At Wednesday evening’s (Feb. 19) meeting, Wilton’s Economic Development Commission (EDC) put the finishing touches on a business satisfaction survey it launched last August.
The survey was designed to help the EDC better understand the needs and challenges facing Wilton’s businesses and to pinpoint areas of satisfaction and dissatisfaction when it comes to doing business in Wilton.
The commission has reached the key conclusion that the Town has “significant opportunities to improve business satisfaction and strengthen Wilton’s appeal as a business-friendly community.”
Key Findings
The findings, which the EDC began analyzing last fall, are based on completed questionnaires from 59 business owners who participated in the online survey. They represent a mix of businesses located in Wilton Center and other areas throughout the Town, including some home-based businesses.
The survey found business owners are more likely to be satisfied than dissatisfied with doing business in the town of Wilton — but not everyone is enthusiastic.
While 48% of respondents say they are “satisfied” or “very satisfied,” 29% are “dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied” — and the remainder are neutral.
Respondents also gave mixed results on another key metric: how likely they would be to recommend Wilton as a place to do business. Commissioner Tom Shimko noted that this type of measure is often used in surveys to gauge overall satisfaction, enthusiasm or loyalty.
The average score for Wilton was a 5 on a 10-point scale. Only 14% of respondents gave the highest scores of 9 or 10 (most likely to recommend Wilton) versus 63% who gave a rating from 0-6. In fact, 44% gave a score below 5 — a negative rating by any interpretation. The data suggest that even if not highly dissatisfied themselves, many respondents do not perceive Wilton as attractive for businesses.
Some of the frustrations business owners described — such as with taxes, rents or operating costs — are not necessarily under the Town’s control or easily impacted by the commission.
Signage regulations were often mentioned by the respondents as an issue. The EDC has already handed off recommendations about signage to the Planning and Zoning Commission to consider, based on a 2023 initiative that explored the topic of signage in greater depth.
However, there were several additional challenges respondents raised in the survey:
- Business visibility: beyond the signage issues, respondents cited low foot traffic and few customers from outside of Wilton
- Cell service and internet provider reliability
- Attracting and retaining employees
- Local regulations
There appears to be strong interest in additional or improved local events such as those sponsored by the Wilton Chamber of Commerce or hosted by the Wilton Library. Respondents also expressed interest in networking opportunities as well as seminars or training events in areas such as social media and business strategies.
Next Steps
Commissioners plan to make some final edits to their presentation document, which will then be delivered to the Board of Selectmen.
Each member of the EDC is expected to take a lead role in one or more specific initiatives as a result of the survey findings, working collaboratively with Town officials, Fairfield County SCORE, the Wilton Chamber of Commerce, the Wilton Library, and other organizations. EDC Chair Joe Favorolo has said he would like to see specific objectives, goals and target dates for tracking progress on each initiative.
Initiatives will include a continuation of the EDC’s social media efforts, which have grown significantly over the past year, led by Commissioner Alison Smith.
The EDC is also planning to make several suggestions for revamping the Town’s Guide to Opening or Expanding a Business in Wilton (which is currently posted on the Town website).
Building on that useful guide, commissioners are considering developing a Guide to Marketing and Promoting a Wilton Business, as well as a home-based business directory to promote and support such businesses.
The EDC’s next meeting will be March 19.