Massive business survey begins in August

More than 2,000 West Valley employers will soon be invited to answer a short survey that will be used to try to attract quality businesses and higher-paying jobs to the area.

Employers with 20 or more employees can expect a call beginning in August from ERISS Corporation, the research firm hired to conduct the West Valley Workforce and Labor Market Survey.

The survey takes only seven to 10 minutes to answer, and includes questions about current and future workforce demands and barriers that might prevent a company's growth.

"The results from this survey will provide tremendous benefit to our West Valley communities," said Jack Lunsford, president and CEO of WESTMARC. "We haven't had an up-to-date resource like this in our economic development toolkit for many years."

The results of the survey will be available to employers and the public online in late fall.

The success and reliability of the survey depends on the strength of the response of West Valley employers, who can prepare in advance by logging on to http://www.usworks.com/WESTMARC/questions.cfm and reviewing the survey questions before a representative of ERISS calls, WESTMARC officials said.