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Englewood Chamber releases first annual business survey: businesses rate city 8/10 but cite costs and parking as top concerns
Summary
The Englewood Chamber of Commerce presented the results of its first annual business survey to City Council, reporting that local businesses rated the city about 8 out of 10 and highlighted rising costs, staffing shortages and parking/infrastructure as primary challenges while noting opportunities in e‑commerce, health care and South Broadway.
The Englewood Chamber of Commerce on Monday presented results of its first annual business survey to the Englewood City Council, reporting generally positive sentiment but flagging cost pressures, workforce shortages and parking and infrastructure issues as the principal challenges facing local businesses.
Lindsay Runyon, the chamber’s executive director, said the survey — conducted in April and May and compiled with city economic development and the Englewood Downtown Development Authority — had 53 responses from mostly local business owners and chamber members. Runyon said respondents rated Englewood about 8 out of 10 as a place to do business and described the results as a baseline for future annual tracking.
Survey highlights the chamber presented to council included a sector breakdown (largest response share from health care at 29 percent), an average reported business age of roughly 36 years, and an average employee count reported of about 33. Rising labor and material costs, taxes, permitting delays, parking and visibility were the most frequent negative comments. The most cited positives were city support, events and transit access.
On specific questions, about 50 percent of respondents “strongly agreed” and about 38 percent “agreed” that they felt supported by the city, the chamber and the DDA. Networking and marketing were the most frequently requested supports (24 percent), followed by financial assistance and city/community support (20 percent each). Businesses named e‑commerce, health care and South Broadway revitalization as the most promising growth areas.
Councilmembers asked follow‑up questions about respondent geography, sampling and response rates. Runyon said the survey had been sent to approximately 125–135 targeted contacts (chamber and EDDA member lists) and yielded 53 responses; she said responses were anonymous and that next year the chamber will ask for district or neighborhood location to allow area‑specific analysis. Member Noonkamp asked the chamber to provide the question‑level responses as supplemental material to council.
Councilmembers praised the chamber’s work and the collaboration with city staff and the DDA, and asked staff to use the survey results to guide outreach, programming and possible targeted support such as marketing assistance for small businesses. Runyon said the chamber and city economic development intend to repeat the survey annually to track trends over time.
