Four Corners Economic Development announced it is renewing efforts to survey community businesses and offer assistance as part of its business retention and expansion efforts.

With a short, open-ended series of seven questions, 4CED and the Small Business Development Center aim to help existing businesses thrive and grow.

Two years ago, during COVID, 4CED interviewed 100 local businesses over a two-month period, collaborating with the University of Minnesota and one of the extension services.

“It was pretty intense … it was a questionnaire with 48 questions,” said Nancy Shepherd, a contractor for Four Corners Economic Development.

Shepherd, along with about five others, took the business retention and expansion training and became certified about 2½ years ago.

Shepherd, previously a financial consultant and a longtime college administrator, will be accompanied by Carmen Martinez as they visit businesses at their convenience. She said they hope to interview 50 businesses before the end of June, when the assessment will take place.

The survey seeks to understand what challenges businesses are facing, then to offer appropriate, effective solutions. Issues that could force a company to fail or close will be addressed in an effort to prevent companies from relocating to a new community.

First they will ask, “generally how their business is doing. What stage they’re at?” Shepherd said. “We ask them about employees. Are they currently finding the employees they need?”

They also want to determine where businesses look for employees and what types they are seeking. Is it frontline workers? Frontliner, or frontline worker, generally refers to anyone who provides an essential service and cannot perform their job from home.

If businesses are looking for skilled craftsmen, such as those in the trades or engineers, the survey determines what online platforms they may be using, such as the number one job site Indeed, and what other avenues they may use to fill positions. Shepherd said their previous survey determined that many employers rely heavily on tried-and-true methods such as word-of-mouth. They found that a personal referral often means a higher success rate of employee reliability and performance.

The third question asks what suppliers a business uses. “It helps us know what types of suppliers could set up to fill a need.” Buying local is highly encouraged. Shepherd said many people will pay a little more for locally sourced products.

Question four is, “What is your biggest point of pain?” What nagging problems are businesses facing that keep owners awake at night, worrying about how to keep the doors open another day.

The next question asks what training business owners would like local entities to provide. Both 4CED and SBDC, headquartered in the Quality Center for Business at San Juan College, work closely with the college to tailor training programs based on needs revealed by the survey.

Question six asks, “What do you want us to take back to the 4CED board for their consideration?” Specific problems facing local businesses will determine where they should focus. “We have our fingers in lots of different pies,” Shepherd said.

The final question asks businesses how familiar are they with resources like the SBDC, training offered by the college, NM Workforce Solutions and 4CED’s offerings.

A lot of 4CED and San Juan College materials are left with the businesses to increase their awareness of available programs. Some businesses are in need of training in Microsoft Office, in customer service, in how to be a supervisor or in how to create a business plan.

Eighty percent of all jobs and capital investment and expansion come from existing businesses. Shepherd said getting new businesses into the area can be “like knocking your head against the wall. It’s better to take care of the businesses you have.”

As part of the push by local cooperating agencies, SBDC and 4CED are doing what they can to help the economy in the region. By July, the SBDC plans to hire a full-time business retention and expansion person to work in San Juan County.

Shepherd created a job description and said the structure and database is ready. She said the right person can take the BRE program and “make it even better than what it is.” “When you actually get in there and talk to businesses, it’s real exciting and … they’re so appreciative,” Shepherd said.

The economy “seems to be strengthening to me. I see a segment that has the ability to grow. There are a lot of entrepreneurs in this county,” Shepherd said.

When working with and advising businesses, Shepherd recommends the Stephen Covey principle of “first listen to understand, and then be understood.” She said the Covey approach or philosophy works well in both business and life.

“We’re learning and striving to take the big rocks and put them in our bucket first. The small pebbles, analogous to distractions or less important things, must follow to allow everything to fit into the bucket, or structure of our lives,” Shepherd said.

She advises to businesses to “pay attention to the things that are most important and don’t get lost in the little, bitty details.” The big rocks are customer service, quality products, communication and reliability. “Customer service is huge … you can carry a business a lot further. It’s definitely one of the keys,” she said.

505 Cycles, along with Animas Valley Mall, are the first two businesses to be surveyed in 2023. Shepherd and Carmen Martinez, director of SBDC, plan to visit two businesses per week throughout the Spring.

Martinez said Jack’s Plastic Welding in Aztec, who makes rafts and rafting equipment, was one of the first SBDC clients. Since October of 2000 they have received help with financing, employee issues and other business consulting services.

The Chili Pod, on downtown Main Street in Farmington, is another “success story” that has taken advantage of SBDC programs, Martinez said. After six years in business, they soon plan an expansion to include the space next door.

“Most companies are doing OK … they’re not doing great … there are some that are doing stellar, depending on the industry and their workforce,” Martinez said.

Employee retention is a major issue, according to Martinez. She said legislative policies statewide are not business-friendly. HB-25 and HB-28, both minimum wage bills currently in the NM State Legislature, have met with derision from local businesses. Hiring is more cumbersome, considering some existing employees are making less than the new minimum wage.

Martinez does workshops on tax law, how to market, how to raise money and how to acquire grant money, Shepherd said. She also works closely with New Mexico SBDC on many topics, including contract administration, workers’ compensation, minority certification and government-to-business outreach, as outlined on their NMSBDC website.

“The beauty of SBDC is that most all their workshops and consultations are free,” Shepherd said. Martinez said businesses “appreciate all the resources we can bring to them and their challenges can often be handled with one or more of our programs.”

Most businesses responded to their survey in a positive, receptive manner. “Hey, you’re paying attention to me … you’re trying to see what it is that I need to help my business,” Shepherd said. “We haven’t been turned down by many people.”

“They’re kind enough to know that even if it doesn’t help them that much, it helps businesses in the community, in general,” Shepherd said. “The survey definitely has potential for helping the economy of San Juan County, and it might even be fun.”