Business Retention & Expansion
BR+E Seminar Series 2012
FREE!! Seminars scheduled for January, February and April of 2012 are an excellent opportunity for business to experience great networking, sharing of ideas and best practices and to receive solid tools and tips on how to continue to be competitive and innovative in a very challenging economic climate.
The schedule of Seminars are outlined below. Please note that all Seminars are being provided at no cost to business and will take place at the University of Guelph, Kemptville Campus, Purvis Hall.
Register for one, two or all three sessions. With over 80 attendees at the October 20, 2011 session launch during Small Business Week and limited seating available, it is anticipated that space will fill up quickly.
Register via email at tdevine@northgrenville.on.ca or contact Teri Devine at 613-258-9569 x 115 to register or receive more information.
Session # 1 Thursday, January 26, 2012 6:00 - 9:00 pm
Topics
- How to market/promote your business without breaking the bank - Paul Boivin
- Social Media and how to make it work for you - Jennifer Baker
Click here for the January 26th flyer and how to register!
Session 2 Thursday, Feb 23, 2012 - Business Development (Phase I)
Topics
- Funding Opportunities for Business – Mike O’Keefe (Grenville CFDC)
- Employee Attraction, Retention, Training and Funding subsidies – Ted Livingston (CSE Consulting)
Session 3 Thursday, Apr 12, 2012 – Business Development (Phase II)
Topics
- How to write a two page Business Plan – Chris Cummings (CIBC Small Business Banking)
- Improving Customer Service – (Leeds & Grenville Small Business Enterprise Center)
Hosted by your BR+E Alliance, consisting of representatives from the following business and service organizations;
Municipality of North Grenville, Economic Development Department
Grenville Community Futures Development Corporation
Leeds and Grenville Small Business Enterprise Center
North Grenville Chamber of Commerce
BIA, Business Improvement Area (Old Town Kemptville)
BNI, Business Network International
North Grenville Business Builders, NGBB
The BR+E Alliance is a collaboration of local business groups and organizations who are dedicated to supporting local businesses. The Seminar Series is in response to the over 270 requests for more information and assistance by business during the Business Retention + Expansion Surveys completed in 2010.
Lets continue to work together to support Local Business!!
October, 2011 - Launch of BR+E Seminar Series!
The October 20th Business Retention + Expansion Program, Business Seminar Series Launch was a great success.
With over 80! attendees at this networking and informational event to celebrate Small Business Week, it was a great start to what will surely be an exciting and informative Seminar Series in 2012!
Congratulations goes out to Jason Martin of RPM Automotive on winning the grand prize of a Netbook. Way to go Jason!
Partial Sponsorship for catering was provided by the University of Guelph, Kemptville Campus, in partnership with Impressions Catering!
Business Retention + Expansion Program - Update October 2011
Mark your calendar for October 20, 2011!!
CLICK HERE!! for our flyer for the upcoming Business Retention + Expansion Seminar Series “Growing Your Business” event on October 20, 2011. Our local business service organizations have come together to host a great evening for new and existing businesses, those looking to open a business, stakeholders and partners in the community.
This event is in direct response to the Business Retention + Expansion Program completed in 2010 and your local business organizations are working in partnership to support this initiative of delivering a Seminar Series to the business community that responds to your needs.
The first session on Oct 20th during Small Business Week is the launch and kick off of the series. The event includes a mini-tradeshow where you can learn more about the business organizations, groups, resources and information available to support the business community.
The next 3 quarterly workshops starting in 2012 will address topics and concerns that our business community identified as priorities in the business surveys that were completed through the Business Retention + Expansion Program in 2010, including market development, workforce development and business development. There will be more information on the upcoming workshops at the Oct 20th event.
We ask that you pre register for the October 20th event either through the North Grenville Chamber site at www.northgrenvillechamber.com under Upcoming events, or directly with Teri Devine via email at tdevine@northgrenville.on.ca.
Pre-registration also gives businesses two chances at the draw for a free Netbook!! Must be at the event to win!!
Come out and network, enjoy and hear a great presentation by a dynamic speaker, Jennifer DeBruin of Articulation.
Join us for a great event during Small Business Week and please send to your networks as well to get the word out. Our outreach for this event is broad so I apologize if you are receiving the information in duplicate.
Business Retention + Expansion Program – Update August 2011
Council and staff remain committed to implementing the strategies identified in the BR+E Action Plan (click here for full report).
The BR+E strategy identified 4 priorities for 2011! Click here for an update of 2011 BR+E projects!
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July 2011 - CBC Radio One Ottawa Morning Show interviews Kemptville and Arnprior on "Community Spies"!! Click here to go to CBC Radio to listen.....
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July 2011 - First Impressions Community Exchange Program results are in!
In May and June 2011, a group of community volunteers from Arnprior paid an unannounced visit to Old Town Kemptville to offer an outsider’s perspective of our downtown. North Grenville reciprocated by sending a similar delegation of volunteers to Arnprior during the same period.
Our community was invited to a public meeting on Tuesday, July 12th at the Municipal Centre to watch the presentation and hear the results by our friends from Arnprior on their visit to Old Town Kemptville from their perspective!!
Click here to view the presentation!
The Arnprior volunteers had a great visit and a great experience in Old Town Kemptville. They identified not only some of the great assets we already have, but how we can build on those assets and create new opportunities as well.
The presentation and report will be brought to the Economic Development Committee for discussion and prioritizing to develop a strategy for continued downtown revitalization. The Strategy will be brought to council for consideration and approval and will then be incorporated into the Business Retention + Expansion Strategy for implementation as part of our overall Economic Development Strategy.
Stay tuned as this initiative progresses and please feel free to provide feedback to Teri Devine on the results and if you have any ideas or suggestions based on the report!
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April 2011 - Breaking News!! The Municipality of North Grenville, in partnership with the Business Improvement Area (BIA), will deliver a First Impressions Community Exchange Program (FICE) to our downtown. This program is in response to the 2010 Business Retention + Expansion Program that identifed continued Downtown Revitalization as a key priority.
The FICE program is volunteer driven and community based and we are now recruiting for volunteers. Click here for the application form and information about the program and how to apply.
Click here for the FICE brochure for more information about the program!
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Business Retention + Expansion Program
The Municipality of North Grenville, through partnership with the North Grenville Chamber of Commerce and partial funding by the Ontario Rural Economic Development Program (RED) delivered a Business Retention and Expansion (BR+E) Program to our local business community in 2010. Business Retention + Expansion (BR+E) is a community-based, volunteer driven economic development tool to encourage the growth and stability of local business.
The Business Retention + Expansion Program wrapped up with the Final Report being presented to Council on Monday, November 22, 2010. The report was approved by Council and will now move into the next stage of implementation for the strategies and actions identified to assist our local business community.
Our local media partners covered the event.
To read the online article from the Kemptville Advance, click here!
To read the online article from the EMC - Kemptville, click here!
Click below to view the full report!.
Business Retention + Expansion Program Final Report
The Municipality will continue to maintain effective communication by working with our local media partners to report back to all stakeholders in the community with progress reports and updates along with regular updates on the BR+E website.
Thanks to all of the volunteers, our media partners and the business community for their time and commitment to the project and the Municipality will be working hard with all of our partners to implement the strategies identified through the BR+E process.
Let's continue to work together to support local business!
Feel free to contact BR+E Program Coordinator Teri Devine at tdevine@northgrenville.on.ca or 613-258-9569 x 115 if you have any questions or need more information about the program.
