The BRE survey and the red-flag list
A standard questionnaire that turns visits into data, and a short list of answers that trigger a response.
A BRE survey is a standard questionnaire used on every business visit so answers can be compared across businesses and across years. A red-flag list is the handful of answers that trigger an immediate response, such as an owner who says they are considering moving or closing the business.
What is a BRE survey?
The survey is the script for the visit and the data for the board. The University of Florida's standardized Business Owners Survey asks things like how satisfied the owner is with the present location and whether they plan to expand or reduce operations. One question is the heart of it: are you considering moving or closing this business? A yes is a red flag.
Red flags are the answers that need a response now: an employer thinking about leaving or downsizing, unreliable utilities, a transportation or infrastructure problem. Everything else goes into the aggregate report that shapes next year's work plan.
Why does it work?
- Comparable answers, year over year, show whether the business climate is getting better or worse.
- Red flags give you a reason, and a deadline, to act.
- The summary becomes your annual BRE report without extra work.
How do you start a BRE survey?
- Borrow a tested instrument (Florida's or Minnesota's) and cut it to fifteen questions.
- Mark three to five answers as red flags.
- Decide who responds to each kind of flag before the first visit: utilities, permits, workforce, real estate.
- Run it on the same cycle every year.
- Publish the summary. Never publish the names.
Texas examples
What to watch out for
- Confidentiality is the program. One leak and nobody answers honestly again.
- Do not ask about problems you cannot act on.
Pair it with: the visitation program. The survey is the script; the visit is the relationship.
Questions directors ask
What questions belong on a BRE survey?
Satisfaction with the current location, plans to expand or reduce, workforce needs, and what the community could do to help. Borrow a tested instrument from the Florida or Minnesota extension services and cut it to about fifteen questions.
What counts as a red flag?
Any answer that says a business may leave, shrink or close, or that a basic service such as power, water, roads or internet is failing them.
Should survey results be public?
Publish the summary and the trends. Never publish individual answers or business names.