Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) initiative

What is the Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) initiative?

BRE focuses on bringing community leaders together to identify, understand and address the needs of local business.  

In 2013, the BRE partners came together to form a BRE Task Force. The BRE partners are:

• City of Swift Current
• Rural Municipality of Swift Current
• Community Futures Southwest
• Swift Current and District Chamber of Commerce
• Downtown Business Association
• Tourism Swift Current
• Great Plains College

The Task Force set four key objectives for the BRE initiative:

• enhance cooperation and consensus among business, local government, and economic development organizations;
• accurately assess the needs of local business;
• provide support / information to address immediate individual business issues and opportunities; and 
• contribute to the development of a strategic action plan for economic prosperity.

The Task Force began with completing extensive economic analysis and conducting a business survey of 142 local businesses.  The results were then analyzed by the Task Force and over 30 community advisors resulting in thirteen projects prioritized for addressing the needs of local business.

In 2016, the Task Force, now identified as Action Swift Current (ASC), will be taking action on six of the thirteen projects. Project Leadership Teams will be assembled and tasked with developing and implementing a directional plan for each project.  The teams will meet over the summer and will come together again in the fall to discuss their progress.

To read the latest BRE Report, click here.