JAY — Representatives of Buxton, a customer analytics company, will present information Wednesday, Oct. 19, to officials of four towns and the public on how the business can help the towns.

The meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Jay-Niles Memorial Library on Main Street in North Jay.

Town managers and selectmen from Farmington, Jay, Livermore Falls and Wilton have been meeting with company representatives for about a year to explore a potential retail strategy, Jay Town Manager Shiloh LaFreniere said.

Buxton, a Fort Worth, Texas-based company, is the industry leader in customer analytics, according to its website www.buxtonco.com. It uses more than 250 data analytics to reveal who the customers are, where more potential customers are and the value of each customer.

More than 3,500 clients in the retail, restaurant, health care, private equity and public sectors have relied on Buxton’s insights to guide their growth strategies, the website states.

Town officials are seeking input from the public and other town officials on whether they should pursue the option.

“We are trying to get the information out so people can determine if it is something each town should move forward on,” LaFreniere said.

The cost to hire the company would be split among the towns if each Board of Selectmen or Selectpersons decide to be involved in the project. It is typically a three-year program at a cost of $50,000 per year, LaFreniere said.

“(Buxton) will come in and do an analysis of each community and see where the gaps in retail services are, and then work on connecting the community to retailers that would make a good fit in the town,” she said.

Town officials interested in pursuing the project would determine how they would come up with the money to fund it.

If Jay selectpersons decide to put the project before townspeople, it will be at the annual town meeting.

dperry@sunmediagroup.net