welcome to jackson county communities committee survey report

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Employee Survey Report February 2012 Page 1

2011 Employee Survey ResultsThe Communities of Jackson County

An effort of the

Jackson Economic Development Corporation

Welcome Committee


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Table of Contents

Executive Summary 3

Introduction 4

Methodology 4

Findings By Question 61. Please list your home ZIP code: 7

2. Please list your employer: 7

3. Please list your employers ZIP code: 7

4. How satisfied are you with the community in which you current reside? 7

5. Please list the most important factors in your decision to live in your current community: 9

6. Are you interested in moving to Jackson County? 10

7. If yes, what is preventing you from doing so? 11

8. If you moved to Jackson County, would you more likely buy a home or rent? 12

9. Would you require housing that allows pets? 13

10. What type of housing would you require? 14

11. What have you heard about living in Jackson County? 15

12. How satisfied were you with your most recent shopping experience in Jackson County? 16

13. What could have been done to improve this shopping experience? 17

14. What types of retail business would you most like to see open in Jackson County? 18

15. From what sources do you receive information about the following in Jackson County? 19

16. How would you describe Jackson County as a place to live? 21

17. What are your favorite aspects about living in Jackson County? 22

18. How important are churches and/or religious organizations in your decision of where to 23

live? 23

19. How important is the availability of daycare in your decision of where to live? 24

20. What types of activities do you enjoy in your leisure time? 25Additional Comments 26

Survey Committee Members 27

Welcome Committee Members 27

Jackson Economic Development Corporation Board Members 27

Employee Survey 28


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Introduction

The purpose of this survey is to gather information from those employed in Jackson County about living,

shopping and playing in Jackson County. The surveys 20 questions were crafted to elicit responses that

would assist researchers in attempting to identify motivations for or against living and/or spending time

in the communities of Jackson County. Findings will assist the mission of the Welcome to Jackson County

Communities Committee, a group of local individuals, intent on attracting those who work in thecommunities of Jackson County to live, shop and play in those very communities.

Methodology

A survey in both electronic and hard-copy form was made available to more than 2,100 people

employed by 19 different Jackson County businesses, including AGCO, Technical Services for Electronics,

Jackson County, Good Samaritan Society-Jackson, Accent, Jackson County Central School District,

Pioneer Hi-Bred, Sanford Jackson Medical Center, Ziegler-Cat, Livewire Printing Co., Kozy Heat, Erickson

Trucks N Parts, Jackson Feed, New Fashion Pork, the city of Jackson, Doherty Staffing Solutions,

Farmers and Merchants State Bank of Alpha, FCA Co-op and Minnesota West Community and TechnicalColleges Jackson Campus. A total of 624 surveys were returned.

Response statistics by business follow:

Company # of responses

AGCO ........................................................................... 155

TSE ............................................................................... 104

Jackson County .............................................................. 76

Good Samaritan Society ................................................ 62Accent ........................................................................... 61

JCC School District ......................................................... 42

Pioneer Hi-Bred ............................................................. 23

Sanford JMC .................................................................. 21

Ziegler-Cat ..................................................................... 19

Livewire Printing Co. ..................................................... 14

Kozy Heat ...................................................................... 10

Erickson Trucks N Parts ................................................. 7

Jackson Feed ................................................................... 7

New Fashion Pork ........................................................... 7

Unspecified ..................................................................... 7

City of Jackson ................................................................. 4

Doherty Staffing Solutions .............................................. 1

Farmers and Merchants Bank ......................................... 1

FCA Co-op ........................................................................ 1

Minnesota West .............................................................. 1

Self-Employed .............................................................. 1

TOTAL ......................624


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This survey sought to collect quantitative and qualitative data through a combination of fixed-choice and

open-ended questions. As the sample is not representative, results are not to be generalized. The real

value of the findings lies in the descriptive data garnered from the open-ended questions. The

quantitative data serves merely as a base on which the descriptive data rest.

Baseline sample data were gathered from the surveys first three questions, which are as follows:

1) Please list your home ZIP code:2) Please list your employer:3) Please list your employers ZIP code:

Quantitative data was obtained from eight fixed-choice questions. The fixed-choice questions are as

follows, numbered as they appeared on the survey:

4) How satisfied are you with the community in which you currently reside?Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied

Somewhat dissatisfied Very dissatisfied

6) Are you interested in moving to Jackson County?

Yes No Possibly

8) If you moved to Jackson County, would you be more likely to buy a home or rent?

Buy Rent

9) Would you require hosing that allows pets?

Yes No

10) What type of housing would you require?

Single Family

12) How satisfied were you with your most recent shopping experience?

Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied


18) How important are churches and/or religious organizations in your decision of where to

live?

Very important Somewhat important Not important

19) How important is the availability of daycare in your decision of where to live?



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The descriptive data was garnered from eight open-ended questions and a ninth that solicited

additional comments. The open-ended questions are as follows, numbered as they appeared on the

survey:

5) Please list the most important factors in your decision to live in your current community:

7) If yes, what is preventing you from doing so?(Following the fixed-choice question Are you interested in moving to Jackson County?)

11) What have you heard about living in Jackson County?

13) What could have been done to improve this shopping experience?(Following the fixed-choice question How satisfied were you with your most recent shopping experience in

Jackson County?)

14) What types of retail businesses would you most like to see open in Jackson County?

15) From what sources do you receive information about the following in Jackson County?

16) How would you describe Jackson County as a place to live?

17) What are your favorite aspects of living in Jackson County?

20) What types of activities do you enjoy in your leisure time?

Additional comments:

Following collection of data, responses were transcribed by question. The responses were analyzed and

reoccurring themes were identified.

Findings By Question

Findings are presented by question in the order they appeared on the survey.

Data gathered from the first three questions have been cross-referenced with Question 4 for reporting

purposes and are included in the first four graphs. For the purposes of this summary report, only

Jackson (56143), Lakefield (56150) and Alpha (56111) ZIP codes were analyzed.

Data garnered from the eight fixed-choice questions are presented in pie charts.

Data obtained from the nine open-ended questions are presented as analyzed. Immediately followingeach question is the number of responses the question generated and the number of survey takers who

did not respond. Theme categories are listed by number of responses in descending order.


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1. Please list your home ZIP code:2. Please list your employer:3. Please list your employers ZIP code:4. How satisfied are you with the community in which you current reside?

Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied


Figure I

Figure II

Very Somewhat Somewhat Very No

Zip Dissatisfied Dissatisfied Satisfied Satisfied Response Total

56111 1 (5.00%) 1 (5.00%) 9 (45.00%) 9(45.00%) 0 20

56143 17 (5.11%) 50 (15.02%) 152 (45.65%) 111 (33.33%) 3 (0.90%) 333

56150 0 3 (4.05%) 38 (51.35%) 33 (44.59%) 0 74


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Figure III

Figure IV

%in Very Somewhat Somewhat Very No Company Total 56143 Dissatisfied Dissatisfied Satisfied Satisfied Response Total

Accent 61 44.26% 1 4 16 6 0 27AGCO 155 50.32% 4 12 33 29 0 78EricksonTrucks 7 42.86% 0 1 2 0 0 3GoodSam 62 74.19% 2 6 22 14 2 46JacksonCounty 76 60.53% 0 7 20 18 1 46JacksonFeed 7 57.14% 0 0 1 3 0 4JCCSchools 42 64.29% 0 0 9 18 0 27KozyHeat 10 10.00% 0 0 1 0 0 1

LivewirePrinting 14 64.29% 0 1 5 3 0 9NFP 7 14.29% 0 0 1 0 0 1Pioneer 23 52.17% 0 1 6 5 0 12SanfordJackson 21 42.86% 1 1 4 3 0 9TSE 104 52.88% 7 15 25 8 0 55Ziegler 19 26.32% 0 1 4 0 0 5Unspecified 7 57.14% 2 0 2 0 0 4

615 53.17% 175.2% 4915.0% 15146.2% 107-32.3% 3-1% 327


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5. Please list the most important factors in your decision to live in your current community:Answered question: 566

Skipped question: 59

1.

Employment 208

2. Ties to community 207a. Native of current community 41b. Spouse native of current community 19c. Family farm 19

3. Small-town atmosphere/people 192a. People 72b. Rural 23c. Sense of community 21d. Quiet 19e. Clean 10f. No traffic 5

4. School system 1065. Amenities/infrastructure 64

a. Shopping 32b. Entertainment 11c. Restaurants 10d. Trails 10e. Parks 6f. Health care/hospital 6g. Fitness centers 5

6. Housing 57a. Pricing 20b. Value/resolvability 5c. Condition 5

7. Safety 418. Location/scenery 37

a. Proximity to large cities 8b. Proximity to lakes in general 6c. Proximity to Iowa Great Lakes Region 5d. River 5

9. Cost of living 23a. Taxes 6

10.Churches 12


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6. Are you interested in moving to Jackson County?Yes No Possibly

Yes 29 14.7%

No 119 60.4%

Possibly 49 24.9%

Total Responses 197


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7. If yes, what is preventing you from doing so?(Following the fixed-choice question Are you interested in moving to Jackson County?)

Answered question: 82Skipped question: 543

1. Cannot sell current home 132. Happy where at currently 73. Cost of housing 64. Lack of amenities 65. Spouses job or lack of 56. Lack of housing 57. Family farm 5


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8. If you moved to Jackson County, would you more likely buy a home or rent?Buy Rent

Buy 147 80.8%

Rent 35 19.2%

Total Responses 182


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9. Would you require housing that allows pets?Yes No

Yes 118 64.1%

No 66 36.9%Total Responses 184


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10.What type of housing would you require?Single Family

Single 41 22.3%

Family 143 77.7%

Total Responses 184


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11.What have you heard about living in Jackson County?Answered question: 156


1. Nice community/positive things 51a. Friendly people 12

2. Nothing 323. Theres nothing to do/its boring 164. Good schools 125. Poor shopping/limited retail 106. Poor rental climate/expensive housing 107. High taxes/cost of living 108. Local government is dysfunctional 89. Negative things/unfriendly people 5


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12.How satisfied were you with your most recent shopping experience in Jackson County?Very satisfied Somewhat satisfied


Very Satisfied 95 17.0%

Somewhat Satisfied 241 43.1%

Somewhat Dissatisfied 144 25.8%

Very Dissatisfied 79 14.1%Total Responses 559


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13.What could have been done to improve this shopping experience?(Following the fixed-choice question How satisfied were you with your most recent shopping experience in Jackson

County?)

Answered question: 481


1. More variety 2422. Lower prices 156

a. Grocery prices too high 273. Need a big-box store 334. Nothing/happy 30

a. Store clerks are friendly 55. More convenient store hours 206. Need competition 10


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14.What types of retail business would you most like to see open in Jackson County?Answered question: 499


1. Big-box store 2822. Clothing stores 1303. Grocery store 844. Dining 84

a. Restaurants 51b. Fast food 33

5. Home supply 346. Kids clothing and toys 307. Shoe store 258. Sporting goods 239. Entertainment 17

a. Bowling alley 9


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15.From what sources do you receive information about the following in Jackson County?Community Events 458

a. Newspapers 359b.

Radio 104c. Word of Mouth 75

d. Internet 53e. Channel 6 29f. Flyers 28g. School 27

Housing 421

a. Newspapers 251b. Internet 79c. Word of Mouth 37d. Real Estate Agents 30e. Yard Signs and Flyers 16f. Radio 15

Daycares 323

a. Newspapers 118b. Word of Mouth 76c. DHS 33d. Internet 15e. Flyers 12

Shopping 406

a. Newspapers 318b. Radio 50c. Word of Mouth 40d. Internet 22e. Visit, Storefront or Signage 18

Schools 383

a. Newspapers 180b. Internet 76c. School 63

a. School 30b. School Website 20c. Comm. Ed 8d. School Calendar 5

d. Radio 59e. Word of Mouth 40f. Flyers 12


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Employment 421

a. Newspapers 323b. Internet 76c. Word of Mouth 52d. Radio 26e. Flyers 9

Recreation 378

a. Newspapers 257b. Word of Mouth 72c. Radio 63d. Internet 53e. Flyers 16f. Community Ed 16

Churches 338

a. Newspapers 176b. Word of Mouth 54c. Church & Church Bulletins 52d. Internet 32e. Radio 28f. Phone Book 9

Healthcare 321

a. Newspapers 148b. Word of Mouth* 85c. Internet 35d.

Radio 26

e. Healthcare referrals & newsletters 20f. Flyers / Phone Book 17*Includes Employers and Work


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16.How would you describe Jackson County as a place to live?Answered question: 504


1. Friendly/nice/safe/quiet/great 2332. Good/OK 793. Small/rural 714. Little to do/boring 255. Pretty 206. Clique 157. Expensive 12


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17.What are your favorite aspects about living in Jackson County?Answered question: 456


1. Small-town living/friendly/quiet 255a. Friendly people 136b. Quietness 33c. Presence of family 28d. No traffic 7

2. Trails/parks/outdoor rec opportunities 80a. Trails 41b. Parks 19c. Fishing 12d. Hunting 11e. Camping 5

3. Good schools/place to raise kids 424. Proximity to work 395. Safe/low crime rate 306. Natural beauty of area 297. Economic opportunity 208. Community events 159. Proximity to Iowa Great Lakes Region 1210.Churches 8


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18.How important are churches and/or religious organizations in your decision of where tolive?


Very Important 213 38.2%

Somewhat Important 228 40.9%

Not Important 116 20.8%

Total Responses 557


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19.How important is the availability of daycare in your decision of where to live?Very important Somewhat important Not important

Very Important 144 26.1%

Somewhat Important 100 18.1%

Not Important 308 55.8%Total Responses 552


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20.What types of activities do you enjoy in your leisure time?Answered question: 522


1. Walking/running/hiking 164a. On trails 17b. In county/state parks 13

2. Fishing 953. Reading 864. Hunting 725. Camping 716. Biking 717. Movies 60

a. At a theater 118. Boating 549. Golfing 5210.Gardening 5211.Swimming 38

a. Outdoors 512.Shopping 3713.Eating out/restaurants/bars 3214.Motorcycling/ATVs 2515.Bowling 25


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Additional Comments

Additional comments: 127

1. Local government dysfunction 48a. Officials need to listen to taxpayers 10b. Preserve historic buildings/dams 5c. Taxes too high 5

2. Retail business 45a. Need more choices 13b. Need a big-box store 8c. Need lower prices 7d. Retail community is attractive 5

3. Events/entertainment concerns 25a. Need more entertainment/events 9

4. Housing concerns 16a. Need more housing availability 5b. Need lower-priced, nicer rentals 5

5. Trail system 12a. Trails are a positive asset 9

6. Restaurants 107. Daycare 10


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Survey Committee Members

Rich Koch, JEDC

Justin Lessman, Livewire Printing

MartyCae Klein, Erickson Trucks N Parts

Sandy Phillips, JEDCSue Pirsig , ED Staff

Andrea Sether, ED Staff

Welcome Committee Members

Becky Benson, JEDC

Jan Fransen, JEDC

Rich Koch, JEDC

Todd Meyer, JEDC

Sandy Phillips, JEDC

Sue Pirsig , ED Staff


Jackson Economic Development Corporation Board Members

Brad Anderson

Todd Asa

Kent Bargfrede

Becky Benson

Patrick Christopherson

Brandon Fink

Jan Fransen

Dennis HampleRich Koch

Jim Keul

Don Kuehl

Dr. Clayton Lewis

Dave Lovell

Todd Meyer

Sandy Phillips

Rick Reed

Gordy Ruskell

Jerry Svoboda

Loren Tusa

Wayne WalterEd Willett

Gary Willink

Sue Pirsig , ED Staff



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Employee

Survey


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welcome to jackson county communities committee survey report

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