1. Surveys
  2. 2015
  3. January
  4. M
  5. Maine Food Cluster Project survey

Maine Food Cluster Project survey

Harvard University Maine Food Cluster Project - For-Profit Business Survey
0%
 
 
Thank you for your interest in the Maine Food Cluster Project survey, which is being sent to leaders of Maine’s food and beverage companies, farmers and fishermen/lobstermen, food processing and distribution companies, and other food-related businesses.

The survey is part of a Harvard University project seeking to understand Maine’s food and beverage industries and what steps could be taken to make the state a better place for these industries to grow. While your participation is completely voluntary, your responses will ensure that views of Maine businesses inform the project’s recommendations.

The survey should take about ten minutes to complete. If you are unable to finish the survey once you begin it, simply click the Save Page and Continue Later button and you will be prompted to enter your email address where a link will be sent so you can continue where you left off.

Critical Insights, a Portland-based research firm, has been contracted to provide survey oversight and technical assistance. Data for the survey is being collected by Critical Insights, not Harvard.

Your responses will be kept confidential, with no identifying information linked to any responses you provide. Individual responses will be seen only by Critical Insights and results will only be reported collectively.

Thank you in advance for your time and effort. The input you provide will be an important contribution to the project’s recommendations for how to support Maine’s food-related industries.

As tokens of our appreciation for your time and effort:
    • Those who respond to the survey by 5 PM on Friday, January 23rd, can voluntarily submit their email address in a space provided at the end of the survey. One such respondent will be chosen at random to receive a $75 gift card for a Maine food company.
    • All respondents who wish to receive a summary of the survey results can submit their email address and will receive a written summary via email once the survey process is completed.

If you have questions about the project, please contact Betsy Biemann, the project’s director, at [email protected].

Thank you again for your assistance with this important project.
 
 
 
* Is your food or agriculture related business a for-profit entity?
 
Yes
 
No
 
 
 
Which ONE of the following best describes your business?
 
Maine-based, sell primarily to Maine customers (for consumption or distribution)
 
Maine based, sell primarily to out-of-state customers (for consumption or distribution)
 
Unit of a US-based company
 
Unit of a non-US-based company
 
Other
 
 
 
 
In what year was your business founded?
 
 
 
Which ONE of the following best describes your business? If several apply, please select only the primary function/revenue source for the business.
 
Animal, vegetable, fruit or fish farm or lobsterman/fisherman
 
Food or beverage processing company
 
Food or beverage wholesale company
 
Food or beverage distribution company
 
Food or beverage retail company
 
Supplier to the food or agricultural industry
 
Other
 
 
 
 
What is your position in the business?
 
Owner/CEO
 
Head of the local business site
 
Head of a department or functional area (like sales/marketing, finance)
 
Other
 
 
 
 
Which ONE of the following best represents your primary training in business? While several may apply, please choose only one response that best reflects your primary training.
 
Learned in the family business
 
Learned on the job
 
Associates degree
 
Four-year college degree
 
Advanced (Master’s or PhD) degree
 
Specialized credential program
 
Other
 
 
 
 
Approximately how many full-time, year-round paid employees are employed by your company or farm?
 
None
 
1-4 full-time employees
 
5-9 full-time employees
 
10-19 full-time employees
 
20-49 full-time employees
 
50-99 full-time employees
 
100-249 full-time employees
 
250-499 full-time employees
 
500+ full-time employees
 
 
 
Approximately how many seasonal or part-time paid employees are employed by your company or farm?
 
None
 
1-4 seasonal or part-time employees
 
5-9 seasonal or part-time employees
 
10-19 seasonal or part-time employees
 
20-49 seasonal or part-time employees
 
50-99 seasonal or part-time employees
 
100-249 seasonal or part-time employees
 
250-499 seasonal or part-time employees
 
500+ seasonal or part-time employees
 
 
 
How would you describe your company’s sales during the most recent three-year period?
 
Sales declined
 
Sales stayed approximately the same
 
Sales increased by 0-10% over the period
 
Sales increased by 10%-25% over the period
 
Sales increased by more than 25% over the period
 
 
 
Which of the following best describes your company's annual sales?
 
Less than $20,000
 
$20,000 to just under $50,000
 
$50,000 to just under $100,000
 
$100,000 to just under $2 million
 
$2 million to just under $10 million
 
$10 million to just under $50 million
 
$50 million or more
 
 
 
Which ONE of the following statements best describe the dynamics of the industry in which your company is competing?
 
There is significant growth, with new companies entering
 
The market is stable and grows slowly, competition is largely between existing businesses
 
The market is shrinking and companies are competing for survival
 
 
 
Which of the following statements best describes the reason for your company’s presence in Maine? Please select all that apply to your business.
 
We have always been located here
 
The owner wanted to live here for quality of life, independent of the business environment
 
Access to local or nearby markets
 
Access to unique local natural resources, skills, suppliers, research/technical resources, know-how, and/or network of similar or complementary companies
 
Low-cost location relative to competing regions
 
Supportive policy or regulatory environment

 
 
 
Which ONE of the following statements best describes your goals for business growth?
 
We want to be profitable rather than grow, keeping our size roughly stable
 
We want to grow roughly in line with the market, more when there are opportunities
 
We want to aggressively grow our business
 
 
 
Which ONE of the following statements best describes how being in Maine affects your business?
 
We serve a local market and all of our competitors are here as well. The conditions are the same for everyone and do not benefit us or any of our competitors.
 
Our location in Maine gives us access to unique advantages that help us to compete successfully here and outside of Maine
 
Our presence in Maine has no meaningful impact on how we compete; we could do the same from many other states/regions
 
Our presence here makes it difficult to compete; we need to work hard to make up for the better business conditions our competitors in other states/regions have
 
 
Please tell us how important each of the following types of organizations have been to your business success over the past three years.
Very important Somewhat important Not very important Not at all important
University research or extension program
Nonprofit organizations or grant making foundations promoting food, fish or farming in Maine
Maine industry associations related to your business
University, community college or other workforce or skills training program
Other Maine firms
Banks or other sources of loans or equity capital
National or regional industry associations related to your business
Business assistance or economic development organizations
Federal, state or local government agencies
Other non-Maine firms
 
 
Very important Somewhat important Not very important Not at all important
Other
 
 
Please tell us how important the following aspects of Maine’s business environment will be for your business competitiveness over the next three years.
Very important Somewhat important Not very important Not at all important
Energy or utility costs
Access to financing and/or specialized financial services
Quality of labor relations
Relevant research facilities and expertise in Maine related to your business
Quality of life in Maine
Tax rates
Available natural resources
Maine “brand”
Access to high-speed internet service
Cost/availability of local transportation
Very important Somewhat important Not very important Not at all important
State/local regulations regarding safety, production, or the environment
Business development/mentoring assistance
Quality of/access to suppliers and/or service providers specific to your business
Level of innovation in Maine related to your business
Government’s overall responsiveness to needs of business
Network of and/or collaboration between companies/farms in Maine’s food-related industries
Wage rates
Cost/availability of transportation to regions outside of Maine
Cost/availability of storage or cold storage infrastructure
Available pool of low- or medium-skilled workers
Available pool of highly-skilled workers
 
 
Very important Somewhat important Not very important Not at all important
Other
 
 
 
Please use the space below to complete the following sentence: The best part about being a business located in Maine is...
   
 
 
 
Please use the space below to complete the following sentence: The biggest challenge facing my business is…
   
 
 
1. As a Maine-based business, do you have access to affordable, high-quality support in the following areas, when it is needed?
Yes No
Loans or equity capital
Technical advice (i.e. regarding agricultural production, packaging or processing food, etc.)
Advice/coaching on growing my business (i.e. business planning, how to access capital)
Marketing my products to new customers inside and outside of Maine
Finding trained employees
 
 
 
What grade would you give Maine’s business environment?
 
A – an excellent place to operate and grow my business
 
B – a good place to grow my business
 
C – an adequate place to grow my business
 
D – a poor place to grow my business
 
F - my business can’t survive here
 
 
 
I believe that Maine’s business environment for my business is...
 
Getting much better
 
Getting somewhat better
 
Staying about the same
 
Getting somewhat worse
 
Getting much worse
 
 
 
If you would like to be entered into the random drawing for a $75 gift card for a Maine food company and to receive a written summary of the survey findings via email, please enter your email address below. Doing so is completely optional.