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CENTERFUSE <br />EXECUTIVE SUMMARY <br />MARKET RESEARCH PROJECT <br />PURPOSE <br />CenterFuse's mission is to connect businesses with the resources they need to start, grow, and prosper. Our <br />primary customers are businesses who are interested in locating in Ellensburg, and existing businesses and <br />residents in Ellensburg. With the recent increase in inquiries about starting a business in Ellensburg, we <br />thought the time was right to check in with our existing customers to see how we are doing. <br />We wanted to look at our customer engagement over the past six months to learn more about the customer <br />experience and how we might do better. We embarked on a mini -market research project directed at <br />local/state/national developers and real estate professionals who have a client(s) interested in Ellensburg and <br />who worked extensively with CenterFuse. The market research project sought to: <br />• Identify the primary and secondary factors end clients look for when <br />'We look at locational <br />considering starting or re -locating their businesses to a Central Washington <br />factors, traffic drivers. A <br />location. <br />• Understand the data and information developers and real estate groups use <br />university, I-90 is a big one. <br />Demographics and <br />when assessing a location's fit for an end client. <br />population base. Just the <br />• Understand what collateral or information other local regions have on -hand <br />future growth. Wle look at <br />for developers that support client placement. <br />the age and income. <br />• Gain a fuller understanding of the typical restrictions, permits, or other <br />barriers to business placement. <br />KEY FINDINGS OF THIS PROJECT <br />One-on-one interviews were fielded during November 2021 among personnel from real estate groups or <br />developers who are actively working with CenterFuse in the Ellensburg market. A third -party interviewer <br />engaged participants by phone. Interview responses were aggregated to isolate trends or notable differences <br />across local versus non -local respondents. <br />Factors impacting Site Selection <br />• Primary: Proximity to I90, Internet, Workforce. <br />• Secondary: Light Industrial Zoning, Acreage, <br />Skillset Availability. <br />• Noted but not factors: Taxes, utility rates. <br />Location Selection Workflow <br />• Clients formalize their site criteria. <br />• Clients identify cities/locations that align with their <br />criteria. <br />• Workforce availability. <br />City Criteria & Property Identification <br />• Digital lis rings are extremely valuable resources <br />used immediately in the selection process. <br />• Housing availability matters. <br />Ellensburg Business Development l^) C E N T E R F U S E <br />• Friendliness to businesses and development by city <br />planners is a frequently used criteria. <br />Experience Working With Ellensburg <br />• Experienced Ellensburg developers cite challenges <br />working with local government, specifically getting <br />accurate, consistent feedback on projects. <br />• Non -local real estate agents consistently say <br />CenterFuse is extremely responsive, flexible and dialed - <br />in to local property owners open to selling. <br />• Many want to keep Ellensburg in mind for future <br />projects but feel limited by environmental impact issues <br />and the lack of industrial zoning. <br />Resource Needs <br />• Ellensburg -specific workforce statistics. <br />• Online economic data and developer specific <br />information. <br />115 E 4th Avenue, Suite 218 ® 509.962.7146 • ellensburgcenlertuse@gmail.co, <br />Ellensburg, WA 98926 0 509.607.7560 . ellereburacenterluse.com <br />