C
Business
onnections January 2013
2013 - A Year Long 150th Birthday Bash!
Incorporated as a village on December 22, 1863, the Town of Orangeville is gearing up for its sesquicentennial celebration and a year-long tribute to the Town’s history. "One hundred and fifty years is a big deal and we need to celebrate it," says Orangeville Mayor Rob Adams. “In addition to official Town events, our community organizations and groups, businesses, schools, and residents are welcome to organize celebrations, big or small.” To join in the celebration of our Town, find out about events and initiatives underway and to promote your own event, visit the Town’s birthday website – www.orangeville150.ca.
Construction Completed on New Tourism Centre Construction has been completed on the Orangeville Tourism Centre located at 200 Lakeview Court. The new building provides a variety of information on Orangeville’s tourism attractions, events, accommodations, amenities and more and will help solidify Orangeville’s identity as an up-and-coming tourism destination. The attractive two-storey, 4,200-square-foot building is ideally situated to draw in tourists travelling through the Town of Orangeville or along Highway 10. The lower level of the building will house Orangeville Visitor Services and Theatre Orangeville administration services and is accessed from Buena Vista Drive. The upper level has been leased to a tenant and is accessed from Lakeview Court. Landscaping to the property will be completed in the spring and provide a picturesque location for visitors to stop and admire the view of the scenic Island Lake Conservation Area. A generous donation by Edenwood Custom Furniture has added some local history to the building. Specializing in creating beautiful and unique furniture out of reclaimed wood, Edenwood has resurfaced barn board from the Robinson property on B Line that was over 100 years old for use in the new tourism centre. Complementing the historic downtown area, Edenwood has taken a piece of Orangeville and turned it into a beautiful and visual reminder of our past. Visitor services are now available at the Tourism Centre and provided by Theatre Orangeville which assumed these responsibilities as of June 1, 2012. The new centre will provide a selection of pamphlets, brochures and flyers and have trained staff on site to answer inquiries in person, by telephone or by email. The Tourism Centre will be open Monday to Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., as well as select holidays. Orangeville Visitor Services staff can be reached by calling 519-415-8687 or emailing tourism@orangeville.ca.
ORANGEVILLEBUSINESS.CA
Volume 4
Issue 1
COMPANY PROFILE
Edenwood Custom Furniture Co-op student Patrick Lockyer (left) and Edenwood representatives Colin, Mark and Lisa Forrester join Economic Development Manager Nancy Huether at the Tourism Centre’s reception desk.
For several years, in addition to maintaining a full-time job, Colin Forrester enjoyed re-purposing wood and metal products as a hobby. Innovative by nature, Colin enjoyed salvaging old furniture that was headed for a landfill site and using it to create new pieces. He was good at his trade and began to generate a small revenue from his original designs. Three years ago, when his employer re-located, Colin decided to make some changes. Tired of a long commute, not interested in relocating and looking for quality of life improvements, he decided to take the plunge into self-employment on a full-time basis and Edenwood was born. Colin began selling his trendy and original furnishings primarily to the private consumer through word-of-mouth referral and by using online buy-and-sell sites such as kijiji. Within a year however, Starbucks had discovered the Edenwood designs online and recognized the fit between Edenwood’s reclaimed, locally sourced furniture and Starbuck’s environmentally friendly perspective. Colin has been building custom countertops and furnishings for Starbucks ever since. Today, in addition to completing a significant amount of custom work for private homeowners, about 50% of Edenwood’s work is for commercial businesses such as Starbucks and Steam Whistle Brewery. In fact, the business is preparing to enter the U.S. market and anticipates having its product in approximately 50 U.S.-based retail stores in the near future. Not only has Colin created work for himself, but his son Mark now works in the business full-time and Colin’s wife Lisa, contributes to the administrative management. Edenwood provides an excellent example of local business leadership. Colin strives to work with other local businesses, supports the high school co-op program and contributes to the community in other ways as well. He has formed an alliance with another Orangeville business owner, Mark Brooks of AngCam Metal Ltd., and the two partner on a number of projects, demonstrating the benefits of local collaboration. When a century-old barn was demolished on B Line, Colin quickly saw the opportunity to preserve a piece of Orangeville’s history, share an interesting story, and create new uses for the wood. Working with the Town to bring appeal and historic charm to the new Tourism Centre, Edenwood made a significant contribution to the project and his community – as demonstrated in the Centre’s beautiful new boardroom table, resurfaced reception desk, and attractive feature wall – all created using century-old Orangeville barn boards. “I plan to grow my business here in town,” says Colin. “I have lived in large urban areas and other smaller towns throughout Ontario, but none of them have that sense of community that I find in Orangeville. I love running into people I know and developing new friendships. Orangeville is a wonderful place to settle in, to raise a family – and a business!” To explore Edenwood’s fine craftsmanship, visit www.edenwoodfurniture.com or drop in to the new Orangeville Tourism Centre and see first-hand how furniture can be reborn.
Connect with Business. Connect with Life.
UPCOMING EVENTS
IN THE NEWS
Introduction to Business Planning • January 29, 9 a.m. In this workshop, business owners who are getting started or who want to take it to the next level will gain the tools needed to determine whether or not their ideas are viable. Participants will receive a comprehensive overview of the components of a successful business plan and learn more about how to prepare their own. Cost $10 + HST.
Cash Flow Forecasting • February 7, 9 a.m. The cash flow forecast is one of the most important tools that an entrepreneur can use. Properly completed, the statement can help the business owner to leverage financing, set financial goals for the year, make sound decisions and devise remedies before problems arise. In this workshop, led by BDO representative Melissa Vinden, participants will learn about the important components of a cash flow forecast, how to make accurate projections, how to create their own forecasts by following a step-by-step process, and how to use the completed cash flow as a tool for success. Free.
Tax Planning for Small Business • February 13, 6:30 p.m. Gerry Hogenhout of Hogenhout and Associates will lead this interactive session and provide valuable tips and essential rules for operating a small business and minimizing or deferring income taxes payable. Find out what you need to know about the tax system and your business by learning about home office deductions, effective tax deferral techniques, common misconceptions and much more. Free.
Cold Contacts to Hot Sales • March 5, 9 a.m. Understanding the consultative sales approach is crucial to remaining competitive. In this interactive session, led by Jeff Bowman of the Marketing PAD Inc., participants will learn new sales strategies and how to utilize the techniques to develop their own comfortable selling style. Topics will include attracting customers, establishing a high prospect conversion rate, selling invisible tangibles, asking with a purpose, solution selling as a consultative technique, pricing, and closing the sale. Cost $20 + HST.
Turning Website Visitors into Qualified Leads • March 26, 9 a.m. WSI representative Denise Gervais, an expert in website conversion architecture, will lead this seminar focused on turning website visitors into qualified leads and clients. Topics covered will include engaging potential customers, soliciting contacts and quotes, utilizing imagery and content to encourage engagement, using mobile devices and social media, and utilizing analytics to measure succes. Cost $15 + HST.
In recognition of the growing significance of social media in business, the Orangeville & Area Small Business Enterprise Centre and the Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation teamed up to deliver two e-business seminars in the fall. The seminars were designed to help small business owners plan and develop content for their social media outreach, incorporate best practices for the use of social media tools, and to explore customer engagement methods. A number of practical tips were provided to help entrepreneurs deliver and manage effective social media programs, including: 1. Not every social media channel is going to be a good fit for every business. Determine how social media messages will be delivered by knowing who the target audience is and the goal of the outreach. 2. Social media encourages communication and engagement so it is important to develop a listening strategy. Monitoring tools such as Radian6, Google Alerts and Twitter Advanced Search can be used to find out what people are saying about the business and this in turn, provides an opportunity to join the conversation and make a response. Audiences expect responses, so be sure to deliver. 3. Create valuable and unique content to keep the target audience engaged. Although occasional self-promotion is encouraged, business owners need to entertain and inform their audiences in order to maintain an interest in the business. 4. Read, understand and utilize the free analytics available to support the social media outreach. In addition to Google Analytics, Facebook and tweetreach.com provide free statistics and analysis to help business owners understand what their audience is engaged with. 5. Social media posts with images and videos attached will rank higher in search results. 6. Permission-based email marketing is a great way to stay connected with an audience. Offering exclusive deals, coupons and news will keep target customers engaged. 7. Maintaining a social media presence is essential and while time-consuming, creating interesting posts on a regular and consistent basis is important. It is acceptable to use the same content across a variety of platforms that reach different followers. 8. Timing is everything. People are frequently online outside of regular business hours so this can be the best time to post information. Use a site such as Hootsuite to post information to multiple accounts and to schedule the timing of the release in advance.
THINGS TO KNOW
Practical Market Research • April 3, 10 a.m. Taking the time to thoroughly research a new business idea can have a huge impact on the success of your venture. This workshop will focus on implementing a market research process that will help you identify consumer and industry trends, define customer demographics and behaviours, analyze the competition, and make sound business decisions. Participants will learn about market research techniques and cost-effective resources that can help with the decision-making process. Cost $10 + HST.
REAL ESTATE FEATURED LISTING 229 Broadway, Orangeville Great opportunity to buy or lease commercial building in downtown Orangeville. Approximately 18,200-square-foot building with 225-foot exposure on Broadway. Many allowable uses and located in the Central Business District with gated parking available. Asking sale price is $3,600,000. Alternatively, approximately 12,000 square feet of prestige office space will be available for lease as of May 1, 2013. Asking lease rate is $15/sq. ft. (plus TMI). Please contact Mike Mullin, Sales Representative, Royal LePage RCR Realty, Bus. 519-941-5151.
ORANGEVILLEBUSINESS.CA
Social Media Top Tips
Southwestern Ontario Development Fund The Southwestern Ontario Development Fund is now receiving applications from companies that are driving innovation, growing Ontario’s economy and creating local jobs. Find out more at http://www.ontariocanada.com/ontcan/1medt/en/swodf_en.jsp
Fall Events The fall was a busy season with the Economic Development/SBEC office spearheading and participating in numerous events. The annual Economic Outlook Breakfast featured TD Bank Group’s Derek Burleton as the keynote speaker to an audience of 120 local business guests. In addition to hosting two sold-out Social Media seminars, Bridges to Better Business was also back this year with a focus on the needs of ArtPreneurs and a highly popular keynote address by well-known artist Cory Trepanier. Staff also participated in the fall Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR) seminar in Toronto to showcase the local community.
2013 Summer Company Program for Students The 2013 Summer Company Program is now open for applications and students between the ages of 15 and 29 who are returning to school in the fall are encouraged to apply. The program is offered in partnership with the Province of Ontario and provides students with the opportunity to start their own businesses while receiving mentorship, training and awards of up to $3,000! Visit www.ontario.ca/summercompany to get started or call the Orangeville & Area SBEC at 519-941-0440 Ext. 2258 for more information.
87 Broadway, Orangeville, Ontario L9W 1K1 Phone: 519-941-0440 Toll Free: 1-866-941-0440 E-mail: info@orangevillebusiness.ca Twitter: @OrangevilleED You Tube: Orangeville Business Facebook: Orangeville Economic Development & Tourism