City of Airdrie Business Satisfaction Survey June 3, 2013 Banister Research & Consulting Inc.
Business Satisfaction Survey Methodology A total of 488 surveys were completed via telephone and web, from March 18 th to April 7 th, 2013. City-wide results provide a margin of error no greater than +3.8% at the 95% confidence level or 19 times out of 20. 98% of respondents were Business Owners, CEO, President, Vice President or Primary Manager.
Business Characteristics 47% were commercial or industrial 53% were home-based: 60% of home-based businesses indicated this was their primary source of income 24% were interested in moving to a store-front in the next 12 months Office space (50%) Commercial space (42%) Industrial space (7%)
Type of Business* 100% 80% 77% 82% 60% 40% 20% 10% 10% 12% 13% 0% Franchise Headquarter/Owner-operated Branch Office 2013 (n=488) 2011 (n=522) *Note: Each question was asked separately of respondents (i.e., Is this business a Franchise? ; Is this business a Headquarter/Owner-operated? ; Is this business a Branch Office. Respondents may have said yes to more than one category; as a result, percentages may not total to 100%
Business Sector Construction Retail Trade 18% 15% 15% 20% Other Services (except for Public Administration) 13% 24% Professional, Scientific and Technical Services 6% 11% Health Care and Social Assistance 8% 4% Other- 6% or less 36% 30% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 2013 (n=488) 2011 (n=522)
Top Issues Facing Airdrie s Economy Today Managing growth of the community (54%) Infrastructure (37%) Access to health services (35%) Customer leakage outside of Airdrie (21%) Availability of skilled labour (17%) *multiple mentions Due to changes in format of questions, comparison with 2011 results was not possible.
Top Issues Facing Businesses Today Cost of office/commercial/industrial space (37%) Cost of advertising (33%) Availability of skilled labour (27%) Access to capital (22%) Availability of office/commercial/industrial space (17%) *multiple mentions Due to changes in format of questions, comparison with 2011 results was not possible.
Workforce Situation for the Next Year 100% 80% 60% 48% 58% 40% 35% 29% 20% 0% Maintaining Constant Staff Level 3% 3% 4% 3% 11% Hiring Reducing Staff Other Don't Know/Not Stated 2013 (n=488) 2011 (n=522) 8% Note: Due to rounding of the numbers, percentages may not total 100%
Challenges with Recruitment and Retention of Staff Business were asked if they are having any challenges with recruitment and retention of staff: No (75% versus 73% in 2011) Yes (24% versus 25% in 2011): Difficult to find skilled, qualified or certified staff Hard to find staff in general Quality staff is hard to find (long-term, dependable, hardworking) Staff move around a lot, are hard to retain, or move to better jobs Commuting to Airdrie is too far or expensive *Multiple responses
What local resources would help address recruitment and retention of staff challenges?* Job board to post local employment opportunities 55% Job fair 27% Employment standards information Leadership and team building sessions 14% 12% Space to interview employment candidates Workshops and seminars 5% 4% Other Don't Know 14% 20% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% n=118 Base: Respondents who had challenges with recruitment and retention of staff * New in 2013
Will your business. Over the next 12 months? 100% 80% 60% 65% 68% 40% 20% 29% 26% 0% 4% 4% 2% 1% 0% 2% Grow or expand Stay the same Slow down Other Don't know/not stated 2013 (n=488) 2011 (n=522)
Is your business currently selling products or services outside of the Calgary region?* Thirty-eight percent (38%) of all respondents (n=488) stated that their business is currently selling products or services outside of the Calgary region Where are you selling products or services?* Alberta (outside of the Calgary region) 85% Western Canada 45% Eastern Canada USA 15% 19% European Union Asia South America Other 4% 3% 1% 4% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% n=184 Base: Respondents who currently sell products or services outside of the Calgary region *New question in 2013
Expanding Business Outside of Calgary Region Twelve percent (12%) of all respondents indicated that they need help to expand their sales beyond the Calgary region What type of help do you need to expand into new markets? Base: Respondents who needed help expanding sales beyond the Calgary region Percent of Respondents* 2013 (n=60) Government services and funding 48 Company matchmaking 37 Access to foreign market research 20 Export rules and regulations 12 Marketing 8 Access to workforce/local employment 3 Other- less than 3% 10 Refuse, don t know 7 *multiple mentions
Satisfaction with Airdrie as a Place to do Business - Industrial/Commercial* Finance and Operating Costs Cost of labour Access to financing or venture capital 52% Municipal tax rates 51% 49% Transportation costs 50% 51% Provincial tax rates 46% 47% Cost of land 33% 31% Cost of office, commercial or industrial 27% 31% 60% 65% 65% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 2013 Industrial/Commercial (n=229) 2011 Industrial/Commercial (n=245) Base: Industrial/commercial businesses *Respondents that provided a rating of excellent, very good, or good.
Satisfaction with Airdrie as a Place to do Business Home-Based* Finance and Operating Costs Access to financing or venture capital 47% Transportation costs 45% 52% Cost of labour 43% 55% Provincial tax rates 40% 48% Municipal tax rates 39% 47% Cost of land 17% 26% Cost of office, commercial or industrial 13% 19% 67% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 2013 Home-based (n=259) 2011 Home-based (n=277) Base: Home-based Businesses *Respondents that provided a rating of excellent, very good, or good.
Satisfaction with Airdrie as a Place to do Business Industrial/Commercial Operations & Infrastructure Location Access to customer base Communications & technology infrastructure Infrastructure (roads, water and sewer) Access to suppliers Competition 50% Local regulations & processes 50% 45% Availability of land 44% 43% Availability of office, commercial or industrial 40% 84% 87% 74% 79% 73% 71% 72% 65% 62% 70% 60% 64% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 2013 Industrial/Commercial (n=229) 2011 Industrial/Commercial (n=245) Base: Industrial/commercial businesses *Respondents that provided a rating of excellent, very good, or good.
Satisfaction with Airdrie as a Place to do Business in terms of Home-Based* Operations & Infrastructure Location Access to customer base Communications & technology infrastructure Infrastructure (roads, water and sewer) Competition Access to suppliers Local regulations & processes Availability of land 28% Availability of office, commercial or industrial 28% 58% 53% 50% 36% 39% 76% 76% 76% 72% 70% 73% 67% 65% 66% 88% 86% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 2013 Home-based (n=259) 2011 Home-based (n=277) Base: Home-based Businesses *Respondents that provided a rating of excellent, very good, or good.
Satisfaction with Airdrie as a Place to do Business in terms of Industrial/Commercial* Labour, Resources & Community Quality of life Community growth Business support services 69% 70% Business to business networking opportunities 65% 50% 67% Labour availability 59% Access to post-secondary education 45% 41% Access to professional development programs 41% 39% Access to affordable housing** 39% Availability of management staff 38% 47% Access to health care services** 37% Access to affordable childcare** 30% 88% 90% 82% 85% Base: Industrial/commercial businesses *Respondents that provided a rating of excellent, very good, or good. ** New factor 2013 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 2013 Industrial/Commercial (n=229) 2011 Industrial/Commercial (n=245)
Satisfaction with Airdrie as a Place to do Business in terms of Home-Based* Labour, Resources & Community Quality of life Business support services Community growth Business to business networking opportunities Labour availability Access to affordable housing** 40% 40% 49% 60% 67% 77% 74% 75% 79% 89% 94% Access to professional development programs Access to post-secondary education Availability of management staff Access to health care services** Access to affordable childcare** 39% 36% 37% 37% 32% 29% 31% 25% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 2013 Home-based (n=259) 2011 Home-based (n=277) Base: Home-based Businesses *Respondents that provided a rating of excellent, very good, or good. ** New factor 2013
Overall Satisfaction with Airdrie as a Place to Operate a Business Excellent Very good Good Fair 15% 17% 10% 9% 41% 35% 33% 37% 89% excellent, very good or good Poor Don't know/ not stated 1% 2% <1% 1% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 2013 (n=488) 2011 (n=522)
Working with City of Airdrie Departments Thirty-six percent (36%) of respondents had worked with a City of Airdrie process or department related to their business over the last 2 years. Respondents that had worked with a City of Airdrie department in the last year (n=173) were asked to identify which department it was. The most frequently used departments included: Business Licensing (65%); Building Inspections (46%); Economic Development (25%); and Planning (23%).
Mean Level of Satisfaction for Each City of Airdrie Department: Customer Service Mean Level of Satisfaction for Each City of Airdrie Department Base: Respondents who worked with the following City of Airdrie departments related to their business over the last 2 years Mean Rating (out of 5) 2013 Economic Development (n=44) 4.45 Public Works (n=15)* 4.29 Business Licensing (n=113) 4.20 Assessment & Taxation (n=17)* 4.06 Building Inspections (n=80) 3.96 Utilities (n=18)* 3.87 Other (n=12)* 3.82 Engineering (n=15)* 3.64 Planning (n=39) 3.45 *Use caution interpreting results when n<30 Due to changes in format of questions, comparison with 2011 results was not possible. Scale: 1= not at all satisfied ; 5= very satisfied
Awareness of Products or Services Provided by the Economic Development Department City of Airdrie Business Directory AirdrieNOW website Airdrie@WORK monthly e-newsletter Winning Edge Business Awards* Business learning opportunities* 70% 60% 65% 61% 63% 57% 83% 87% Referrals to business resource organizations 18% 36% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% 2013 (n=488) 2011 (n=522) *New product or service in 2013 survey
Effectiveness of the Economic Development Department Products and Services Mean Rating of Effectiveness Base: Respondents who were aware of this product or service Mean Rating (out of 5) 2013 2011 Referrals to business resource organizations (n=173) 3.84 3.65 AirdrieNOW website (www.airdrienow.ca) (n=341) 3.77 3.40 Business learning opportunities* (n=278) 3.75 -- City of Airdrie Business Directory (n=405) 3.65 3.67 Winning Edge Business Awards* (n=308) 3.51 -- Airdrie@WORK Monthly E-Newsletter (n=317) 3.50 3.18 *New product or service in 2013 survey
Questions?