C
Business
onnections January 2012
Growing Numbers of Creative Class Workers in Dufferin
Volume 3
Issue 1
COMPANY PROFILE
The Workforce Planning Board of Waterloo Wellington Dufferin recently published a study on creative class workers in Dufferin County in order to identify trends and opportunities for growth among this important employment group. The concept of the creative class emerged out of research done by Dr. Richard Florida which defines labour markets by classes and outlines that all working people in a given economy can be represented by one of three classes - working, service and creative (and its super-creative core). Creative professionals are knowledge-based workers who draw on their higher levels of education to solve specific problems and include individuals working in healthcare, business and finance, the legal sector, and education. The super-creative core includes a wide range of innovative occupations such as science, engineering, education, computer programming, research, arts, design, and media. On a North American scale, the working class has steadily declined over the past 60 years while the service class has been the largest class of workers for 50 years and continues to be larger than any other class. The creative class and its super-creative core grew slowly until 1970, when this employment class began to experience accelerated growth. The report by the Workforce Planning Board shows promising trends for the growth of the creative class in Dufferin County. Accounting for 26% of the overall workforce in the municipality, the creative class is growing faster than any other class. In fact, based on the most recent census data available, from 2001 to 2006, creative class employment grew by 19% in Dufferin – more than double the provincial growth rate of 8%. As the economy shifts from industrial to creative, the values of the workforce also shift. Creative class workers place more weight on where they choose to work and live. This group is attracted to communities with lifestyle options, cultural and ethnic diversity, a tolerant attitude, and access to technology. A highly-skilled workforce, vibrant artistic, historic and cultural environment, sense of community involvement and pride, and modern and highly reliable infrastructure and technology are all attributes that make Orangeville and its surrounding area an ideal location for this fast-growing class of workers. Armed with an innovative and solution-oriented approach, this skilled employment group will have a very positive effect on Orangeville and its surrounding region.
Orangeville Economic Development and Tourism now available on Facebook, Twitter The Economic Development/SBEC office is now officially launched on Facebook and Twitter! The Facebook page, which will exist within the Town of Orangeville site, has been launched to provide an additional method for staff to communicate with the business community and the Twitter account (@OrangevilleED) will provide yet even more opportunities to engage with businesses and share information, leads and resources. “Social media is a fast-growing component of business life,” says Mayor Rob Adams. “By utilizing tools such as Facebook and Twitter to conduct outreach to local business owners, we broaden our ability to create more open and interactive communication with the visiting public.” Both the Facebook page and the Twitter account are great ways to stay informed about upcoming business activities, programs, events and workshops.
ORANGEVILLEBUSINESS.CA
Technicor Celebrates 25 Years in Operation The Town of Orangeville salutes Technicor Inc. on its upcoming anniversary and congratulates the Orangeville-based company for 25 years in operation. Technicor originated in 1987 when owner Keith Oussoren decided to leave his job with a large multi-national company to venture out on his own. The business operated as a local home-based venture for seven years before expansion led to a relocation in Orangeville in 1994. Technicor expanded yet again, and in 2004, this thriving enterprise relocated to its present location at 450 Richardson Road in Orangeville. Specializing in the machining and fabrication of engineered and precision plastic products, Technicor’s business has evolved over the years by acquiring equipment and developing state-ofthe-art processes that enable the company to deliver high quality products at competitive prices. Working with a diverse customer base, Technicor provides plastic components to equipment manufacturers that include the construction, packaging, conveying, mining, and agricultural sectors. Serving customers in the local community, the GTA and other parts of Canada, Orangeville’s central location and proximity to the marketplace have enabled the company to remain and grow here while also providing the lifestyle benefits valued by the Oussorens. “We wanted to live and raise our family in a small town and all of our needs were met in Orangeville,” says Technicor President Keith Oussoren. The availability of a qualified and dedicated workforce also helped to meet those needs. “When we first decided to start Technicor, it was risky, but we love the work, the customers we work for and we have a great team behind us,” adds Fran Oussoren. With today’s rapidly changing work environment, the fact that Technicor has such a committed workforce – 110 years of combined service, in fact – is testament to the values held by Keith and Fran. Technicor demonstrates sincere dedication to quality production, customer service, affordability and continuous improvement – important qualities in achieving a quarter century of business success. To learn more about Technicor, visit www.technicor.ca.
Connect with Business. Connect with Life.
UPCOMING EVENTS
IN THE NEWS
Starting a Small Business • January 26, 9 a.m. and May 16, 6:30 p.m. In this session participants will learn about what is involved in starting a small business in Ontario, why a business plan is so important and what is involved in developing a successful business plan. This workshop will answer many start-up questions and provide participants with the tools needed to begin working on their own “road maps” to success. Cost - $10.
Tax Planning for Small Business • February 8, 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.
Social Media Boot Camp - Part 2 • February 22, 9 a.m. This workshop will help you to harness the power of social media and learn how to develop content that is engaging and sincere. Major topics include engaging your target market, increasing visibility and growing fans into ambassadors, making decisions using social analytics, tracking and measuring social media return on investment, driving traffic with social bookmarking sites, using blog and YouTube to stand out, growing a following and improving search engine rankings. Cost - $15.
Effective Advertising for Small Business • March 27, 9 a.m. Effective advertising is crucial for small business owners who want to reach their target markets and attract new customers. An important part of the marketing strategy, advertising can have a significant impact on your business success. Topics include planning, designing and monitoring the advertising campaign, creating a demographic profile of your customers, selecting the best advertising mediums, evaluating effectiveness of advertising and measuring return on investment. Cost - $10.
Doing Business with the Government • April 10, 9 a.m. This seminar is designed to help local business owners learn how to do business with the Federal, Provincial and Municipal Governments. Participants will learn how each level of government does its purchasing and how to include these groups as your customers. Free.
Financing Your Small Business • May 8, 9 a.m. This seminar, delivered in partnership with the TD Bank, will help small business owners understand financing from a banking perspective. Learn about how bankers determine lending qualifications, how to best present your business case and how to leverage personal equity for start-up loans. Free.
Visit www.orangevillebusiness.ca/events to register online for any of these events.
REAL ESTATE FEATURED LISTING
2011 Bridges to Better Business Focuses on Marketing During a highly informative and entertaining event, successful entrepreneur, author and marketing specialist Terry Straker shared tried and true ideas for marketing small businesses at the annual Bridges to Better Business event on November 9. Made possible by a partnership between the Orangeville & Area Small Business Enterprise Centre, the Ministry of Economic Development and Innovation and Canada Ontario Business, this year’s event provided many ideas on how participants could build their businesses effectively and creatively while on a tight budget. Mr. Straker engaged attendees with a fast-paced presentation on the common marketing problems that most small business owners face today and offered unique and creative solutions to fix them. He emphasized that consumers today are bombarded with marketing messages on a daily basis and as a result, are skeptical of business owners and the products or services they provide. Today’s consumers are experienced and knowledgeable and are looking for simplified shopping experiences that provide good value for their money, Mr. Straker says. “If you can’t provide that experience and knowledge, they will find it somewhere else.” While explaining how customers are lost, he indicated that 68% of customers leave because the company conveys an indifferent attitude towards the customer and fails to make the experience special. In order to retain existing customers and attract new ones, he provided four keys to standout success for any business owner: status, quality, value and uniqueness. Status involves making customers feel like they are important to the business and might include such things as offering a VIP or membership card for discounts. The quality of a product or service is determined by both its ability to meet the customer’s expectations and by the way that the company promotes itself. For example, a professional approach, quality website and superior business card are important to back up the image of a quality product. A product or service that is considered to have good value is not necessarily the cheapest product but it is the one that offers the best price for the quality of the product. Value can be added through incentives, add-ons, guarantees or simply by providing superior service. Finally, a business should be unique in order to attract new customers and retain existing ones. To stand apart from the competition, a business must be able to create differentiation between itself and other businesses in a congested market. Held each year in the fall, valuable information, tips and techniques, when combined with ample networking opportunities, make the Bridges to Better Business event a great business investment. To keep informed on all of the SBEC events and workshops throughout the year, contact sbec@orangeville.ca.
THINGS TO KNOW 2011 Economic Outlook Breakfast Derek Burleton, Vice President and Deputy Chief Economist with TD Bank Group returned as the keynote speaker at the Town of Orangeville’s Economic Outlook Breakfast on October 19. Speaking to a sold-out crowd of 120 local business and community leaders, Mr. Burleton provided an overview of the economic situation in Europe, the U.S. and in Canada and predicted modest economic growth nationally. Visit orangevillebusiness.ca to view his presentation.
2012 Summer Company Program
40 Centennial Road, Orangeville Large, well maintained building for sale on approximately 5.5 acres with severance to be completed by vendor prior to closing. Zoned for industrial use, the 63,953 square foot building provides an excellent investment opportunity as it is partially tenanted for a 5 year term with approximately 30,000 square feet available for use or lease. Asking sale price is $3,200,000. Please contact Scott Sutherland, Vice President, Sales Representative, Colliers Macaulay Nicolls (Ontario) Inc., Brokerage at 416-777-2200 (bus.).
The Orangeville & Area SBEC will partner with the Province of Ontario again to deliver the 2012 Summer Company Program. The program provides students with the opportunity to start and run their own summer businesses while receiving mentoring, training and awards of up to $3,000. The program is open to students between the ages of 15-29 who are returning to school in the fall. The 2012 program is now open for applications. Visit www.ontario.ca/summercompany to get started or call the Orangeville & Area SBEC at 519-941-0440 Ext 2258 for more information.
Fall SIOR Event The Town’s Economic Development/SBEC office sponsored and attended the fall Society of Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR) seminar in Toronto. The learning event was attended by almost 300 industrial and commercial realtors and site selectors and it provided the Town with an excellent opportunity to showcase the community and promote available land and buildings.
ORANGEVILLEBUSINESS.CA
87 Broadway, Orangeville, Ontario L9W 1K1 Phone: 519-941-0440 Toll Free: 1-866-941-0440 Fax: 519-941-9033 E-mail: info@orangevillebusiness.ca