Inside New Ulm’s BR&E playbook: From zero database to a connected, proactive program

New Ulm, Minnesota—a city with deep German roots, historic architecture, and a community spirit that runs through its parks, breweries, and festivals—has turned a blank slate into a thriving, data-driven business retention and expansion program.

Under the leadership of Heather Bregel, Economic Development Director, the city went from having no formal business records to building a living database, transitioning from Salesforce to Bludot, and using data-driven insights to strengthen relationships, influence policy, support growth, and build a strong BR&E playbook.

Building the foundation of BR&E playbook: relationships first, data always

“Prior to 2021, the City had no records on our local business community. No one could tell me how many businesses we had because it had never been tracked.”

When Heather stepped into her role in 2021, New Ulm’s business landscape—spanning historic downtown shops, family-run manufacturers, and local institutions like the August Schell Brewing Company—had no centralized record. Her first goal: map the full picture of New Ulm’s business community.

“I spent my first two years canvassing the town to create our first business database.”

Through in-person visits, Heather built both trust and insight—introducing herself, collecting business data, and recording trends like expansions, staffing changes, and openings or closures.

“We use this data to check the pulse of our business community—are businesses expanding or downsizing, adding or reducing employees, are more businesses opening or closing?”

For those hesitant to schedule in-person meetings, she created a Business Intelligence Survey, ensuring every business had a voice.

“With this two-pronged approach, we were able to collect data on the majority of our businesses.”

From Salesforce to Bludot: designed for economic development

“The transition went pretty smoothly. I exported the data from Salesforce and provided it to Bludot to download.”

New Ulm’s next step was finding the right system to manage the growing amount of data. After using Salesforce, Heather transitioned to Bludot—a platform purpose-built for economic development teams.

“The biggest benefit was being able to keep all of our hard-earned data and not having to spend time recreating it in the new platform.”

With Bludot, New Ulm consolidated everything into one easy-to-use workspace:

• Prospect and active tracking: businesses move seamlessly from “interested” to “established” without losing any history

• Program management: “We offer start up grants, small business loans, and commercial property rehabilitation loans.” Each of these programs is tracked in Bludot—grant status, project milestones, and notes all in one place

• Automatic email capture: “One of the best features is the ability to connect automatically to our email communications… to capture those conversations.”

“Another benefit with Bludot is having one point of contact for technical support. With Salesforce, getting assistance was a very difficult endeavor… The Bludot team was there to support us throughout the transition and beyond.”

Stronger together: partnerships that multiply impact

“Our local chamber of commerce refers potential and existing businesses to us. We communicate… to share news on new businesses, ownership/management changes, business closures, etc.”

Collaboration with the Chamber and other local partners has amplified New Ulm’s outreach. By working from a shared source of truth in Bludot, Heather’s team can track referrals, follow-ups, and progress—keeping everyone aligned on business needs and community priorities.

From insight to impact: stories that matter

One of Heather’s early wins came directly from her on-the-ground outreach. Several downtown businesses—including two salons and a pediatric dentist—shared a common frustration: one-hour parking limits in the nearby city lot.

“I was able to bring their concerns to the city council and get the time limit… increased to two hours.”

It’s a small but powerful example of how structured engagement leads to real change.

“Business owners… appreciate having someone come out to see their operations and listen to their concerns. An onsite visit goes a long way.”

And it’s working—Heather notes that several small business startups have expanded in recent years, thanks in part to ongoing communication, access to grants and loans, and the city’s growing visibility into business needs.

Lessons from New Ulm’s approach

New Ulm’s BR&E success didn’t come from software alone—it came from strategy and consistency. Here’s what other communities can take away:

• Start with personal outreach, back it up with data

• Track both active and prospective businesses to measure interest and pipeline growth

• Log programs, grants, and loans as projects for clear oversight and reporting

• Automate communication tracking to keep records current and complete

• Leverage partnerships—especially chambers and regional organizations—for shared insight

What’s next: building on the foundation

“Now that we have our database established and have completed our first round of BRE visits, I plan to spend 2026 scheduling follow up visits with our major employers and sending follow up surveys to our medium and small sized businesses.”

With the data now in place, the next phase of New Ulm’s BR&E program will focus on recurring touchpoints—turning one-time outreach into an ongoing, relationship-driven system.

Advice from Heather to other communities

“The feedback from our businesses was overwhelmingly positive. They appreciated that we were spending the time to get to know their business, including their needs and concerns. Many visits included a tour, which gave a behind-the-scenes look at their operations.”

Her advice is simple but powerful: show up, listen, and document. When those conversations live in a system built for economic development, the impact compounds.

The takeaway

From its German heritage to its modern-day entrepreneurial spirit, New Ulm represents what local economic development can achieve with structure, consistency, and purpose.

With Bludot as the hub for business relationships, programs, and communication, Heather Bregel and her team have built a connected ecosystem that strengthens relationships and turns community feedback into meaningful action.

See how Bludot can help your community build a BR&E program that works. Schedule a demo.