The next Entrepreneur Forum will feature Chas Stoker and Barry Wilfahrt at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22, in the Center for Innovation.

"How Does Grand Forks Grow From Here?" will focus on the growth of Grand Forks and the use of a quantitative study known as the Buxton Report. The purpose of this report is to analyze and develop Grand Forks’ Customer Profile. The Buxton Report captures and catalogues the extent to which potential demand for a retailer’s goods and services are being met within the trade area.

A recent article in the Grand Forks Herald focuses on the Buxton Report: www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/229293/publisher_ID/40/.

Chas Stoker of Community ID

Chas works with public and private sector entities across the United States on issues related to economic development, retail recruitment strategy and utilizing analytics to run public sector entities in their retail economic development efforts. He has been a featured presenter at a number of conferences, such as the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors, the Texas Municipal League, the Texas Economic Development Council, and the North Carolina Municipal League. Chas earned his bachelor's degree from Texas A&M University and is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC). Buxton has worked with more than 450 communities nationwide, helping to recruit over 30 million square feet of retail. Chas’ clients include Kingsport, Tenn., El Paso, Texas, Fort Worth, Texas, Birmingham, Ala., and many more.