Image Credit: City of Vernon
October 14, 2016 - 4:49 PM
The City of Vernon will be visiting approximately 150 Vernon businesses on October 28 for the fourth annual Business Walks program. Business Walks is a part of Small Business Month and is meant as a five-minute check in with businesses to gain a better understanding of how things are going and how support agencies can better meet their needs. The City is partnering with Community Futures North Okanagan, Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Vernon Association to ensure as many businesses as possible can be visited.
“We are hoping to assemble over 20 volunteers, including representatives from the Province to visit commercial businesses throughout Vernon,” said Kevin Poole, Manager of Economic Development and Tourism. “Our volunteers will be talking with business owners and managers from 10 a.m. until noon with a goal of gaining a better understanding of the economic climate in the community. Last year we were able to visit 156 businesses in Vernon and are hoping to visit just as many this time around.”
Vernon was the second region in B.C. to participate in the Business Walks program starting in 2013, and has visited over 450 businesses throughout the community in that time. Approximately 40 other communities in B.C. will undertake a Business Walks survey in October.
“The goal of Business Walks is to get a pulse on the immediate issues and challenges that companies may be facing,” said Poole. “Prominent economists such as David Birch and David Kraybill have said that up to 80 per cent of job growth in a community is created from within. This is contrary to the belief that new job growth is achieved through business attraction efforts. Our goal is to create an environment in Vernon where business can continue to grow and thrive.”
For more information on the Business Walks program, please contact Kevin Poole at kpoole@vernon.ca or 250-550-5565.
News from © iNFOnews, 2016