Business Retention & Expansion (BRE)

A bold approach to business expansion. We strive to be your trusted advisors and connectors.

Your BR&E team is about trust, partnership, and results. Whether you need county resources, regional expertise, state data or national trends, our team is here to make connections that count. Indiana’s team-based BR&&E strategy came out of ten years of work to unite local and state resources to better serve the needs of businesses across Indiana.

The BR&E team aspires to be trusted advisors and connectors with a dual mission:

  • Partner with local and regional economic development organizations to help businesses adapt and grow by connecting them to relevant resources.
  • We maximize their potential by sharing best practices and tools.

The BR&E strategy is implemented through two key tools:

  • BR&E team visits
  • Local and regional lunch and learns

Q & A

The initial BR&E visit is a confidential sixty or ninety-minute meeting scheduled at a time and place convenient for the participating business. Many visits take place at the participating business to allow for a facility tour. During this meeting, company leadership will meet with a specially selected BR&E team. This team may include:

  • Local and state economic development representatives
  • Workforce development experts
  • Higher education representatives
  • Utilities and/or other key partners

This meeting is a listening session allowing the BR&E team to learn about challenges, processes, potential for growth, what has been working well for the business—and what has not—all of which help us meet business needs most effectively. The meeting is also an opportunity to connect the company with relevant BR&E team members. Most importantly, it lays the foundation for a trusted long-term relationship and partnership.

The BR&E team representative will send a follow-up email within 48 hours. However, there is no “gatekeeping.” Company members may reach out directly to any of the BR&E partner organizations.

Our collaborative approach brings a powerful level of partnership to the table. We cut through state and local red tape to bring workable solutions to the company, on their turf.

These local and regional events bring in outside industry experts to share insights with members of the local business community.

Let’s connect - how can our team assist with your retention and expansion needs?

Linda Walczak photo

Linda Walczak
Vice President,
Business Retention and Expansion

Meet Linda Walczak

Vice President,
Business Retention and Expansion
Linda initiated the BR&E program in 2014.

Watch her webinar to learn more.

BR&E Our Collaborative Approach

Here’s how BR&E can serve as an extension of your LEDO or REDO team:

  • Research: Let us help you identify and prioritize companies to visit by investigating relevant industries and supply chain needs.
  • Custom connections: We’ll match you with relevant people and resources to build the BR&E team that most effectively serves your community.
  • Lunch and Learns: We facilitate and fund Lunch and Learn events, partnering with industry experts relevant to your priority companies and industries.
  • Assistance with BR&E visits: We provide turn-key assistance from start to finish, from research and targeting to scheduling to preparation (including pertinent questions and prompts) to follow up 48 hours later.
  • Best practices: We share resources, tools and templates and more.

Here's the Latest

BR&E Newsletter

IEDC Newsletter

For the Bold