In this issue...

A Message From the CEO | Upcoming Chamber Events

Welcome New Members! | Updates from the Chamber Network

Hello!

This week has delivered a delightfully dynamic mid-spring set of weather, and our April showers will help our landscapers and farmers get a good start on the season.

Our Business After Hours event last week at Community Living Brant was a great review of this important community service, and all of the interesting and community building work they do. We are looking forward to May 9^th at Misty’s Kitchens!

Preparation for our Business Excellence Awards continues, however, tickets are sold out. If you would like to be added to the waitlist, please reach out to Leslie. Our Golf Tournament also has a few spots available.

Thank you for your feedback on the CEBA Loan program. 85% of respondents indicated they required additional time and/or support beyond December 2023 to aid in continued recovery from the economic impact of the pandemic. Look for additional quick response polls this year.

If you are a user or fan of portable signs in the City of Brantford, please consider engaging with the City’s feedback on improvements to the sign by-law: https://letstalkbrantford.ca/lets-talk-about-portable-signs

This week, the Chamber will host our Board meeting, explore the County of Brant’s Official Plan Update, and attend the first meeting of the City’s Economic Development, Tourism, and Cultural Initiatives Advisory Committee.

See you soon,

Dave

To learn more about our new member, click on their logo!

May 24th Epic Jobs Event: Sponsorship & Exhibitor Spots Still Available!

There are still some spots open for businesses who want to be a sponsor or exhibitor at the May 24 Epic Jobs skilled trades fair for students in Brantford.

More than 1,000 students from across Grand Erie will participate in the hands-on, interactive event, which will promote the many exciting careers in the trades.

The day-long event will take place at the Wayne Gretzky Sports Centre, using space both inside and outside the building. This is the first time Epic Jobs has been held in person since the pandemic started.

Epic Jobs is organized by the Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie in partnership with the Grand Erie District School Board, Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board and the Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program.

Businesses that wish to participate or want more information, can:

email: epicjobs@workforceplanningboard.org

or visit: https://workforceplanningboard.org/epic-jobs/

The SME Institute by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce offers live and self-directed training programs to help you gain the knowledge, skills and confidence you need to grow.

Programs are delivered by trusted experts and are tailored to your business's size, maturity and sector, offering you a personalized experience.

Interested in signing up? Use code Chamber20 to get 20% off any training module!

Learn more at smeinstitute.ca.

Don’t Forget About Our Member-to-Member Discounts!

Click here to see them all!

Check out the newest offer from Urban Tactical!

All Chamber members and their immediate family get a 10% discount on any shooting package – no limit on number of uses!

Promo code: brantchambershoot. Book it right online or in-store!

If you have any questions about our discounts or would like to add your own to the list, contact Greg at greg@brcc.ca.

Explore These Spring/Summer Laurier Partnerships

MB375- Technology and Innovation Management – Ideation Session

• Seeking partners to participate in an ideation session where the student groups will be seeking tech-based solutions for business challenges
• Ideally, the partner will have an open-ended problem that hasn’t had a lot of work done on it.
• Consider this an opportunity to have market research completed for you and potential solutions provided.
• Seeking 5 partners for this course

HS322 – Health Policy – Job Shadow

• Seeking job shadow opportunities for students related to health policy. This can be related to the implementation of policies in the health field, or be directly related to administrative roles within a health organization.
• Broadly seeking placements in the Brantford area.
• Seeking 20-25 job shadow opportunities for this course.

BU452 – Marketing Strategy – Marketing Plan

• Seeking partners who are in need of an updated marketing strategy. Ideally, these partners have a service or product that needs enhanced marketing.
• Students will meet with the partner to identify budget, scope, and current marketing efforts and then will create a presentation to offer guidance on potential ways to improve marketing efforts based on their situation
• Looking for 2 - 3 partners for this course.

For more information on any of these partnerships, please contact

Tyler Van Herzele.

Submissions now open for 2023 Small Business Health and Safety Leadership Awards!

You could win up to $10,000 by telling WSIB Ontario what you've done over the past year to improve health and safety in your workplace!

Each year WSIB Ontario recognizes the health and safety achievements of independently-owned and operated businesses with fewer than 50 employees through our Small Business Health and Safety Leadership Awards.

Entering is easy – simply complete the submission form and email it back to WSIB Ontario by May 19, 2023 and you could be one of three winners:

• Gold – $10,000
• Silver – $6,000
• Bronze – $4,000