Toolkit Home | Defining Eligibility | Validation and Verification Tools
Tools for validating and verifying your eligibility metrics.
At some point in your process, the metrics used to determine a business’s eligibility for your program will need to be verified. If you are new to this type of verification or are seeking alternative methods, the following sections should be helpful.
Verifying Quantitative Metrics
Quantitative metrics are generally measurable, and there are usually records available online through your local or state government. When you need to research a business for eligibility, these tools can provide information on age, location, ownership, business type, and more. For some records, you may need to put in additional effort, such as submitting a records request or visiting an office in person. To better understand the scope of this effort for your program, determine what tools are available to you and your team locally. Here are some of the more commonly used tools.
Secretary of State Business Search Tools
Every state in the US has an online research tool that allows users to look up businesses by name, ID, or filing number. These records help you look up business registration dates, ownership records, name changes, and more. These tools should be used to create a target list and outreach plan for legacy businesses in your area. They can also be good resources for checking other metrics, like good standing with state and local governments. Please note that records may not be available or digitized for very old businesses. Here is an example of a business search tool for California: California Secretary of State Business Search.
Municipal Business Licenses and Permits
Local business licensing and permit offices often provide online resources to look up business records. Open data resources are frequently available for you to download and use with your own tools. These tools are not always reliable means of verifying legacy business information because the data shared varies so much. Here are examples from two locations where I was trying to identify possible legacy businesses in a neighborhood: when I search for business information in my hometown of San Diego, the records display start dates, DBAs, addresses, and more; however, when I use local resources while working in Arlington, Virginia, the business data shows only the business name, address, and license information.
County Assessor’s Office
If tax records for your local County Assessor’s Office are available to the public, they are a valuable resource for finding information about the properties your legacy businesses inhabit. They typically include information on current and past ownership, building date, parcel and zoning details, and building characteristics. These can be valuable tools for determining the historical significance of businesses.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
For older businesses, the Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps can provide a valuable resource for determining their history. These maps were created for most major metropolitan areas in the US by the Sanborn Map Company from the late 1800s to the mid-20th century. They were used to provide information for fire insurance on buildings and display details such as building use, building date ranges (based on the map year the building appears on), and land use. The Library of Congress offers an extensive digital collection of these maps, allowing users to search for cities across the country.
OpenCorporates
OpenCorporates is a global online searchable database that consolidates public business filings. The site requires you to create an account if you are looking for information, such as the incorporation date of a business. If you plan to verify metrics frequently, this resource may be worthwhile.
Business Websites and Social Media
Many of your businesses will include history or information about the business on their websites, and sometimes on social media sites like Facebook. This type of search is often the easiest way to start, but the information may not be as reliable as other methods and is subject to verification.
Verifying Qualitative Metrics
Understanding and verifying a business’s contribution to its community is a more subjective task than collecting quantitative information. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as it allows your community to define a broader and more inclusive interpretation for eligibility. As you and your team create a target list of legacy businesses, or your community does it with you, you may have already gathered stories and information that confirm their eligibility. If you are compiling narratives about the business for eligibility purposes or plan to promote the business's stories to the community, conducting this type of research could be a valuable step. To better understand how a business contributes to the community, it is best to find multiple sources of information. Here are a few that may help you.
Local, County, or State Archives
When compiling the history of a business in a community, local or state archives are often a good starting point. These archives can provide information on deeds, leases, past owners, business records, and correspondence, along with photos and sometimes newspaper clippings. Additionally, the archives often contain old business directories or phone books that can provide valuable content on legacy businesses. Historical documents can also be found in libraries or with historical organizations. These documents can provide context for individual businesses or community history like settlement patterns, demographic and cultural change, and economic history.
Local Newspaper Archives
Historic newspapers are also a good resource for validating a business’s contributions to its communities. This can be done through a library or archive, or by using online resources like Newspapers.com. Newspapers.com is one of the best ways to quickly and easily search multiple sources for articles and information related to your legacy business. Although the site offers a free trial, you may want to consider opening a paid account if you plan to conduct extended research.
Collecting Oral Histories
Oral history research can help you understand and share a more comprehensive story of a legacy business. To better understand how you might conduct this research, see the Business Owner Interview section. The business owner may not be the only one you want to interview to get the whole story of the business. Consider also talking with family members, longtime customers, and seasoned employees. Be sure to create a guide for interviewing your subjects that includes the origin story of the business, the history of the location and its goods or services, changes over the years, as well as successes and struggles.
Community Input & Crowdsourcing
Another way to collect a more comprehensive understanding of a legacy business is to crowdsource in the community. Crowdsourcing is the practice of gathering information, content, or stories from a large group of people in your community. This is typically done online using prompts, surveys, and recordings to capture information efficiently and accurately. You should consider incorporating crowdsourcing options into your program.
Langston Boulevard Alliance | Arlington Virginia
One example of community input comes from my work with the People & Places Project in Arlington, VA, where we create QR codes on handouts and posters that lead our community members directly to a contribution form for our legacy business program.
Case in point.
Additionally, some legacy business programs allow for community involvement in defining a business's contributions. This can come through written narratives, stories, or community support letters. San Marcos, Texas, has created a less restrictive legacy business program that allows newer businesses (those less than 20 years old) to be evaluated using community support letters. This may be a good model to follow if you are seeking a more flexible eligibility process that also fosters community involvement and support.
Resource.
Columbia School of Jounalism
Tool Tip: A good guide for crowdsourcing can be found at the Columbia School of Journalism.
If you are looking to crowdsource in person, say at community events or meetings, another great tool is a “listening station.” These are participatory contribution stations where community members can share memories, stories, or ideas in their own words, with very little moderation. These are great ways to capture information about your businesses that may not be found in archives or records. They are usually a physical booth or a mobile recording setup where the public is invited in to share their story about the businesses in their own recorded words.
Case in Point: StoryCorps utilizes mobile recording booths, called StoryBooths, to collect diverse two-person stories from across the US. These StoryBooths are located in public places, such as museums or libraries. To date, they have collected over 700,000 stories. Their format can be used as a model for local listening stations.
StoryCorps StoryBooths
StoryCorps utilizes mobile recording booths, called StoryBooths, to collect diverse two-person stories from across the US. These StoryBooths are located in public places, such as museums or libraries. To date, they have collected over 700,000 stories. Their format can be used as a model for local listening stations.