The municipality has agreed to a new two-year lease on the LaunchIt Minto offices at One Arthur Street in Harriston.
Minto council approved the terms of the lease as presented in a Jan. 10 report by economic and business manager Belinda Wick-Graham.
Under the terms of the new lease, rent on Unit 4 will remain the same ($750 per month plus utilities); Unit 3 will remain rent free with utilities to be paid unless or until LaunchIt or the landlord finds a tenant to occupy the space.
Wick-Graham also noted LaunchIt is revamping the terms of its Business Flight program.
“Its going to be a five-month commitment now instead of … a year commitment from people and we will also be charging a nominal fee,” Wick-Graham explained.
Participants will now be charged a $250 fee, with 50 per cent of the fee refunded upon successful completion of the program.
The fee for the program includes:
– five-months of access to the Waterloo Wellington Community Futures Development Corporation online training library;
– five training courses covering: business planning, sales and marketing, business finance and bookkeeping, market research and work/life balance;
– eight hours of one-on -one mentorship;
– two hours of one-on-one small business coaching; and
– other LaunchIt benefits such as assistance from the incubator’s business development coordinator and access to LaunchIt Minto’s boardroom and meeting room.
Wick-Graham said a sponsorship committee has been formed by the LaunchIt board. Efforts to seek sponsorship for the program will be renewed in 2017, after they were scaled back during 2016, when the push was on for sponsors for the International Plowing Match and Rural Expo.
“We’re looking forward to an exciting 2017 from Launchit,” commented Mayor George Bridge.
