3rd Annual “Bridges To Better Business” on January 23, 2013

We are pleased to announce January 23, 2013 as the date for our Third Annual

Bridges To Better Business

This Bruce County business event of the year is titled

Creative Solutions: Attracting and Retaining Quality Employees

Bridges to Better Business is a forum where business owners, both new and more experienced, exchange ideas and share advice. This year’s event will encompass a panel of four local business owners sharing their challenges and successes with hiring, training and retaining employees.

The evening begins at 5PM for the Social Hour with a light supper and a cash bar. The formal program begins at 6PM and runs until 8PM.

Attendees will be invited to continue to network and visit the employment related agency representatives.

For more information call our office at 519-832-2082 or visit our website’s Events page

 

Roger Brooks Worshop Inspires Branding in Bruce County

Spruce the Bruce held its Workshop with Roger Brooks, of Destination Development International (DDI), on Nov 13 – Nov 15. Brook shares the lessons he’s learned over the past 30 years while helping over 1000 communities. This experience has made Brooks a master of the “art of differentiation”, or “branding”.

Both business owners and municipal officials from 11 Bruce County communities attended the 2.5 day workshop. All of them walked away inspired to help their towns become destinations that attract both locals and tourists alike.  Both the county and the communities now have solid brand directions and are going to be busy over the next couple of weeks as they explore these new directions.

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE

Roger Brooks’ Camp to help Businesses and Downtowns

The Spruce the Bruce Team from Bruce County is hosting a brand camp next week in Southampton, facilitated by Roger Brooks.

Each Bruce County community will be guided through the first six steps of the 12-step process, and leave with a solid brand direction (what sets them apart from everyone else), a brand promise, initial product development and marketing recommendations, key marketing messages, and step-by-step instructions on how to complete the last six steps once back home. The program includes the creation of an umbrella brand for the county or region, encompassing the brands of each community, if applicable

Roger Brooks has assisted nearly 1,000 communities with branding, tourism, downtown development and marketing. Founder of award-winning Destination Development International (DDI), Roger is the author of the book “Your Town: A Destination,” which highlights lessons he’s learned over the past 30 years, including (from personal experience) the need for free public restrooms.

Roger is one of the most recognized and frequently quoted experts in the field – a field he’s broadened to include almost everything that makes a city, town, province or state a better place to live, work or play.

For more information about this camp, visit:

http://www.destinationdevelopment.com/community-branding-marketing-programs/premier-community-brandcamp/

Drive Business Results . . . Bridge Cultures

Managing Diversity Workshop and AGM

The Four County Labour Market Planning Board is hosting a innovative workshop on managing Diversity in the workshop on Thursday, 20 September 2012 in Owen Sound. This workshop will be part of their AGM.

For more information,

visit www.planningboard.ca or call 1-888-774-1468

Meet the Students – Tyce

Meet the Students

 Tyce Lavalley – Lavalley t’s

The Business Enterprise Centre of Saugeen Shores is pleased to announce that Tyce Lavalley, of The Chippewa’s of Nawash Unceded First Nation (Cape Croker) has been accepted into the Summer Company Program and will be starting up and running his own company “Lavalley t’s”.

Tyce will design t-shirts and sweatshirts using black and white colours. His designs are often intricate drawings and the black and white colours show their detail to the best advantage.  According to Tyce “Although I am young, my whole life I have heard from teachers, friends and family that I possess a special talent for art and design. After a teacher recently noticed my passion and asked me to design a t-shirt for a class project, I had the idea that I could combine my love of art with my desire to run my own business. That is why I was so excited to hear about Summer Company 2012. I feel this is an amazing opportunity for me to experience entrepreneurship”.

 “I am a young aboriginal male and although I wouldn’t call myself a traditional artist, I am influenced by the traditional art. There are many good artists in my family and I hope to carry this on but with a modern perspective of street art to create something that is truly unique and personal. My preferred medium is pen and ink or pencil because I enjoy the definition and detail I can achieve. My pen and ink drawings will translate to t-shirts beautifully.”

 Tyce will be selling his art from a shed on his lawn at the Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation, at Keady Market on Tuesdays, and at other local festivals and markets.  

 The Summer Company program is sponsored by the Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation. Tyce will be receiving an award of up to $3,000, as well as business training and mentoring to start up and run “Lavalley t’s”. In the fall Tyce will be entering grade 11 at Peninsula Shores District School in Wiarton.

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Contact:
Jill Roote, Manager
Saugeen Shores Business Enterprise Centre
519-832-2082
jroote@saugeenshores.ca

Meet the Students – Derrick

Meet the Students

 Derrick LaValley – Derrick’s Smoked Fish

 The Business Enterprise Centre of Saugeen Shores is pleased to announce that Derrick LaValley, of The Chippewa’s of Nawash Unceded First Nation (Cape Croker) has been accepted into the Summer Company Program and will be starting up and running Derrick’s Smoked fish.

Derrick’s Smoked Fish will be buying fresh Georgian Bay whitefish caught by local fisherman, filleting it and then using real wood to naturally smoke the fish. Smoked fish is a cured meat; it is smoked to keep it preserved without refrigeration for about 7 days. It is a perfect treat for campers and outdoor enthusiasts alike. Using his family’s smoking techniques with a pinch of sea salt and smoking longer than most gives Derrick’s fish a distinct flavour that every fish lover will enjoy.

He will be selling his fish at his home which are on the road that vacationers travel to get to the camp ground, and at his aunt’s “Kitty’s Corner Store”, which is close to the government dock. The Chippewa’s of Nawash Unceded First Nation is situated on Georgian Bay and contains breath-taking views of beautiful rock formations in addition to sparkling water. This makes it a great place to live and boasts a vibrant tourism market with 100’s of visitors traveling on day trips as well as staying in the Cape Croker Indian Park which provides camping for both trailers and tents. The park is located about 30 minutes from the nearest town, so once they arrive, they want to stay. Derrick’s Smoked Fish will be a tasty treat for them when they arrive and throughout their stay.

The Summer Company program is sponsored by the Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation. Derrick will be receiving an award of up to $3,000, as well as business training and mentoring to start up and run Derrick’s Smoked Fish. In the fall Derrick will be entering his first year of business management at Humber College.

Meet the Students – Connor

Connor Stewart - The Computer Shoppe & Repairs in Paisley

 The Business Enterprise Centre of Saugeen Shores is pleased to announce that Connor Stewart of the Paisley area has been accepted into the Summer Company Program. This program is sponsored by the Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation. Connor will be receiving an award of up to $3,000, as well as business training and mentoring to start up and run his Computer Shoppe and Repairs store this summer. In the Fall,Connor will be returning to the University of Waterloo, going into his 4^th year of Philosophy Honours.

 Having worked at the Bluewater District School Board as a computer technician, and with 2 years of studying Computer Science at University of Waterloo, Connor decided he was up for the challenge of running his own business and applied to the program.

 He has just opened his business, “Computer Shoppe & Repairs”; located at 468 Queens Street South in the village of Paisley. His phone number is 519-385-4433.

 Connor offers a great blend of quality products, customer service and technical support.  With standard computers at competitive pricing, Connor is willing to order special components, perform installations, troubleshoot, provide tutoring, and even transfer precious memories on VHS tapes to DVDs. In addition, he builds and sells Media Centres. These machines allow users to simultaneously watch and record TV, surf the net, and listen to music. He has set his hours from 8am – 7pm Monday through Friday and from 10am – 7pm on Saturday so as to offer convenient drop-off and pick-up times.

The Saugeen Shores BR+E Final Report Presented to Council

The Saugeen Shores Business Retention and Expansion Project’s Final Report was presented to Mayor and Council at the May 28th Committee of the Whole.

 This project was a joint effort between The Town of Saugeen Shores, The Business Enterprise Centre of Saugeen Shores, The Saugeen Shores Chamber of Commerce, Saugeen Sustainability Volunteer and Resource Centre, and the Four County Labour Market Planning Board (the Partners).

The project surveyed 86 businesses, asking them 115 questions on all aspects of running a business in Saugeen Shores. The BR+E Task Force, made up of representatives from the project partners as well as business owners, reviewed the key findings of the data summary report. The group noted recurring themes that included, more focused Economic Development initiatives, streamlining some Municipal processes for business, continued focus on improving the vitality of the two downtowns, addressing workforce development issues and a need for enhanced methods for communication among all parties. The report also identified avenues for both the Business Enterprise Centre and the Chamber of Commerce to improve their support to business. 

 Both Mayor Smith and Deputy Mayor Charbonneau extended their personal thanks to everyone involved, especially the business owners and to the volunteer visitors who donated their time and efforts to the project.  The final report illustrates some key steps that can be implemented to improve the business climate in Saugeen Shores.

The next step of the project will be to develop a work plan for the implementation of actions brought forward in the report. Milestones of the implementation stage will be detailed on the Saugeen Shores web site. A copy of the final report is also available on the website at www.saugeenshores.ca/business

Meet the Mentors – Erin Zorzi

 “Meet the Mentors” is our blog on the professionals who volunteer their time to help our Summer Company Entrepreneurs build their dream company. These professionals have diverse backgrounds and offer unique insight into overcoming obstacles that all start-ups face. They are the reason that the Summer Company program is so successful – it’s about real students getting real help to make real money. This series is meant to let students understand who will be there to help them if they get accepted into the Summer Company Program in Bruce County.

 Erin Zorzi 

Erin is a long time resident of Port Elgin but has lived in a variety of places other than Ontario, including Manitoba, Pakistan and Taiwan.  She is married for 34 years to Paul who recently retired from Bruce Power. They have 2 children (both married), and Erin is also a grandma (if you can believe it).

 Formerly, Erin was the Branch Manager of Meridian Credit Union. She is now retired from banking, but is keeping busy with Zorzi Consulting, a company she and her husband started to provide variety of support services for seniors.

 Erin still finds time to volunteer as the Vice Chair for the Saugeen Memorial Hospital Foundation, Treasurer of Faith Lutheran Church, and is involved with the Rotary Club of Port Elgin. She also currently sits on the Business Advisory Committee for the Business Enterprise Centre of Saugeen Shores.

 A summer company mentor for three years now, Erin enjoys the experience immensely.  She is amazed at how thorough Summer Company students are to have thought through everything – from the viability of the concept, to start-up costs, to marketing, to procuring inventory.

 She finds it incredible to watch these young people take their plan and bring it to life as a business, placing a huge responsibility squarely on their own shoulders.  To assist them to work through their challenges and celebrate with them their successes is an honour that Erin treasures.

 Erin also believes that the whole program is mutually rewarding for the student, the mentor, and business in Ontario; it fosters appreciation of business ownership whether the student chooses to become an entrepreneur or chooses to work for one.

Meet the Mentors – Mike Bolton

 “Meet the Mentors” is our blog on the professionals who volunteer their time to help our Summer Company Entrepreneurs build their dream company. These professionals have diverse backgrounds and offer unique insight into overcoming obstacles that all start-ups face. They are the reason that the Summer Company program is so successful – it’s about real students getting real help to make real money. This series is meant to let students understand who will be there to help them if they get accepted into the Summer Company Program in Bruce County.

Mike Bolton

Mike Bolton is married to Abby his partner for 24 years and has two grown children. He enjoys running, hiking, golf, reading and travel.

Mike is a Chartered Accountant practicing in Port Elgin. He is a partner in the National accounting firm BDO Canada LLP. BDO has offices across Canada in centres both large and small. BDO’s main market for services is small business owners.

Mike grew up in Walkerton and moved to Port Elgin in 1990 to take over the BDO accounting office. He deals with small business owners by helping them organize and run their business as well as assisting with income tax planning and return preparation. Mike also runs a large auditing practice that does financial audits for non-profit organizations as well as small businesses.

Mike spends time helping BDO Canada LLP stay current on the latest accounting and auditing issues. He is one of 8 BDO partners from across Canada that sits on a steering committee to determine how professional standards are applied at BDO. Mike also sits on the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants AcSB’s Private Enterprises Advisory Committee that helps sets accounting standards for small businesses across Canada.

Mike assists the Summer Company participants by assisting with accounting and tax related questions as well as bringing general business knowledge to the discussions.

Mike enjoys helping the students because the fresh ideas they bring to discussions. Their enthusiasm they show in running their businesses rubs off and reminds him how much fun it is to learn something new.