Businesses in Dublin believe they're in the right location to conduct business.

According to a survey conducted by Saperstein Associates in the first quarter of this year, 92 percent of businesses rank Dublin as an excellent or good location for their business. Survey results also showed businesses are growing, with 67 percent likely to increase the number of employees in Dublin over the next two years.

"Whether you're a small or large company, that is exciting news and certainly something to note," said Dana McDaniel, deputy city manager and economic development director. "This is an indicator Dublin is a good place to locate and do business."

Much like the biennial community survey the city conducts to learn what's on the minds of residents, the business survey asked chief executive officers, owners and managers about their satisfaction with such things as city services, their intentions for growth and services available to the businesses.

About 1,100 businesses were contacted and 408 responded, which is considered a high rate of return and to be statistically accurate, according to Marty Saperstein, president of Saperstein Associates.

Dublin is paying Saperstein Associates $40,000 to conduct this survey and additional research for the city in the future, said Tammy Brown of the economic development department. The city has paid $15,000 so far, she said.

The ultimate goal was to get as much information as possible about the business community to keep a pulse on the issues, McDaniel said.

"We wanted to look at the issues and concerns and make sure the programs we're delivering are in line with their needs," he said. "It's also to seek and understand what we have. It's a complex economic environment here."

Most interesting to city staff was the result that the median business in Dublin has seven or fewer employees.

"I've always known small- to medium-size businesses make up most of our businesses when you add it up," McDaniel said. "That equals diversification to our economy, which helps us to endure tougher economic times."

Access to high-quality public schools and to health care services received a 98 percent satisfaction rating, followed by 96 percent satisfaction with access to appropriate housing and access to colleges and universities. Ninety-four percent of those surveyed were satisfied with access to recreational opportunities and business services, followed by 93 percent satisfaction with access to cultural amenities and technical training and 91 percent satisfaction with access to a qualified work force.

Specific challenges mentioned in the survey included traffic, signage regulations and the city's 2 percent income tax.

Forty-four percent of companies mentioned no challenges, but 5 percent mentioned difficulty finding qualified employees. Sixteen percent identified city planning issues/regulation issues as a challenge followed by taxes, signage and traffic (14 percent), and issues with attracting clients (10 percent).

Satisfaction was lowest, at 70 percent, with the state and local tax structure.

This was the first step in determining how the city can assist businesses.

Additional surveys will be conducted to gain more specific information about topics such as work force, finances and facilities.

A timeline for those surveys has not been determined.

bdunlap@

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