Wellington County kicked off its first ever business retention and expansion project with a presentation to Wellington North council, which will take part in the overall plan.
Project coordinator Carolyn O’Donnell talked with council about how the project will proceed with a final report expected by late March.
“It’s a special project because it’s happening in seven different municipalities,” O’Donnell said, referring to the overall county plan that will be developed by gathering information from the county’s lower tier municipalities.
Township economic business manager Dale Small welcomed the county kick-off in what he described as the best municipality.
The project will fall under the county’s long-term economic strategy, which was approved late last year.
It will involve interviews with business owners to determine what they consider the advantages and disadvantages of operating a business within the county are. The interviews will also include recommendations to improve the business climate and opportunities.
“Who are our businesses, what are their concerns, what are our strengths, how do we develop a relevant economic development program and how do we measure performance?” are the questions the coordinator hopes to answer.
In Wellington North the interviews will be conducted by Small and local economic development committee member Al Rawlins. The county will also conduct interviews.
The business sectors chosen for the county project include agriculture, manufacturing, health care and creative economy, which includes Internet service providers. Local interviews may uncover other sectors, council was told.
The project will also include input from the ministry of agriculture, ministry of rural affairs, ministry of economic development, trade and employment, and Guelph Wellington Business Enterprise.
The county will provide overall coordination of the project. Locally, results could be presented at Showcase Wellington North 2014 in Arthur on March 24 and 25.
