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Bruce Schwartau from the University of Minnesota Extension office will be presented information specific to the Red Wing area regarding the Retail Trade Analysis/Pull factor information report. A tool called the Retail Trade Analysis (RTA) report utilizes sales tax data from Red Wing to tabulate a historical overview of retail businesses in the area. The RTA report is used to measure the local retail strength. The RTA also reveals what types of retail businesses might have room for expansion and some possible opportunities for retail businesses in the Red Wing trade area. This presentation was sponsored by the collaborative efforts of the Red Wing Area Chamber of Commerce, Red Wing Port Authority, Downtown Main Street, the Visitor and Convention Bureau, the Housing and Redevelopment Authority and the City of Red Wing.
Port Authority Director Myron White points out, “A strong pull factor is important to a community like Red Wing in that it indicates we are a “net importer” of retail dollars. New money is coming into our community.” The retail sales data tabulated for the RTA report is derived from sales tax reports issued by the Minnesota Department of Revenue. The RTA tool summarizes the available sales tax data over a course of several years and then translates the information into a format that is easily interpreted.
Overall, Red Wing has been pulling in the equivalent of an additional 6,800 people over our population into our local stores. The report also defines categories that are lagging behind the others.
The RTA report can also help a community answer questions about the current retail situation. Schwartau states, “For example, based on the information from the report, a store in the area might want to add a line of goods. For instance, a local building center might identify fireplace inserts as a sales opportunity to add to their merchandise.”
RTA reporting was first demonstrated by Kenneth Stone, Professor Emeritus of Economics and Extension Economist at Iowa State University. He developed the RTA program to help business people and city officials determine the strengths and weaknesses of their retail sectors. Stone was the first academic in the United States to conduct studies of the economic impacts of shopping malls, discount department stores and “big box” building materials stores. Dr. Stone did an initial report for Red Wing many years ago and his work is being continued in Minnesota by Schwartau. Schwartau has conducted retail analysis in approximately 40 Minnesota cities.
2008 Retail Trade Analysis Report [PDF]
2009 Port and Marina Accomplishments [PDF]
Minnesota Ultra High-Speed Broadband Report
(Click here to link to their report)
As stated in SF1918, the mission of the Minnesota Ultra High-Speed Broadband Taskforce is to make recommendations to the governor and legislature regarding the creation of a statewide high-speed Internet access goal, and a plan for implementation by 2015.
The Taskforce comprises 26 members selected from rural and urban constituencies. The members represent a broad array of viewpoints and concerns, including those of:
- Business and residential Internet users
- Health care institutions
- The education system
- Telephone and cable companies, large and small
- Wireless Internet service providers
- Communications industry labor organizations
- State, county, city and municipal government and governmental agencies
- Concerned citizens statewide
Like similar initiatives in other states, the Minnesota Ultra High-Speed Taskforce acts in an advisory capacity to identify the level of broadband service needed and to determine appropriate goal regarding technical and financial aspects of statewide broadband Internet access, such as:
- Future needs regarding connection speeds for sending and receiving data
- Security vulnerability and redundancy concerns
- Economic development opportunities and cooperation between the public and private sectors
- Estimated costs and benefits
- Impact on education, health care, government, community-based organizations and the public
Please connect with the Taskforce to share your comments, questions and concerns. Please direct all comments concerning legislation to your House Member or State Senator.
PORT AUTHORITY BOARD MEETING MINUTES
To view the Port Authority's minutes and board agendas, log into the City of Red Wing LaserFiche server. The username and password is public.
City of Red Wing LaserFiche [click here]
 For Current News and Informtion.
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Red-Wing-MN/Red-Wing-Port-Authority/170213210766?ref=mf
PORT'S NEWSLETTER
FIBER INITIATIVE: Information at the speed of light! Today, Broadband or ultra high speed data transmission is becoming just as important to business development as the highway the lies in front of their business. Over the past 18 months a group called “Red Wing Connect” has been working to increase residents’ awareness of the importance that high speed data transmission in our future. The Red Wing Port Authority has taken a strong position advocating the community-wide distribution of a fiber network in Red Wing and has asked Port Staff to take a leadership role helping to take the Fiber Initiative to the next level.
Broadband vs. Fiber (Article from Star Tribune)
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