
•
Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting | Legend Tasty House
•
BDC Women in Business Monthly Meeting
•
Depot District Mini Golf Pub Crawl
•
BDC Seminar | How to Hire Your Next Employee
•
BDC Non-Profit Roundtable
•
Roosevelt and Depot TIF Extensions approved by J. Sterling Morton High School District 201
•
Depot TIF Extension approved by Berwyn South School District 100
•
Business Corridor Roundtable: Central Berwyn (16th St, 26th St & Ridgeland Ave)
JUN
•
BDC Seminar | Facebook Marketing: Latest Trends & Authentic Messages
•
BDC Business After Hours hosted by Republic Bank
•
Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting | Flight 22 Wine Bar
•
BDC Women in Business Monthly Meeting
•
Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting | Cien100% Naturalisimo (vegan restaurant)
•
BDC Non-Profit Roundtable
•
Cook County Land Bank sale approval of 4 commercial properties
•
Hiring of Ryan Arnold, Graduate Fellow from the Illinois State University Stevenson Center for Applied Community and Economic Development Program
•
Depot and Roosevelt TIF extension bills approved by the Illinois State House and Senate
•
Business Corridor Roundtable: Ogden Avenue
•
Depot District Cruise Nites
•
BDC Seminar | Inside the Mind of Google
•
Clean Sweep Garage Sale
•
BDC Women in Business Monthly Meeting
•
Berwyn Council of Presidents
•
Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting | Slice Factory
•
BDC Women in Business After-Hours hosted by V BAR
•
3rd Annual Berwyn Pride Walk 2019
•
Hiring of Valeria Orozco, Summer Intern
•
Why Berwyn? Marketing Campaign 2019 Launch
PAGE 2
Letter from David Hulseberg | Contract | Statistics/Financial
LETTER FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Welcome to the Berwyn Development Corporation’s 2019 2nd Quarter Report. As the Executive Director, I’m excited to share the progress we have made over the last several months. Within this report you will find valuable information on how the BDC has contributed to economic development in the City of Berwyn. Q2 was pivotal for the BDC as we look toward setting new goals and further supporting our business community throughout 2019 and beyond. The BDC continued to market the community through our constantly evolving “Why Berwyn?” Campaign. Q2 saw the launch of our revamped 2019 campaign, bringing targeted marketing to new populations in the Chicagoland area, and letting people know that Berwyn is a community “Full of Character(s).”
DAVID HULSEBERG
The BDC is attracting new businesses to the community, through communication and the expansion of our economic development tools. In Q2, we responded to 29 requests for information from new businesses outside of the community. In addition to new businesses, we ensured continued support for our existing business champions, providing information to 43 businesses who already call Berwyn home. BDC staff also conducted 5 business retention surveys in Q2, and look to gather more information from a further 45 businesses in the second half of the year. Our business attraction and retention efforts are reinforced through the implementation of the Finish Line Grant and Pay As You Go Programs in our TIF districts. The BDC worked diligently with our taxing body partners, ultimately receiving approval to extend our South Berwyn (Depot) and Roosevelt TIF districts. These extensions will ensure funds for economic development programs such as the Finish Line Grant will be available at least through 2032. The BDC recognizes that while these successes are worthy of celebration, we must also look ahead to the changing needs of our community. In Q3, we will be conducting a community survey to collect information from Berwyn residents. The link to the survey can be found on our website, www.berwyn.net. These survey results will help guide our community strategic planning session, which will take place in October of 2019. If you are interested in helping to chart Berwyn’s future, you can also volunteer on the www.berwyn.net website. To continue supporting the business community, the BDC will also host our Joint Review Board (JRB) meeting for our TIF districts in Q3. The JRB is an opportunity to inform our taxing body partners and the wider community of the efforts we have undertaken and projects we have funded in each of the TIFs. The BDC also recognizes the potential that additional TIF funding can unlock in Berwyn. Because of this, we are currently in the process of creating a future Ridgeland TIF, as well as extending the Harlem TIF down Cermak. In this way, we can share some of the economic successes at Harlem and Cermak, further creating opportunities for our growing business community. We are happy with all the successes of Q2 2019, and look forward to exciting opportunities for the rest of the year. Sincerely, David Hulseberg
Berwyn Development Corporation Contract with the City of Berwyn A. Business Attraction (NEW Business Prospects) a. The BDC provided information to 20 new business prospects on land, buildings, demographics, labor force, housing, education, and other relevant information. b. The BDC provided information to 9 new business prospects on infrastructure, engineering, site planning, and other relevant information. c. The BDC agreed to perform the following business attraction services to aid prospective businesses and developers: i. BDC staff reviewed existing incentive programs to make recommendations and provide feedback from the development community. The BDC began tracking feedback by way of commercial transfer stamps, business licenses, and building permit touches. 1. The BDC also continued to market the brand new Finish Line Grant and Pay As You Go TIF Programs. BDC staff distributed information to 66 existing businesses in the Depot and Roosevelt TIF Districts. ii. The BDC established relationships in the real estate community by meeting with real estate professionals and participating in community events and trade shows, as time and resources permitted. BDC staff attended 11 events, including the following: 1. A&T Developer Bootcamp 2. IAMMA Conference 3. Berwyn Walkability Workshop 4. REIA Multi-Family State of the Market Breakfast 5. ICSC West Loop Walking Tour 6. Conservation Foundation 7. LAI Group 8. Women in Business 9. ILCMA Events 10. ICSC Las Vegas 11. National Restaurant Association Show iii. The BDC attended the City’s Development Services Team meetings as requested: 1. Old Navy, Cermak Plaza – 6/25/19 iv. The BDC worked with the City of Berwyn to host the first Berwyn Council of Presidents. This event is the first step towards developing a strategic plan for the community. B. Business Retention and Expansion (Existing Business Prospects) a. The BDC conducted 5 Business Retention Visits in Q2 in an effort to collect information and build stronger relationships with our business community. b. The BDC retention program identified the needs of existing businesses in the following ways: i. The BDC provided information to 43 existing businesses on economic, demographic, or commercial real estate. ii. The BDC updated information on Berwyn’s economic profile, including the available properties map, vacancy information to aldermen, and sales tax data in our annual and quarterly reports. iii. The BDC conducted three (3) Business Corridor Roundtables, including Cermak Road, Central Berwyn, and Ogden Avenue. iv. The BDC began to maintain a database of all Berwyn businesses and work with the Permit Administrator to revamp the City business license process. 1. In Q2, the BDC received information for 80 commercial permits awarded by the City of Berwyn. Each permit contact received between 1 and 4 “touches,” or communication attempts. BDC staff received feedback from 53% of those contacts. 2. In Q2, the BDC received information on 2 commercial transfer stamps. Each received between 1 and 4 “touches.” BDC staff received feedback from 100% of those contacts. 3. In Q2, the BDC received business licenses and welcomed the following 6 businesses to the community: a. Mike’s Sports Bar and Grill b. Euforia 24 c. Legend Tasty House – Ribbon Cutting 4/10/19 d. The Healthy Spot e. Cien100% Naturalisimo – Ribbon Cutting 5/22/19 f. Slice Factory – Ribbon Cutting 6/12/19 C. Miscellaneous a. The BDC operates the Commercial Loan and Microloan pools to assist community businesses with financing options. The BDC issued one loan to Heritage Funeral Home in the amount of $47,000 for the renovation of ADA compliant restrooms, as well as engineering for the construction of a parking lot. b. The BDC submitted an application to Fannie Mae’s Sustainable Communities Innovation Challenge for a $250,000 grant in order to introduce e-bikes and increase transit connectivity for Berwyn residents. The BDC met in May of 2018 for a strategic planning session with the City of Berwyn. On the next page are benchmarks met, as established by the strategic planning goals.
PAGE 3
Contract Continued | Social Media/Marketing Results
Contract continued Immediate (0-3 Months) 1. The BDC continued utilizing information from the City to conduct economic development “touches” for new businesses receiving a license, commercial transfer stamps, and permits issued for building renovations. The BDC ensures each receives between 1 and 4 “touches.” Short-Term (3-6 Months) 1. The BDC completed the final three governing body approvals for the extension of both the Roosevelt and South Berwyn (Depot) TIF Districts. Mid-Term (6-12 Months) 1. The BDC utilized information from the City, combined with corridor walks, to create a land use and vacancy list. The BDC utilized geographic information system software to map these vacancies and sent the reports to Aldermen for comment. Long-Term (12+ Months) 1. The BDC established a business outreach retention strategy using Synchronist forms. The BDC conducted its first 5 business retention visits. The BDC will anonymously pool this data and use it for effectively targeting community resources. Data gathered will be included in the 2019 Annual Report. 2. The BDC began utilizing the vacancy and building permit reports to identify “challenge areas.” These areas will be high priority as the BDC ramps up efforts for vacancy reduction. 3. In Q3, the BDC will be recommending tools to assist in this matter.
SOCIAL MEDIA RESULTS Total Reach:
FOLLOWERS
f 13,990 l 2,808 t 1,649
100K 50K 40K 30K
22,334
20K
1,597
12,090*
*Employee resignantion
107,414
5K
60,769
10K
14,109
1,604
6,189* 1,622*
0
APR
MAY
AVERAGE FACEBOOK POST REACH
3,535
JUN
OTHER QUARTER 2 NEWS 2019 CRG Results: Production
Sold
$23,905
$31,880
Profit: $7,975 2018 CRG Results: AVERAGE INSTAGRAM POST LIKES
56
Production
Sold
$23,867
$31,755
Profit: $7,888