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CRA contracts BusinessFlare for performance metrics and economic intelligence
Summary
CRA staff introduced consultant Kevin Crowder and BusinessFlare (also referred to as Business Square) to present a framework for tracking CRA performance, outcomes and visibility; the approach uses dashboards, real-estate databases, foot-traffic analytics and signals monitoring to support grant applications and redevelopment strategy.
Martin County CRA staff introduced Kevin Crowder, who described a proposed approach to measure and monitor CRA performance and to create economic intelligence for redevelopment strategy.
Crowder framed the work around three tiers: performance measures (did the CRA do what it said it would do on time and budget), outcomes (such as targeted tax-increment financing growth) and leading indicators or signals (material costs, labor, vacancy, foot traffic and workforce trends). He described visibility audits that use real-estate databases, location analytics and third-party tools to show how the community appears to outside investors.
Crowder explained the firm will tie historical data to outcomes, build dashboards for staff and identify strategic signals to monitor. Board members asked about adapting the approach to small communities and how the firm handles 'wildcards' — external factors outside CRA control. Crowder said the goal is to expose and monitor those wildcards, not to eliminate them, and to provide context staff can use when deploying resources.
Staff said the consultant will return for follow-up sessions so board members can ask more detailed questions about metrics, data sources and local customization; the presentation was informational and part of the CRA’s shift toward data-driven performance tracking.
