BRUCE COUNTY BUSINESS ATTRACTION

STRATEGY

FOCUS ON KINCARDINE & WIARTON

Executive Summary & Action PlanBy Tenzing

November 25, 2014

CONTENTSWORK TO DATE .......................................................................................................... 02

OBJECTIVES & CHALLENGES ...................................................................................... 03

TARGET AUDIENCES ................................................................................................... 04

STRATEGY & RATIONALE ............................................................................................ 05

COUNTY LEVEL ...................................................................................................... 07

LOCAL LEVEL ......................................................................................................... 10

ONGOING APPLICATION ........................................................................................ 11

NEXT STEPS ............................................................................................................... 12

SUMMARY .................................................................................................................. 12

APPENDIX 1 - COUNTY OF BRUCE: BUSINESS NEEDS ANALYSIS SITUATION AUDIT ... 13

APPENDIX 2 - BRUCE COUNTY 360 DEGREES OF ATTRACTION ................................... 54

APPENDIX 3 - COUNTY OF BRUCE: BUSINESS NEEDS ANALYSIS

BUSINESS MATCHING AND ACTION PLAN .................................................. 91

APPENDIX 4 - WIARTON BUSINESS LIST ................................................................... 114

APPENDIX 5 - KINCARDINE BUSINESS LIST .............................................................. 118

01

Business growth comes from many places and takes many forms. It is equally true that the processes required to facilitate or even change the behaviours necessary to attracting businesses to a region are just as varied. There are no silver bullets, and both private and public sector efforts are needed. Consistency, alignment and quality deployment are all critical.

Over the past several months, the Bruce County Business Recruitment and Enhancement Working Committee and Tenzing formed a team to create and guide the execution of business recruitment and enhancement plans for the communities of Wiarton and Kincardine. Wiarton and Kincardine were seen as ‘test cases’ for wider programming that could potentially occur throughout the County.

02

THE FOLLOWING WORK HAS BEEN COMPLETED AND REPORTED IN SEVERAL DOCUMENTS:

Audit

• A complete review of the current state of business attraction readiness in each community

• Orienteering sessions in each community with business and public sector leadership• Reviewed all websites, past strategies, comparable initiatives in similar markets• Reviewed destination development brands

Situation Analysis• Based on supplied research and data, and proprietary desktop research• Filtered through business owner/operator lens• Presented as 360 Degrees of Attraction PPT

Community Business Inventory

• Based on five sources, a complete inventory of existing downtown businesses in each community

Community Gaps / Recommended Actions

• Business Needs Analysis Phase 1 Final Report• Includes recommended target business categories by community

As the project evolved, our findings led to the conclusion that a broader and more comprehensive effort was needed rather than just individual community / grassroots efforts to address the broader ED landscape. The Bruce2Business concept was developed as a result. While this was out of scope, we felt it was a necessary addition to the project.

This Executive Summary & Action Plan is designed to organize and highlight the key findings, strategies, actions and next steps required to address business recruitment and enhancement challenges in Bruce County.

03OBJECTIVES Originally...

1) Produce the analysis and strategies required to attract businesses to the downtowns (and surrounding municipal areas) of Kincardine and Wiarton in Bruce County.

2) Establish a working business recruitment and expansion process for other Bruce County communities to follow.

Additional...

1) Create a plan that optimizes county, municipal and private sector participation in a more holistic approach to business attraction, enhancement and support.

CHALLENGES The situation audit revealed two sets of challenges facing the Committee and individual community ED specialists. These challenges have little to do with the current efforts in local development. Primarily, they are about focus, resources and collaboration. These are the challenges that informed the Bruce2Business strategy.

LOCAL CHALLENGES

Municipal Readiness

Based on the situation review, municipalities are not up to date with fast-tracking, websites and marketing. The effort, skill and will is there - the tools are either missing or out of date.

Destination Brands

Wiarton and Kincardine’s downtown destination brands are both strong. While the scope of our project had a downtown focus, broadening the attraction potential beyond that of downtown was seen as an opportunity to enhance an overall ED agenda.

Entrepreneurial Culture

The entrepreneurial networks of both communities could be better mobilized, beyond the usual chamber and service club memberships. The best ambassadors for business recruitment are other business leaders.

RemotenessThere’s no getting around this challenge. The distance between significant populations of the segments we deem most likely to set up businesses in our communities can be daunting. And there are many strong business location choices in between (primarily in Grey County).

REGIONAL CHALLENGES

Competitiveness

This is more of a question: If given a choice between Collingwood with year-round activity / opportunity and Kincardine with about 10 weeks of opportunity per year, which community will the entrepreneur choose? To be competitive, our communities must level the playing field by evolving how we engage prospects both locally and further afield.

CollaborationOur small communities lack the resources required to attract businesses totally on their own. A harmonized approach with the County is required to meet this challenge.

Brand Awareness

Tourism awareness is strong (both as a gateway to the Bruce Peninsula and as individual communities in their own right). However, the County itself is not known as a cluster centre (beyond energy) or centre of business and entrepreneurial activity.

Economic Conditions

The economic realities of central and western Ontario remain soft outside the GTA and Golden Horseshoe. The London to Windsor corridor is still under-performing and while the KW region may be a source of business innovation, entrepreneurs there have many options.

Each of these challenges (within reason) is addressed by the strategy put forward to the Committee and adopted thus far.

04

RECRUITMENT AUDIENCES & DESCRIPTIONS Bruce County shares the usual suspects from a recruitment audience profile point of view. This underscores the need to create preference by differentiating how we communicate. Every community, large and small, is chasing the same folks (with the exception of the Power Families and possibly the Alumni groups).

LOCAL AUDIENCES

Existing Business Owner-Operators (expansion)

• Business owners who are already committed to the area are the most likely targets for expansion or complementary ideas.

• An engaged business leadership community would bring these people to the surface; identifying and eliminating roadblocks would demonstrate ‘business readiness’.

Bruce Alumni (those who moved away and want to come home)

• Reaching out to those who have moved away using social media may be the encouragement needed to bring them home.

Friends & Family (local outreach & networks)

• Give residents of each community tools and reason to promote local opportunities to their personal networks.

Bruce Power Families

• There is a unique cluster of educated, skilled and possibly under-utilized talent in the region.

• Engage and mobilize this group in business development (whether the topic is energy or something totally unrelated).

REGIONAL AUDIENCES

Regional / Provincial Boomers 55+

• They live in the region but are more likely to be located in urban centres to the south and east.

• They have pensions, savings, desire to try something new and are looking to fulfill ambitions.

Free Spirits (younger, entrepreneurial, seeking change)

• Different age group, same locations as 55+.• Artisans, small business, contract and freelance lifestyles.

Tourists (stop and stay)

• 100,000+ pass by each year (and may be attracted to the brands).• Local marketing and regional marketing can reveal the potential of staying long term.

Seasonal Residents (already invested)

• There are seasonal residents throughout the region.• Marketing programs will demonstrate the potential of staying year ‘round

(turning seasonal lifestyle into a full-time lifestyle).

05

STRATEGY To meet the challenges as outlined in this document (and more fully explored in the Audit and Situation Analysis) we are recommending the Bruce2Business (B2B) strategy and tactical approach.

CORE STRATEGY • Align and focus the efforts of county, municipal and private sector partners on positioning

the communities of Bruce County as ‘business-friendly’.

• Call the initiative Bruce2Business (brand it).

• Create synergies between local ‘sales’ efforts and regional ‘marketing’ efforts.

• Establish and support an entrepreneurial culture at the County level and on a community by community basis.

• Connect and support grassroots activity with County capacity building and tools development.

B2B RATIONALE1) This process actually turns local and regional economic development into a marketing and sales

relationship which is the best use of resources.

2) B2B allows and demonstrates innovation and connectivity (both required by incoming business prospects).

3) B2B allows community-by-community localization and autonomy in the right places.

4) The grassroots program can be as turnkey as required depending on the sophistication of each community.

5) B2B engages community business leadership and has the potential to engage the entire community (networking).

MUNICIPALLOCAL SELLING, SUPPORT,

READINESS

LOCAL LEADERSNURTURE, GUIDE,

EXPLORE, CULTURE

COUNTYPOSITIONING, AWARENESS,

OUTREACH & FILTER

06

TOP LINE VIEW OF HOW EVERYTHING WORKS TOGETHER

PARTNER ROLES

County (Marketing)

• Create and operate an outreach engine that attracts and filters entrepreneurs to appropriate communities.

• Position Bruce County as business-ready (digital & PR).

• Create toolkits and segmentation tactics that help local networks attract and/or nurture the right opportunities.

• Supply participating B2B communities with an inventory of local businesses and projected best opportunities for attraction and/or expansion.

Municipal(Sales)

• Apply localized marketing tools to promote local business culture during high-traffic seasons.

• Support local business leadership network.

• Create a local business fast-track program (identify and remove obstacles).

Local Business Leadership(Engagement)

• Create an online network that welcomes and guides prospective business owners.

• Guide local B2B networks on how to engage their own extended networks in business recruitment.

• Identify and nurture existing business expansion through the same network (invite participants and incubate growth – create entrepreneurial clusters).

07

COUNTY-LEVEL STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN What follows is based on our genuine belief that individual communities in Bruce are at a disadvantage when trying to meet the challenges of sustainable economic development alone. It’s like having a talented, motivated sales force, but no tools, no resources and not enough scale.

An integrated approach that aligns the County as the marketing resources team with ‘sales’ at the municipal level and local business networks as ambassadors or champions is the right approach and should produce results.

The Bruce2Business Strategy is documented in detail with rationale in the 360 Degrees of Attraction PowerPoint. Here we have included a summary version.

1) Brand an initiative called Bruce to Business (Bruce2Business) that is as strong as local destination brands. Position Bruce as business-friendly.

BRUCE 2 BUSINESS

08

EXPLORE A DIFFERENT LIFEBRUCE COUNTY

Imagine what life could be. With time and space to grow. Where it’s less about the race and more about individual drive. Where tinkering leads to invention, art becomes industry and sweat becomes equity. And where that equity goes 100% further than you ever thought it might. Imagine a life where energy, nature, agriculture and innovation all combine to create fertile ground. Imagine it – then start building it here.

PARTNERSPASSION LIFESTYLEABOUT BRUCE BUSINESS

2) Create a regional digital engine that helps people with the right mindset (who not what) find Bruce County and explore the possibilities on a community by community basis (matchmaker). This engine will promote Bruce and connect entrepreneurs to local networks.

3) Build a template toolkit (County resources) that can be localized for community selling and attraction programs. This toolkit will be the hand-off point between the County and individual municipalities (see Grassroots Local Strategic Action Plan).

09

4) County Tools - digital development - SEO - Adwords/PPC - targeted public relations (by category as identified in the Action Plans) - digital advertising

5) Localized Toolkit - advertising - tactical plan and communications - business fast-track outline or plan - brochures - seasonal promotion - local business leader network directions &

support (ie. b2bWiarton, b2bKincardine)

Bruce County - B2B - TOOLKIT

TOOLKITKINCARDINE

BRUCE 2 BUSINESS

10

LOCAL, GRASSROOTS STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN 1) Review the Kincardine and Wiarton current business inventories.

Add and delete as required and update semi-annually.

(2) Explore the Business Matching & Action Plans for both communities, summarized here:

3) Tenzing staff will facilitate and participate in a working session with ED committees in each community to explain the matching recommendations, improve the list and finalize next steps and possibilities.

4) Plan, localize and implement grassroots marketing tools to promote local business culture during high-traffic seasons (B2B template tools provided by region).

5) Create a municipal fast-track and ambassador program for incoming business prospects.

6) Identify and nurture a local business leadership network (online and in-person, advanced digital user interface and networking tools, connected to the County outreach engine).

WIARTON KINCARDINE

Hostels / HospitalitySoft Adventure Amenities Marina (complementary) ProvisioningMotorcycle / RepairBicycle Sales / RepairCommuter AirAdventure TrainingQuarry / Artisan Manufactured Homes

Bed & BreakfastSenior’s Home CareMulti-use Entertainment VenueLocal Food Market/Co-opTourism Training CentreScottish BakerySpecialty RetailCold Water Surf Merchandise/ManufacturingBoutique HotelCraft BreweryFinancial Institution (CU#2)

11

REPLICATING LOCAL STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN (WIARTON & KINCARDINE MODELS) THROUGHOUT BRUCE COUNTY The process used to develop the business recruitment and expansion work for the two test communities can be scaled up or down depending on the size of the community and a realistic economic outlook.

The steps are as follows:

(1) AUDIT

• review existing data (as per same sets provided for Wiarton and Kincardine)• environmental scan• market context• realistic, objective assessment

(2) INTERVIEWS

• key stakeholders• include local business people• possible partners

(3) SITUATION ANALYSIS

• combine audit and interviews in one final report • generate conclusions • propose action plans and strategy • analyze community readiness • align with B2B tools if adopted

(4) INVENTORY EXISTING BUSINESSES

• identify possible gaps • base gap analysis on audit findings

(5) CREATE A MATCHING & ACTION PLAN

• same structure as Wiarton/Kincardine • work with local ED specialist or business community to narrow and prioritize possibilities

(6) IMPLEMENT B2B IN THE COMMUNITY

12

B2B NEXT STEPS

1) Identify County resources (budget, people) required to create the initiative.

2) Create a detailed initiative architecture and timeline.

3) Build a comprehensive critical path (what gets done by whom by when).

SUMMARY Tenzing was hired to set up the strategy for local business recruitment in Bruce County using Kincardine and Wiarton as test communities. We concluded that while both towns have the talent and the will, they lack the resources and scale to reach their full potential.

In that context, we created an initiative called Bruce2Business; it is designed to add scale and capacity at the local level by utilizing County resources; it’s a simple marketing and sales model. Marketing casts the big net and sales closes the deal (never quite that simple, but that is the working model).

The goal of the three components (County, Municipal and Local Leaders) of the initiative is to deliver the right people to both towns and to the County over time. The B2B initiative will provide the impetus for local programs and leadership recruitment through the developed networks.

As a result of the implementation of B2B, Wiarton and Kincardine will become business-friendly and attract a new generation of owner-operators to the area. At the very least, we’ll help our current batch of economic engines expand their possibilities.

County of Bruce: Business Needs Analysis

Situation Audit

July 15th 2014

The County of Bruce’s Rural Business Recruitment and Enhancement Strategy Involves Three Phases.

The first of these Phases covers: Research Summary and Recruitment Recommendations for the towns of Kincardine and Wiarton.

The ultimate goal is to suggest a minimum of five strategic and targeted business recommendations for each community with the purpose of providing enhancements to existing businesses and potential recruitment opportunities.

As stated in Kincardine’s ICSP report under the Economic Pillar: “The Community will diversify the economy in tourism, agriculture, light & heavy industry and emerging sectors. We will ensure the economic growth that provides residents and visitors with affordable and diverse opportunities to shop, live, work and play. Our downtown cores will be vibrant and thriving places for business, residents and visitors.”

Just as importantly, the Town of South Bruce Peninsula “Basecamp Report” indicated that:

“Looking at our successful businesses, it would seem that success has less to do with the type of business and more to do with business owners that ‘get it’. I.e. it’s possible that by finding the right person – there may be many business opportunities that could work.”

Tenzing’s Situation Audit includes a robust review of existing research reports, economic data and strategic documents. Five key topics (as outlined by the County of Bruce) are kept at the forefront of Tenzing’s audit process at all times. Specifically,

• Understanding the role of data collection and analysis in business development;

• Developing rural recruitment strategies in relation to broader market trends;

• Building the appropriate business mix to strengthen downtowns; • Investigating strategies related to expanding and clustering businesses; • Developing techniques for connecting entrepreneurs directly to business.

Materials Reviewed

Tenzing has reviewed all the materials the County of Bruce has provided to date. Additionally, Tenzing has conducted its own review of public domain documents that it is has found through its desktop (web-based) search. This includes websites, regional economic development best practices, and trend data, among others.

Some of the material that Tenzing has reviewed is pre-2008. Many things have shifted over the last six years. The effect of the Great Recession is still being felt by businesses of all kinds in virtually all sectors and regions. When it comes to older documents, Tenzing has considered them qualitative rather than statistical. They are useful in providing learnings about the past as well as potentially setting future directions.

Each of the communities is unique. And yet, their respective situations share many commonalities.

Missing from this Situation Audit are the voices of the business owners in Kincardine and Wiarton. We need to hear from them so they can express their views and perspectives on the kinds of new businesses they would like to see come to their respective communities. Their “wish lists” in turn will be matched with available economic data and filtered to discover the best fits for each community’s business recruitment strategy.

Initial Conclusions

Many rural communities are homes to global business. On first inspection their location is unexpected. No one would imagine that the mail-order fashion company Lands End employs 4,000 people from its headquarters in rural Wisconsin.

Changes in technology such as 3D printing and batch manufacturing are rapidly changing how and where things are made.

So too are demographics. Many senior-aged people are planning to keep working past the typical retirement age. Many of the tourists that Kincardine (and to a slightly lesser extent Wiarton) attracts each summer are over 50 years of age. This group could represent a cohort of “greypreneurs” who could invest their money as well as their vitality in starting post-retirement businesses in either Kincardine or Wiarton.

More work is necessary to identify how to make both communities welcoming to different kinds of businesses, but also to different age groups of entrepreneurs and business owners.

Using Tourism as Resident Recruitment Strategy

Tourism is a strategy to attract potential businesses and new residents to the community. It is a fact that many business owners first discover new locations for their companies as tourists. They are attracted to the small town atmosphere and to its authentic experiences. This is especially appealing to urban dwellers that want a different pace for themselves and their families. They see opportunities to expand their companies or to set up new enterprises.

The Martin Prosperity Institute (writing about Prince Edward County) notes that “…most tourism based jobs (many in accommodations and food services) are low paying and seasonal, do not offer equivalent employment to lost manufacturing and agricultural jobs and increase inequality across the region.”

The Institute recommends: “A way to overcome this difficulty is to not focus on tourism as a final economic base, but instead to use tourism, the regional amenities, and the quality of place characteristics to attract tourists and residents.”

It concludes: “While tourist attractions might get them to the region for a weekend, more is needed to turn them into permanent residents…. Rural areas are more likely to attract families, mid-life career changers and retirees who value these characteristics as much as the other amenities that brought them to the region initially…. If an engineer or two first moves to the region, work with them to help support them and work to build an engineering consulting cluster…. The region needs to monitor and understand the opportunities being presented with at least as much effort as is spent intentionally creating other opportunities.”

From our observations, there is little to nothing to suggest that either municipality is using its plentiful tourism activities to send a positive message to visitors that encourage them to build their businesses and lives in Kincardine or Wiarton.

Some communities that Tenzing looked at (Hood River, Oregon, and Alturas, California in particular) have implemented programs to boost the attractiveness of their towns. Every business in these towns that meets or talks with the public is turned into an economic development ambassador. Such as restaurant owners who hear visitors talk about how they want to move “to a place like this”. Local businesses are given materials to help turn the visitor’s dream into a reality.*

*Note: Kincardine’s BIA was testing an Ambassador program in summer 2013. The purpose of the Ambassador program is to promote tourism: “Ambassadors provide a local resource of volunteers to engage visitors, answer questions, provide them with suggestions, encourage them to spend money and animate spending districts and events.”

Clusters

Harvard University’s Michael Porter coined the cluster theory. In 1998 he suggested that a cluster is a geographically proximate group of interconnected companies and associated institutions in a particular field, linked by commonalities and complementarities. Clusters can generate commercial synergies and strengths that enable it to achieve a global presence even when it is geographically distant from major markets. Porter said:

“Clusters are not unique, they are highly typical, and therein lies a paradox: the enduring competitive advantages in a global economy lie increasingly in local things – knowledge, relationships, motivation.”

The geographic scope of a cluster can include a single city or a region. Clusters take on various forms, such as product and service companies, suppliers of specialized inputs, machinery and services, financial institutions, as well as firms in related industries.

Following up on Porter’s work, others have identified several different types of clusters:

• Horizontal: relationships between small and medium-size firms in an industry or sector that compete and collaborate with each other;

• Web: relationships between large firms and their core suppliers; • Virtual: where physical co-location is not important; and • Emerging: Where firms have a common resource base or resource

needs, but have only emerging relationships in production and innovation.

There is no one-size-fits-all model of clusters. What we know is new business growth occurs near older established businesses. Because the risk of failure is always high when starting a new enterprise, risks can be reduced through locating businesses near established businesses and their customers, workers and suppliers. The fact is clusters lead to the formation of new businesses.

The region’s clusters may not all be global in scale or reach, but some of them have the potential to be.

It is worth looking at the Municipalities’ clusters, as they exist today. Some are nascent; others are more developed. Within the larger clusters, sub-sets of clusters may also exist. In some instances, clusters may intersect with each other, creating even more opportunity for business expansion and economic dynamism. Further exploration of the clusters, and how specific local businesses fit within each is encouraged.

Potential Clusters (among others):

Tourism: (represents approximately 850 jobs)

• Scottish heritage (Kincardine) • Music (Kincardine)

o Pipes o Blues

• Theatre (Kincardine) o Summer stock

• Tourism & hospitality training (Kincardine) • Eco-tourism (both, more so Wiarton) • Agri-tourism (both)

Sports:

• Surfing (Kincardine) • Hiking/Trails (Wiarton) • Cycling (both) • Scuba (Wiarton) • Caving (Wiarton) • Cross country skiing/snowshoeing (both) • Birding (both, more so Wiarton) • Snowmobiling (Wiarton)

Marine:

• Lighthouses (Kincardine) • Yachting and boating (both) • Beachcombers, sunset lovers (Kincardine) • Fishing (both)

Energy: (represents approximately 4,871 jobs)

• Nuclear tourism (Kincardine)

Agriculture:

• Agri-business (both) • Food hubs (both)

o Local food producers o Cuisine couture – artisanal cooking o Culinary festivals o Locovore movement o Organic & dietary specialties

How Multiple Clusters Intersect

It is easy to see how multiple sectors could intersect. By doing so they strengthen the collective offering and make it possible to attract more business recruitment to the community.

Here are two examples. Sectors align (tourism + agri + culinary experiences + products and services, both commercial and retail) and integrate to make the whole far greater than its parts.

• Kawartha Choice FarmFresh program spearheads and supports numerous initiatives, such as Speed Dating for Farmers and Chefs, an Agricultural Symposium, the Kawartha Choice FarmFresh Guide and Map, a Local Food Summit and more. At the Speed Dating event producers set up table displays to identify retail opportunities for their products, develop value chain partnerships, and participate in a guest panel discussion with Gordon Food Service, Sysco and Disley

Foods on accessing wholesale food distribution for institutional and restaurant trade.

• Several municipalities have developed what might best be called “Cuisine Couture” for their communities. They have created culinary destinations by playing up the strengths of their community. Stratford Ontario’s Culinary Adventures has increased its reach beyond the seasonal Shakespeare Festival. Savour Stratford is the recipient of a Culinary Tourism Leadership Award, and you can see why. Savour Stratford’s website connects local food festivals, farmers, tasting experiences, and food adventures in the area. http://visitstratford.ca/template.php?maincat_id=19&artcat=172&article_id=152

Expanding Regional Clusters: Local Food (A Consideration for Both Communities)

As a sector, food processing, agriculture products and farming grossed close to $50 billion, making it larger than Ontario’s automotive sector in 2010. In an economic impact study conducted by the Waterloo Region, it was estimated that for every job in the region’s agriculture sector, four additional jobs are supported in the economy.

According to a 2013 report prepared by Deloitte LLP for The Ontario Municipal Knowledge Network (OMKN), there are six areas of opportunity:

“Six steps in the local food value chain provide a structure that municipalities can use to assess their existing capabilities, approaches, and gaps in local food management. The food chain provides a broad and holistic view of the local food system, including:

1. Producing: Growing agricultural products and raising livestock in farming operations.

2. Processing/Preparing: Transforming agricultural products into another form as market-ready products through washing, peeling, packaging, freezing, canning, as well as meat processing.

3. Distributing: Warehousing and aggregating produce and/or processed goods and delivering them to retailers.

4. Retailing: Selling produce/processed goods to consumers, either through traditional retail stores, various forms of farmers markets, or through evolving channels such as online.

5. Consuming: Cooking with and eating the goods at home, restaurants, or other venues of consumption.

6. Waste Management: Collecting, transporting and disposing/recycling of waste materials from food products.”

Source: https://www.amo.on.ca/AMO-PDFs/Reports/2013/2013BestPracticesinLocalFoodAGuideforMunicipalitie.aspx

Deloitte maps out the value chain of local food initiatives:

How others have prospered in this sector:

• Northumberland County: In 2011, 363 local food businesses were surveyed across the region, which represented 4,200 jobs in production, manufacturing, retail and service. As a result Northumberland County is creating a municipally owned niche processing facility with partners across the region.

• The Manitoulin Island Community Abattoir is a provincially inspected

freestanding facility that was launched in 2013. The facility has been developed due to the ongoing challenge that producers were facing in long transport times to get their product processed (up to 2.5 hours each way). The abattoir is a “kill and chill” facility only. Processing is done by

partners elsewhere. The abattoir hopes to create jobs by attracting producers to invest in the community.

• Toronto Food Business Incubator is a non-profit organization that assists

entrepreneurs in establishing their own food processing companies. The entrepreneurs participating in this incubator kitchen’s Business Incubation Program are provided with advisory support from food industry experts and a commercial kitchen space.

• The Local Food Hub in Charlottesville, Virginia: This is a non-profit

organization that operates a distribution warehouse and an educational farm. The initial goal was to create a hub that could offer a buying experience that is as easy as buying from mainstream distributors, which expanded to creating an educational program for farmers. The hub continues to secure Virginia’s food system by improving small farm viability and increasing community access to local food. Another example is the very successful Mad River Food Hub representing eighteen food processors and businesses - raw pet food to root beer to artisan meats and market garden vegetables. Mad River started in 2011.

http://madriverfoodhub.com/

• The region of Peel began its kitchen waste composting in the 1990s. The region produces over 15,000 tonnes of compost each year, and demand has been expanding through the residential sector to agricultural and commercial sectors by developing knowledge and understanding of the use of compost

Expanding Regional Clusters: Surfing (A Consideration for Kincardine)

Surfing and surfing culture is real. The surfer population worldwide is estimated at:

• American…2.4 million • Australian…just under two million • Worldwide…23 million

(Source: 2002 Boardtrac, Survey Industry Group Survey)

In 2006, 4.7% (1,159,884) of adult Canadians went sailing or surfing while on an out-of-town, overnight trip of one or more nights. (Source: TAMS Survey)

The feasibility of Kincardine becoming a surfing tourism destination is well reported in the Municipality’s 2013 study.

Cold-water surfing attracts a special breed of enthusiasts. The surfing feasibility study “suspects” that the market size in Ontario is in the order of 50,000 surfers. Events like 2013 Lake Huron Fresh Water Classic will continue to build awareness about surfing in Kincardine. Even better news for Kincardine is the

fact the best times to surf are in the Spring and Fall months, outside of the hectic summer season.

The question here is – outside of it being a tourist attraction – how can surfing help Kincardine contribute to its business recruitment? There is already one paddleboard rental business in Kincardine – Stand Up Paddle Board Rentals. Owner Pam Rantz has “…noted that many renters end up buying their own surf boards after getting the chance to try the sport for the first time.” The feasibility study suggests

“Kincardine would benefit from an expansion to the existing board rental operation… in order to provide an opportunity to attract visitors who are interested in trying surfing (all types – surfing; stand up paddle boarding; kite boarding; body boarding) for the first time.” (p. 44)

A further business idea:

“The establishment of surf camps for both children and adults could be another program organized in Kincardine to help attract more visitors and improve the awareness of Great Lakes surfing. There are established surf schools / camps in virtually every other popular surfing destination, with the exception of Kincardine.” (p. 51)

How many surf shops and camps / schools Kincardine can support remains to be proven. However, the upside of building a sports cluster around surfing is exciting.

Here is some idea of where things might go:

• By the 1960s Torquay, Australia began to attract surfers from around the world. Bells Beach became one of the best-known surfing locations, having gained an international reputation for quality surf. Many small scale, cottage-style, surfboard businesses set up operations in the Torquay district, representing demand for lighter, faster, custom-made boards. Rip Curl was founded in 1969. The founders quickly understood that the key to year round surfing was not primarily a customized surfboard, but rather a wet suit that could insulate surfers from the chilly waters of the Southern Ocean. By 2002 Rip Curl had become the fifth largest surf wear supplier in the world with its head office still located in Torquay. Quciksilver was founded in the early 1970s. The initial focus was on board shorts because many surfers at the time complained about the poor design and quality of existing garments. Quicksilver board shorts were durable, light, non-chafing and quick drying. By 1986 Quicksilver was listed as a public company on NASDAQ. The head office moved to North America, but Torquay was repositioned as the company’s head office for Asia. By the late 1990s Quicksilver accounted for 37% of total global surf wear sales.

• Tofino on the west coast of Vancouver Island is six hours away from Vancouver. Washington State is about the same distance. About 12 years ago a couple of keen surfers started a business making surfboards. They added a distinctive Sitka Spruce logo to their boards, which became the name for their fledgling company. Sitka developed largely as a do-it-yourself business. They made the boards and screen-printed the t-shirts themselves until demand got too much and they had to outsource. The company now employs 50 staff, with three flagship stores (two in Canada and one in New Zealand), and distributes its clothing through 150 wholesalers in Canada, USA, Europe and New Zealand. The busiest period for Sitka’s Canadian based stores is the fall, when the surf is good. The slowest period is February.

Sitka is in the business of wilderness activism. They align their values with respect and love for the natural environment. The essence of Sitka is that of a cold water brand that differentiates on “doing what you love in a harsh climate”. The visual image of their brand shows members of their surf team in snow and ice.

They focus on quality clothing that can be worn to work as well as in the wilderness. It’s not just surfing fashion and it’s in line with the company’s sustainability values. Sitka aims to have 100% domestic Canadian production by 2016. http://sitka.ca

Rural Economic Development

Numerous groups and associations across Canada and the US point to developing trends that may have an impact on rural economic growth and sustainability. Keeping these trends in mind may spark ideas for the kinds of businesses and ventures Bruce County communities are hoping to attract.

From the Rural Ontario Summit (March 2014):

• Ontario’s Minister of Rural Affairs, Jeff Leal, recommended that rural communities learn to adapt to change to attract the right jobs.

• Dr. David Freshwater, University of Kentucky Professor of Agricultural Economics, suggests rural development is different (from urban development); that rural communities should focus on their strengths; a single strategy won’t work; and that small firms make a difference.

• Dr. Rob Greenwood, Memorial University’s Executive Director, Leslie Harris Centre for Regional Policy Development points out that quality of life is gaining importance as a defining factor so human and social capital are key investment attractors. Also, there is an increasing focus on ‘social enterprise’ – the opportunity to fulfill a social purpose and generate resources for local organizations, enhancing their interdependence and sustainability. He notes that diversification is happening in rural communities – new activities like: an aquaculture

sector; up and down-stream sectors are bringing new opportunities to traditional sectors; niche opportunities in small scale manufacturing; and so forth.

• Other comments (participant roundtable and discussion by attendees)

o “Businesses need to be profitable but communities can provide the readiness factor that stimulates and supports business development. Communities and citizens need to articulate what they value as part of the strategy development. Good facilitation for this process is absolutely essential!”

o “Entrepreneurial outlook from the community; innovative, not risk-adverse, active, optimistic – allows community to be resilient, need to recognize that times change, communities need to as well.”

o “Diversified economic base; primary resources plus value-added opportunities and processing, new opportunities and region-appropriate tourism – leads to increased community health.”

o “Welcoming community.”

o “One-stop application process, ‘Navigation Portal’, explain and link rules and regulations to support small businesses, better support for understanding and navigating the rules.”

o “Second stage entrepreneurs need support, help identify latent entrepreneurship.”

Source: http://www.ruralontarioinstitute.ca/Uploads/UserFiles/files/TheMoment_ROI_WorkshopReport_FINAL6.pdf

From “TOP (trends, opportunities, priorities) Update: A Lens on Local Industry” (Four County Labour Planning Board March 2011):

The report looks at six key industries: Crop & Animal Production; Truck Transportation; Telecommunications; Professional, Scientific and Technical Services; Accommodation, Food Services and Drinking Places; and Social Assistance

• “The region (Bruce, Grey, Huron and Perth) needs to focus on the workers it has, since the population growth is slower than that of Ontario, the skills needed locally must be found locally. In turn this increases demand on retaining older workers. It also suggests that a labour pool attraction strategy might be necessary through migration and immigration measures.”

• A common theme in each sector is the need for local training

o Agriculture: “Employers identified a need to engage students in more agricultural-based training” … everything from small engine maintenance to safety awareness to the care and feeding of livestock.

o Transportation: “Some of the training and re-training needs identified by employees includes safety regulations and new and emerging technologies and communications tools.”

o Telecommunications: “Short term, ongoing training in the field needs to be available locally as early as high school.”

o Professional, Scientific and Technical Services: “Employers express that an effective and creative succession strategy needs to be adopted to engage and retain the knowledge of the population due to retire in the next five years.”

o Accommodation, Food and Beverage Services: There tends to be a high family involvement in these businesses. Most employers noted that in-house training is their preferred training method. “Effective and on-going customer service excellence training and industry standard professionalism training is a requirement for the continued success of this industry in the Four County region. Higher levels of education in the replacement workforce is needed as positions continue to be created, particularly in the high tourist season.”

o Social Assistance: “It was very apparent that the training needs for managers were most pressing. The training needed would include local access to Human Resources, Project Management, Property Management and some Information Technology training.”

Source: http://www.southbrucepeninsula.com/en/economicdevelopment/resources/2011TopReport.pdf

From Huron County: Best Practices in Rural & Small Town Economic Development (Municipal Economic Development Readiness Initiative, January 2004):

• “Therefore, the best plan for attracting outside economic development would seem to be to make the community attractive and receptive to

appropriate new industry by focusing on the key ingredients to success and by building capacity.” (p. 13)

• “The most persuasive industrial development stories, set in depressed areas of Belgium and France, appear to owe their success to capacity building and not recruitment.” (p. 13)

• Associated with this is a growing market for products of local farmers and a greater desire to buy foods from the region where people live. Increasingly, consumers are associating higher quality with reduced distance between producer and consumer. As well, the rapidly changing ethno-racial mix of the Ontario population has created demands for new foods grown and processed in different ways. These realities create opportunities for small farms.” (p. 21)

• “… a study of the Niagara Region has identified opportunities for high quality products, using local supply of bakery goods, jams and jellies for the hotel/restaurant trade, specialty ice creams (with local fruit) and specialty pastas. Surveys in Windsor concluded that a high percentage of local consumers wanted to buy local product and thought they were, but examinations of retail outlets revealed that much of what people thought was local product was actually imported. Consumers were very interested in buying more local product, both fresh and value-added, from a variety of distribution outlets. Seventy-one percent of grocers indicated an interest in using local value-added products in their businesses. A study by Duncan Hilchey of the Farming Alternatives Project concluded that small scale food processing is the only class of food processing in NY State (companies with one to four employees). A Wisconsin study of 190 consumers at supermarkets… found that: 89% would pay more for a meat product if there were assurances that it was a quality product; 66% would purchase meat products certified as being produced by family operated farms….” (p. 22)

• The Huron Business Development Committee conducted a feasibility analysis of 20 local businesses. They found “…the agri-food opportunities included: agri-tourism; garlic production and processing; honey production, processing and pollination services; frozen vegetable processing; special events and in-home catering…. To date, four local agri-business ventures have been launched in the area, resulting in five local jobs.” (p. 24)

• “A number of programs have been launched by organizations to create the right kind of infrastructure for agri-tourism activity. Farm tours, field days, farm bed and breakfast inns, and farm villages are all real examples of agritourism. Agritourism is also increasingly complemented with agri-entertainment: festivals, hay rides, petting zoos, seasonal events, and contests.” (p. 29)

• “On-farm classes, demonstrations and workshops are also considered a form of agri-entertainment. Cooking classes, whether offered to chefs or to the general public, are usually quite successful, as are workshops showing how to prepare fresh or dried cut flowers.” (p. 29)

• The Huron Harvest Trail was launched in 1997. “In the first year of the program, tourists in Huron County increased by over 93,000 person visits with additional expenditures of $4.9 million.” (p. 30)

Source: http://www.smallbusinesshuron.ca/publications/edri/best_practices_report_final.PDF

From 20 small business ideas for small towns (by Becky McCray, author of Small Biz Survival)

• “Cater to local outdoor sports… Target the changes in outdoor sports. Rural small business expert Jack Schultz…said, ‘the fastest growing spectator sport in the USA is bird watching. Geo-caching, biking, hiking and extreme water sports and are also growing in importance’. Almost any type of business could expand to cater to the new types of outdoor sports, bring visitors to small towns.” (p. 6)

• “Share your space and your creativity…Entrepreneur Evelyn Miller said, ‘There are lots of hidden assets in small towns, including inexpensive living space, peace and quiet, and the room to be creative.’ You could implement this as either a development project or as a for-profit business.” (p. 9)

Source: http://bizopy.com/20-small-business-ideas-for-small-towns/

From Twenty-five Ways to Save Your Rural Community (by Steppingstones Partnership, Inc):

• “Encourage home/farm-based businesses… They are easy to start up, provide a dependable work force and have little overhead expenses. In the last few years, over 70 percent of all new jobs in the four western provinces were created in a home.”

• “Employ technology… For example, an individual in Manitoba bought a computer-assisted machine to make badges that he now sells to such places as Saudi Arabia and Germany.”

• “Set up an incubation centre…Find an empty office building, borrow some furniture and equipment and provide a place for start-up companies to grow. Ask local successful businessmen and women (active or retired) to serve as advisors and mentors. Negotiate reasonable fees from accountants, lawyers and other professionals to provide advice and services to these entrepreneurs.”

Source: http://www.steppingstones.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=22:25-ways&catid=18:miscellaneous

From Putting Smart Growth to Work in Rural Communities (Smart Growth Network / ICMA):

• “A way of thinking about rural communities… Most rural communities can be grouped into five categories.

o Gateway communities are adjacent to high-amenity recreational areas such as National Parks, National Forests, and coastline. They provide food, lodging, and associated services. Increasingly popular places to live, work and play, gateway communities often struggle with strains on infrastructure and the natural environment.

o Resource dependent communities are often home to single industries, such as farming or mining, so their fortunes rise and fall with the market value of that resource. A key challenge facing resource-dependent communities is diversifying the economy while maintaining their rural quality of life and character.

o Edge communities are located on the fringe of metropolitan areas and typically connected to them by state and interstate highways. They provide their residents with access to economic opportunities, jobs, and services. More affordable housing and access to urban amenities have made many of these edge areas grow at a faster pace than their metropolitan areas as a whole. But precisely because they are attractive places to settle, edge communities often face pressure to continue to provide more housing and services to new residents.

o Traditional main street communities enjoy compact street design that is often accessible to a transportation hub. In addition, historically significant architecture and public spaces provide valuable resources upon which to build. Still, these communities struggle to compete for tenants and customers with office parks, regional malls, and big box stores.

o Second home and retirement communities may overlap with some of the above groups, particularly edge communities and traditional Main Street communities. Like gateway communities, second home, and retirement communities struggle to keep pace with new growth while maintaining the quality of life that drew in residents in the first place.” (p. 3)

Source: http://icma.org/en/icma/knowledge_network/documents/kn/Document/301483/P

utting_Smart_Growth_to_Work_in_Rural_Communities

From Business Incubators in Rural Ontario (prepared for the OACFDC Conference, May 2011):

• Business incubators support and accelerate the development of new businesses through the provision of a controlled and structured environment.

• Statistically, 87% of business incubator graduates will be sustainable in business.

• The average incubator employs 3.2 people.

• Small-scale, rural incubators look like ‘business motels’, offering phone/fax and shared boardroom facilities, subsidized lease rates…they tend to lack sectoral/market niche or technology focus.

• What does an average rural Canadian incubator look like?

o Partnerships include the Federal Government, the Municipality, other NFPs, building owner or private sector partner

o Initial funding: $275,000 o Annual operating cost: $38,000 o Client requirements: minimal o Average occupancy rate of existing rural incubators is 66% o Almost all existing incubators are reportedly financially self-

sufficient mostly through rural rental revenue and service fees (64%)

o 60% of those surveyed indicated that the demand for incubation services had met or exceeded expectations

• Case studies of note: St. Thomas, ON: Elgin CFDC ICE o ICE = The Innovation Centre for Entrepreneurs o ICE is a not-for-profit, mixed-use business incubator that provides

small and growing businesses, including home-based and youth businesses, with all the resources and support they need to grow and prosper

o 20 partners and growing, including Libro Credit Union, Staples, Rotary International and Fanshawe College

o Clients include Valesco Pharmaceutical, Saverity, RAMPA Tec Inc, and Allsource Home Health Supplies

Source: http://www.ontcfdc.com/Conference11/Media/Business_Incubators.pdf

Writing in the Financial Post (April 15, 2013), small business expert Rick Spence believes “entrepreneurs may keep our small towns alive”. He points out that new technologies such as 3D printing for small batch manufacturing,

digital medical technologies and alternate energy sources (such as geothermal) will make small town living more attractive to a new generation of entrepreneurs. He goes on to say:

“… Small towns should be wooing new Canadians, especially those who have struggles to start businesses in big cities, such as Vancouver and Toronto. Attracting these nascent entrepreneurs… gives small centres a rare double win: many will bring family members to town, creating a household of economic activity even as they bring their business dreams to life.”

According to the Canadian Institute for Rural Entrepreneurship, entrepreneurs are most likely over 30 years old and the largest percentage of high-growth entrepreneurs are between the ages of 35 and 44. By the time they start businesses, they have an employment history and tend to have been working in a related industry. This gives them both the knowledge and networks. They tend to be well off financially and better educated than average.

The Organization for Economic Development & Cooperation (OECD) describes 4 kinds of innovation: new products or services, new processes, new ways of marketing, and new ways of organizing. The Canadian Institute for Rural Entrepreneurship goes on to say:

“We often think of innovation as a new idea but innovation requires two processes: invention and implementation. A good idea that doesn’t get implemented is not innovation. Entrepreneurs can spot a good idea and move it into a viable business model.”

Source: http://www.canadianentrepreneurship.ca

The Bruce Community Futures Development Corporation 2011 report on Bruce Seniors’ Needs Analysis sets up the opportunity.

• Bruce County has a strong presence of retail, service, health and recreation industries, collectively accounting for almost 30% of all businesses in the County (p. 21)

• Bruce County maintains a large number of seniors who enter self- employment after the typical retirement age of 65 (p. 23)

• Seniors are living longer more active, healthy lives (p. 41)

The report outlines businesses and services that are in short supply. For entrepreneurs this should suggest an opportunity is to create new businesses to meet a growing demand. The list includes:

• Provision of Home Care Services– including housekeeping services, meal preparation and personal care assistants (p. 30)

• Housing (i.e. Home Building) – extends to a broad spectrum of housing types from bungalows and apartments/condos to assisted living facilities (p. 29)

• Maintenance Services – home repairs / handyman services (p.27) • Transportation – specialized seniors programs and services (p. 54)

Moreover, Statistics Canada has assessed rates of retirement among the self-employed living in rural and small town (RST) Canada. In 2006, 22% of the self-employed were aged 55 to 64. StatsCan found the rate of retirement would be 35% or more among:

• Funeral home operators (43%) • Warehouse operators (43%) • Manufacturers of clay and brick products (40%) • Educational counseling and testing services (39%) • Private and boarding school operators (36%) • Wholesale and distributors for businesses (35%)

Source: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/21-006-x/21-006-x2012001-eng.pdf

For entrepreneurially minded individuals the demographics of an aging population create possibilities, either to take over established businesses, or to introduce new kinds of ventures to fill in the gaps.

The Canadian Institute for Rural Entrepreneurship advises that one of the main tools to encourage entrepreneurship is to encourage openness to outsiders. In other words, make it clear to visitors and interested parties that Kincardine is in fact welcoming and “open for business”. Show them the opportunities that exist today and in the near future.

There are numerous examples of highly successful businesses that have consciously set up shop in rural communities. It may be worthwhile to review how these businesses have succeeded and prospered. The lessons learned can then be applied to future recruitment strategies

Some cases:

• Lands End: Gary Comer moved his mail-order operation from a Chicago store basement to “the middle of a cornfield in Wisconsin”, as the business expanded. The headquarters in Dodgeville, Wisconsin now employs over 4,000 people.

• Halifax Biomedical Inc. was founded in 2004 in Halifax. Chad Munro moved his highly specialized measurements company to Mabou, Inverness County, in rural Cape Breton. Chad Munro believes rural communities are well positioned to attract and retain early-stage companies. “You focus on what creates one, two, three, five, 10 jobs. It sounds like a little deal, like who cares, but 10 jobs does an awful lot in a smaller community.” He points out that Warsaw, Indiana, a town of cornfields is also the home of three multi-billion dollar medical device companies. “They are there because that’s where they started.”

Other Trends To Consider

Agri-tourism

• Agri-tourism: the practice of touring agricultural areas to see farms and often to participate in farm activities.

• This term can cover a wide range of activities including but not limited to: buying produce direct from a producer, picking fruit, feeding animals, honey tasting, horseback riding, cheese making, learning about wine making, fairs, farm to table dinners, dude ranches, staying at a farm B&B etc.

• According to the latest Census of Agriculture in the United States, the

amount of money brought in by agri-tourism has risen 24% since 2007 and as of 2012 totals more than $700 million annually.

• “Current trends in the tourist industry show increasing demand for

experiential, hands-on, non-conventional tourism activities. This trend has extended into the agricultural sector because the appeal for agricultural and farm-based tourism attractions is also increasing.”

• There are several potential benefits of agri-tourism but for the purposes

of this project the most important one being as a catalyst for enhancing the appeal and demand for local products, fostering regional marketing efforts and creating value-added and direct-marketing opportunities that may stimulate economic activity and spread the benefits throughout the county.

• Value-added products such as jam, beeswax candles and other locally

produced artisan goods offer broader economic opportunity in areas where agri-tourism is prevalent.

Agri-tourism in California “More than 2.4 million visitors participated in agritourism at California farms and ranches in 2008. They stayed at guest ranches in the foot- hills, picked peaches in the Sacramento Valley, played in corn mazes up and down the state, shopped at on-farm produce stands along the coast, held weddings in fields and vineyards from coast to mountains, and experienced myriad other agriculture-related tourism activities.” Source: http://wuis.org/post/states-working-out-kinks-agritourism Source: http://sfp.ucdavis.edu/agritourism/Case_Studies/agritourSD/ Source: http://ucce.ucdavis.edu/files/repositoryfiles/ca6502p57-85601.pdf

In Bruce County

• Bruce County currently has several agri-tourism destinations. The most unique perhaps being the Bruce Botanical Food Gardens. While still in its infancy, this destination (located in Ripley) is very unique and has

potential to serve as a centre for agri-tourism expansion in the region. While many botanical gardens have “edible” sections, this entirely food-based botanical garden is the first of its kind in Canada.

• “Eco-tourism and agri-tourism have many parallels and some development professionals consider the latter a subset of the former. In either case, much of the experience is designed around an area's natural variety, including its animal, plant and human cultural diversity.”

o Further developing agritourism in Bruce County should be considered as it involves assets the county already has and could be developed further in harmony with the current, nature-based tourism industry.

Source: http://www.bbfg.org/ Source: http://www.agmrc.org/commodities__products/agritourism/nature-based-ecotourism-profile/

The Maker Movement (Artisanal Capitalism)

• “ The umbrella term for independent inventors, designers and tinkerers…A convergence of computer hackers and traditional artisans…Makers tap into an American admiration for self-reliance and combine that with open-source learning, contemporary design and powerful personal technology like 3D printers. The creations, born in cluttered local workshops and bedroom offices, stir the imaginations of consumers numbed by generic, mass-produced, made-in–China merchandise”. – Adweek

• Offers opportunity for specialty/niche products that are relevant to the

area to be produced and sold locally (where appropriate) with the ability to be sold/distributed nationally and internationally.

• Speaks to the growing movement of people who want to create and

purchase products made by an individual, not a multi-national corporation. Handmade, artisanal goods can be made anywhere. Modern technology and accessibility to transportation/shipping networks makes remoteness of location less of an obstacle for business.

• DIY’ers who are able to commercialize because of increased access to

technology and outsourced supply chains – able to work from anywhere (lack of reliable internet access being the one potential barrier).

• 2012 sales on Etsy totaled $895 million. By October 2013 they had

surpassed $1 billion. Source: http://time.com/104210/maker-faire-maker-movement/ Source: http://www.economist.com/news/business/21592656-etsy-starting-show-how-maker-movement-can-make-money-art-and-craft-business

• Norquay Co. – Artisan canoe paddles

o Paddles made in Northern Ontario and hand finished in Montreal. They are made in small batches and sold direct through the website, and through retail locations internationally.

o Featured in several magazines including: Monocle Magazine, GQ Magazine, Outside Magazine and Sharp Magazine.

Source: http://norquayco.com/

• Good To-Go o Maine-based company that produces gourmet dehydrated meals

for campers and backpackers o Manufactured in Maine using ingredients sourced from the USA, o Sell through website as well as through a network of over 25

stores in the State. o Recently featured on coolhunting.com and are expanding their

product lines. Source: http://goodto-go.com/about/

Made in Canada

• According to a recent IPSOS/BDC (Business Development Bank of Canada) study, the consumer trend towards purchasing locally made products is gaining steam.

o 97% of consumers decide to buy local to support the local economy

o 87% of consumers think purchasing locally made goods is better for the environment

o 45% of consumers made an effort to buy Canadian products in the past year

• “Consumers also buy non-food products from local businesses, and that

has economic benefits. A recent Canadian study showed that a locally owned business can directly re-circulate up to one third of its revenues in the community; a comparable multinational directly re-circulated less than 20%, on average. Similarly, the indirect redistribution of revenues can be as much as 2.6 times higher for local businesses than chain establishments. Because local companies are more likely to use local suppliers, such as accountants, information technology companies and banks.”

Source:http://www.bdc.ca/Resources%20Manager/study_2013/consumer_trends_BDC_report.pdf

• Muskoka Brewery

o Started as a small operation in 1996 in Bracebridge, Ontario. Now employs over 60 people and in 2013, expanded to a new facility (six km down the road from the original).

o Operate production facility, retail store, cellar, tap-house and head office all in Muskoka.

o Distributes product through the LCBO and in restaurants/bars throughout the country.

“Muskoka Brewery exudes the relaxed and easy living of the Muskoka cottage lifestyle; a connection to nature and a love for the area.”

Source: http://sundaycrush.com/feature-interview-muskoka-brewery/ Source: http://www.muskokabrewery.com/brewery.php

A Look At Wiarton

• Wiarton is one of several communities that make up the town of South Bruce Peninsula. While this amalgamation happened in 1999, there seems to be an identity crisis of sorts with some of the larger communities (namely Wiarton and Sauble Beach) appearing as though they are separate towns. This makes finding information isolated to Wiarton challenging and somewhat confusing. It’s unclear if these communities operate independently or as a collective unit. The reality is that it’s probably a little bit of both.

• There are many websites detailing the happenings in Wiarton and almost all are tourism focused. For example: the Town of South Bruce Peninsula website, while providing information on economic development, housing, education and healthcare, has a tourist slant with a countdown to groundhog day featured on the homepage and numerous references to a four season “destination”. Destination implies that it’s somewhere for visiting, not for staying.

• The town of South Bruce Peninsula has quite a few documents available

under the economic development section of their website but most are outdated. For example, a community profile document (that would be of interest to people considering opening a business in the area) is from 2005 and uses information from the 2001 census.

• Also problematic is that out of the 17 documents provided, seven were

dead links. Outdated and inaccessible documents give the distinct impression that the Town of South Bruce Peninsula is closed for business.

• Access to the Bruce Peninsula and proximity to the Bruce Trail and

several provincial and national parks is what makes Wiarton unique.

• Wiarton’s history shows a town with a lot of spunk. It has managed to hold itself together for 100 years, despite the adversity it has faced. Its

spirit is indomitable, and fun loving. How else do you explain a town that starts a festival around an albino rodent in the dead of winter that revolves around Willy being afraid of his shadow? Yet, the festival manages to attract crowds 10,000 strong. It’s a place that is trying to renew itself and push itself forward in a vastly changing economy.

• In recent years, as with many small towns in sparsely populated areas of

Ontario, Wiarton has experienced a struggling downtown. While the summer provides an influx of people due to tourism and proximity to the Bruce Peninsula, there has been a continued struggle for long-term sustainable business.

o Anecdotally, we can attribute this to several factors including:

declining population, competition from larger centres, increased cost of operating a business (utilities were mentioned several times in recent business owner surveys), lack of business/entrepreneurial support, lack of business savvy, inconsistent quality and hours and the seasonality of the main traffic driver – tourism.

• Population trends show an overall decrease (1.3% decline from 2006-

2011) with the median age of a Wiarton resident being 50.0. These numbers are in stark contrast with the rest of Ontario which has seen a population increase of 5.7% over the same time period with the median age being 40.4. Basically, Wiarton (along with the rest of the county) is getting older and smaller.

• Worth noting is the high indexing of skilled trades people with

apprenticeships or trades diplomas and the low indexing of university educated people. Expectantly, there is a high proportion of “blue collar occupations such as construction trades, machinists, transportation equipment operators, agriculture labourers, forestry, processing, manufacturers, etc.

Source: http://www.southbrucepeninsula.com/en/economicdevelopment/resources.asp Source: Census 2011 – StatsCan Source: Market Data Analysis – OMFRA Seasonality of Tourism

Bruce County tourism is highly seasonal – far more dramatic than in neighbouring counties. This makes sustainability a much larger issues than in counties where the flow of visitors is more consistent. Wiarton has been known as the “gateway” to the Bruce Peninsula, which implies passing through rather than stopping. Efforts to change outside perceptions have already been made by the recent change in positioning of Wiarton to “Basecamp” to the Bruce. This is a positive first step in capturing visitors for longer periods of time.

The Pool of People

Unique to Bruce County is the high percentage of overnight guests that stay at private cottages. While this high number may mean less money spent on activities and accommodations, it speaks to a significant group of people that are invested in the area as a regular part of their lives. This group of people could be a pool of potential converts when looking for an audience of people to move permanently to the area and start a business. Seasonal property owners are already invested in the area and have income enough to support owning more than one property.

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According to RTO7 Consumer Insight Research, the three main groups traveling through the area are “Up & Coming Explorers”, “Nature Lovers”, and “Sports Lovers”.

• While these descriptions are basic and offer minimal insight, we can consider this when looking at who is exposed to Wiarton with the potential for relocation.

Up & Coming Explorers

• “This is a youth-oriented group that is on its way up in the world. These travelers are emerging into a new life-stage, often characterized by greater affluence and new opportunities. Visible minorities and immigrants often fall into this segment. Travel is not about connecting with family or friends. While these people often want to be adventurous and energetic, their travel experiences often start with what is nearby, and typically with core tourist attractions. Ontario is very popular with this group and visitation is typically very recent.”

Nature Lovers

• “This is a consumer segment attracted to outdoor experiences aligned to Ontario’s quintessential parks & lakes offering. Camping and associated activities, (e.g. hiking, canoeing, fishing) are key interests for this group. The majority classify as “nature lovers”. Activities align with the recreational aspects of the outdoors and not necessarily the extreme aspects of the outdoors, (e.g. avid angling or hunting). Not surprisingly, the travel style is basic with camping prevalent.”

Sports Lovers

• “This group, skews more male, and is driven by a love of sports, either watching or participating. By the nature of their passion these people describe themselves as more active and energetic than most. In reality their sports are not necessarily extreme, rather more in keeping with what is readily available, and more likely to be organized team sports and golf.”

Source: RTO 7 Consumer Insights 2013 Report

A Unique Position

Wiarton (and the larger Town of South Bruce Peninsula) is in quite a unique geographical position. It’s proximity to countless natural attractions such as Lake Huron, Georgian Bay, The Bruce Peninsula, national and provincial parks, various rivers and waterways, beaches, caves and trails is something that needs to be continually celebrated as what makes Wiarton special. There are many

things you can change about a town, but physical location isn’t one of them and this is Wiarton’s advantage.

Gateway Communities

In a recent study done on recreational trail use and economic impact for gateway communities on the Gandy Dancer State trail in Wisconsin, several insights were discovered. While the data collected was specific to this trail and it’s use, broader implications can be drawn about habits and tendencies for trail users in general.

• Ranking was done to show the performance and importance of each business amenity category.

Top ranking categories in terms of performance and importance were:

• Sit down restaurants • Hardware stores • Fast food restaurants • Historical sites • Festivals/events

Lowest ranking were:

• Gambling • WiFi locations • Handicrafts and souvenirs • Interpretive displays • Amusements

Of high importance but low performance were: bicycle shops/repairs, sporting goods stores and takeout restaurants. Source: http://learningstore.uwex.edu/Assets/pdfs/G3880.pdf Trail Towns

• “Trails stimulate business creation, influence corporate location decisions, boost spending at local businesses, increase property values, reduce medical costs by encouraging exercise, and generate tax dollars. They also of course provide low or no-cost recreational opportunities and transportation options to the public.”

• Key Benefits: o Make communities more attractive places to live (quality of life

factor)

o Create influx of visitors to towns they are located near o Companies often choose to relocate to places that offer a high

level of amenities as a means of attracting and retaining high-value employees

Source: http://conservationtools.org/guides/show/97-Economic-Benefits-of-Trails#ixzz37V71c4S5

• Over arching theme is that while trail users provide reliable traffic and income source, they are inevitably seasonal.

• “All of these trail users are potential customers at restaurants, grocery stores, gear shops, hotels and other local businesses. Often, however, there is little connection made between rural downtowns and the trails or recreational opportunities around them”.

• Communities that are seeking to develop trial-based economic development should address four main components:

o Trail development (very important to physically connect the trail with the town – bringing railheads into town, info kiosks, public bathrooms etc.)

o Business development o Marketing and events o Stewardship

Case Study: Oakridge, Oregon

• Branded themselves as the mountain biking capital of the Northwest.

• Bike wash stations, private guide service, shuttle service, equipment rental, hostel with secure indoor bike parking, outdoor bike parking at many shops.

• Designated by the international mountain biking association as a ride centre.

• Hosts national mountain biking festival.

• Chamber of Commerce holds training sessions for local employees in order to become ambassadors for the various local activities.

Case Study: Damascus, Virginia

• Successfully branded themselves as “Trail Town USA”.

• Historically, was economically reliant on timber and the railroad – this stopped when the US Forest Service was formed (limiting ability to harvest the lumber) and when the railroad was decommissioned.

• Area benefits from many recreation assets including several trails, bird watching, fishing and rock climbing.

• In business owner surveys, approximately 60% of income can be attributed to trail-user spending.

• Various successful businesses include: gear rental, shuttles, hotels/hostels, tour operators and restaurants.

• Struggles with fluctuating seasonal traffic. Important takeaway:

• Connect the trail with your downtown and make your downtown somewhere that people want to spend time in.

Source:http://www.connectcascadelocks.com/uploads/1/0/0/9/10099646/appendix_a_case_studies_final.pdf

Benefits of Hiking Trails

• Connectivity • Economics • Education • Environmental • Health • Heritage • Recreation • Transportation

While economics may seem to be the main driver for the purposes of this project, not to be overlooked are the huge impact hiking/trail use has on quality of life as demonstrated by connectivity, health, education, heritage and recreation. Source: http://hikeontario.com/why-hike/benefits-of-trails/

A Look At Kincardine

• From its websites, the general impression is that Kincardine, Ontario is a very busy tourist destination for two months of the year, but after the summer season is over there is very little economic activity to sustain local businesses.

• Despite attracting thousands of tourists each year, there is very little evidence that Kincardine actively recruits future business owners from

this pool to come to its Municipality and start a company or move an existing business.

• While there is some economic data on Kincardine, it is not collected together, found in one place, or necessarily the most convincing information. This makes it difficult for prospective business owners to determine the economic vitality of the Municipality.

• Anecdotally, it is suggested that the kinds of business owners that the Municipality should be attracting are the ones that “get it”. (This is based on verbatim comments in the reports the County of Brue provided Tenzing for its Situation Audit.) A composite profile of the ideal prospective owner would be useful to help target future businesses. I.e. who are they, what traits or characteristics will make them successful in Kincardine, what is their motivation for setting up a business in the Municipality, and so on.

• Moreover, based on businesses that have failed or closed in recent years, it appears that the kinds of businesses that succeed in downtown Kincardine are the ones that are value-added or specialty stores that can charge more for their goods or services. The businesses that typically fail are the ones that compete on price with the big box or mass merchants. That being said, a profile of the kinds of businesses that Kincardine wants (or needs) or believes complimentary to the Municipality’s brand, would be useful.

• Bruce Power has a beneficial impact on Kincardine’s economic well being. The question is, could Bruce Power do more to attract businesses to the Municipality? This opportunity should be studied further.

• There are two different kinds of business parks in Kincardine’s catchment area: The Bruce ECO Industrial Park, which is adjacent to Bruce Power; and the Kincardine Business Park, which is located nearby the downtown core. At the present time both parks are underdeveloped as economic magnets to the area. The roles the parks could play in attracting businesses to Kincardine needs to be examined further.

• Locally, some people feel that Kincardine does not have any economic clusters on which to build. Contrary to this opinion, the Municipality does have several different kinds of clusters in its vicinity. For the most part, these clusters are nascent; but individually, they represent growth potential for Kincardine. Further exploration of the clusters is needed in order to determine which ones offer the best opportunity for advancement, and which ones best fit the Municipality’s (and the Region’s) business recruitment strategies.

• Much has been written about ways to build sustainable economies in rural communities. Various trends have been put forward, such as agri-tourism, the locavore movement and foody culture. Some of these trends

intersect with other activities and interest, such as eco-tourism. Bird watching it is said, is the fastest growing spectator sport. The Grey-Bruce Region, and possible the County of Bruce itself, indicates that it is developing agri-tourism. If so, how these efforts directly impact Kincardine, or could be focused to attract new business to the Municipality should be looked at more closely.

• The opportunity to attract businesses and grow them locally is a real possibility for Kincardine. The diversity of the kinds of businesses is open, and should remain open to discussion.

Tourism is great for businesses. But the takeaway is that Kindcardine is a seasonal economy.

Look at Kincardine objectively. Spend a few minutes on the town’s website. Visit the various microsites that promote the festivals and activities in the area. And you quickly surmise that Kincardine is open for business May through Labour Day. But as soon as back-to-school happens the town appears to go into a form of economic hibernation.

Examples:

From http://www.sunsets.com

• Victoria Park Gallery: Open seven days a week during the summer. • Lighthouse Destination: Open July 1st thru Labour Day. • Bluewater Summer Playhouse: the name says it all. • Kincardine Theatre Guild • Music in the Park: Concerts July and August. • The Phantom Piper: Appears July and August. • Kincardine Scottish Festival: July 4-5-6 weekend event. • Bruce Telecom Lighthouse Blues Festival: July 11, 12, 13.

Information on the Municipality’s website informs that the Aztec movie theatre and outdoor market are also seasonal operations.

The events listed by month after September drop in number precipitously. Most of these are very local concerns, such as fundraising dinners, society meetings and community concerts.

From http://www.explorethebruce.com/kincardine

Lead in copy reads:

“Come visit the shorelines of Kincardine this Summer. Welcome to Kincardine – a town full of excitement and entertainment all summer long!”

From http://www.kincardine.net/committee-bia.cfm

Under the Section “Our Community”:

“Kincardine is the gateway to the Sunshine Coast, the Bruce Peninsula, as well as Cottage Country. Our beautiful shorelines provide excellent boating, fishing, and of course, swimming. Stroll several miles of sandy beach, or dabble your feet in the crystal clear waters of Lake Huron. Take an evening to experience Kincardine's 3/4 mile long boardwalk and catch our World Famous Sunsets. Whatever the season, the Municipality has something to offer. Encounter our many antique stores and quaint boutiques, festivals and events, and dazzling summer theatre, and you'll understand how enticing it is to be a part of this wonderful community.”

But there is scarce information on winter activities. Penetangore Regional Economic Development Corporation’s site http://www.predc.ca tells visitors about the various festivals that Kincardine hosts but only mentions the Grand Prix de Kincardine Snowmobile Racing in passing, saying Rick Mercer attended the event in 2011 “bringing forward his colourful splash of comic relief and entertainment”. The only other indication of winter activities is Kincardine’s tourism-facing website sunsets.com, which offers a page on snowshoeing and cross-country skiing in the area http://www.sunsets.com/kincardine/activity.php?Activity=47.

The municipality’s slogan is “Great energy. Balanced life.” There is nothing wrong with celebrating the summer months, but it creates a perceptional imbalance about Kincardine. The takeaway for someone considering moving to Kincardine or planning to open a business is that and the business opportunity is very seasonal, and weighted to about 60 days a year during the summer months. Interestingly, the report titled “Impact Analysis of the Summer of 2013” indicates that just 30 business of the 160 members of the Kincardine Business Improvement Area completed the survey. The survey examines the impact of five major events. However, the survey was only distributed to retailers, and not to members who operate personal services or offices. Yet, the economic impact of tourism on all members of Kincardine’s BIA is real. To this point 168 businesses in Kincardine are open all year round, although some businesses have shorter winter hours, or are open only six days a week from seven in summer, and have longer summer operating times as well.

Economic Data on Kincardine is Hard to Find

Every summer Kincardine’s population of approximately 11,000 swells by about 100,000 visitors, who attend various events, of which the Kincardine Scottish Festival is the largest single attraction (12,000 visitors).

This is an impressive figure. A prospective business owner might see the total number of visitors; calculate the share-of-wallet they potentially represent; and then decide Kincardine is a goldmine for her or his future business.

Yet, this information, or indeed, any basic economic data on Kincardine is hard to locate.

According to Kincardine’s Wikipedia entry, the municipality’s official website is http://www.kincardine.net. Follow the site’s navigation to “Our Community”, and from there the dropdown menu includes “Economic Development”. Click on this link and it takes you out of the municipality’s site to Penetangore Regional Economic Development Corporation’s site http://www.predc.ca. It is not immediately apparent to the visitor that this new site represents Kincardine.

Still, after some hunting about, the visitor might realize that there is economic data under the tab “Business Sectors”. They will find a report titled “Regional and Business Sector Statistics, Posted March 22, 2012”. Only after the word document is opened is it revealed the statistics (based on the 2006 Census) are for Kincardine.

Under the same tab the dropdown menu features four business sectors: Tourism, Industry, Service and Retail, and Agriculture. It is under Tourism that a report titled “May 2013 – Full Report – 100,000 Welcomes.” is found. This is in fact a Tourism Strategic Plan for the Municipality of Kincardine. (Also posted are PowerPoint and summary report versions.) The Full Report is over 70 pages long. While there is much interesting information on tourism trends, only some of it relates to tourism as it affects Kincardine’s economic development.

Interestingly, there is no mention in this report (at least that we can see) of the 100,000 visitors to Kincardine’s summer events and activities, despite the report’s title “100,000 Welcomes”. This information is found in the “Kincardine’s Spruce the Bruce Annual Report Card” (page 10), which is not included in the Penetangore Regional Economic Development Corporation’s site. If this information is posted on the Bruce County’s website https://www.brucecounty.on.ca, on its affiliated websites https://www.brucecounty.on.ca/business/spruce-the-bruce.php or http://www.explorethebruce.com, we were not able to find it.

The information included on the other business sectors is fairly thin. Under “Industry” the information provided is mostly to do with Bruce Power. The Service and Retail sector tells us (politely) “Please take the time to visit the Downtown BIA Facebook site for informative insights into our downtown”. Once there, the Facebook page tells us there are 160 businesses in Kincardine’s BIA and that street parking is available. There is also a contest to get to a “1000 Likes… by the beginning of the first Scottish Pipe Band Parade of the summer”. The Agriculture sector informs us that there are 322 farms, “expanding over 32,014 hectares of land”, and that there is “a growing movement towards procuring locally produced food in support of local farmers”.

Alternatively, someone might choose to investigate the regional advantages of Grey Bruce, for which there is investingreybruce.com, which in turn links to

some economic data on Kincardine. This features Jobs by Industry and Earning by Industry, which for some reason is absent from the “Regional and Business Sector Statistics” report for Kincardine that is posted on Penetangore Regional Economic Development Corporation’s site.

All and good to know. But only the most determined individual is going to hunt through all this data and information, spanning numerous websites and pages,

in order to get a snapshot of what Kincardine’s economy looks like. Missing is a compelling, succinct argument or reason why anyone should set up business in the municipality.

Also missing are

• Testimonials: There is only one video testimonial, and that is found on Invest In Grey Bruce. It is included among other testimonials from the region, and does not indicate upfront that the business being featured is located in Kincardine. http://investingreybruce.com/index.php/bruce-case-studies

• Business Opportunities: Listing of businesses for sale or land development opportunities. The link on Bruce County’s site is not active: http://www.investingreybruce.com/en/real-estate.html; Penetangore Regional site links to RAGBOS, but the realtors’ association site seems aimed at the housing market, and not ICI properties http://www.predc.ca/region.php?pgid=12; the link on Invest In Grey Bruce does work; but it takes visitors to the region, which might distract their focus and ultimate interest in Kincardine http://investingreybruce.com/index.php/real-estate-info

The Businesses Kincardine Needs or Wants (or thinks it does)

A study in 2010 for the Kincardine Business Improvement Area for the benefit of Downtown Kincardine examined residents’ use and frequency of businesses in the Municipality. At the time it was suggested that:

“Services and amenities receiving high response totals should be considered ‘downtown pulls or attractors’. Effort should be made to maintain their role in the downtown core.” (p. 22)

These service and amenities included:

• Groceries • Financial services • Post office • Dinner services • Coffee/tea break • Pharmacy

Moreover, residents determined the top five ideas for additional businesses or services included (p. 20)

• Men’s clothing store • Clothing store (no specification) • Children’s clothing store • More restaurants • Bakery/deli • Year round movie theatre

Other suggestions (not the top five) included (p. 20)

• Niche stores • Video/music DVD • Arts/crafts/sewing store

In 2014 the economic viability of some of these ideas is uncertain (for example, video stores).

Also, more recent analysis by Downtown Kincardine has revealed that many food stores find they cannot compete with big box and mass merchants, because as reported, “Those who don’t work at Bruce Power can’t afford to shop in Kincardine.” (p.26)

A further complication is an unintended consequence of Kincardine’s re-branding as part of the “Spruce the Bruce” initiative. The stores that are a best fit today for Kincardine’s refreshed brand are not necessarily the same kinds of businesses that traditionally lined the downtown core.

More analysis is required to determine the businesses that are the right size and fit Downtown Kincardine’s economic development.

Bruce Power: An Undeveloped Opportunity

Bruce Power is the largest nuclear power facility in the world. It is also the largest employer in Kincardine’s catchment area, providing work for 4,000 employees, and about 3,000 contractors. Bruce Power’s site in Tiverton, ON is home to eight CANDU reactors, each of which is capable of providing enough electricity to meet the annual needs of a city the size of Hamilton. Formed in 2001, Bruce Power is an all-Canadian partnership among Borealis Infrastructure Management (a division of the Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System), TransCanada, the Power Workers’ Union and the The Society of Energy Professionals. A majority of Bruce Power’s employees are also owners in the business.

According to Bruce Power, the nuclear power plant attracts thousands of visitors a year, though the exact number is not verifiable at this time. The Visitor’s Centre is open year-round Monday thru Friday, and on Saturdays during July and August. The Centre offers free WiFi. It also has an Electric Vehicle car charging station – free electricity for those who make the trip in their EVs.

Interestingly, there is a global rise of what is being termed “nuclear tourists”. A nuclear power plant in Sweden attracts over 15,000 tourists annually.

http://www.jaunted.com/story/2007/10/30/7119/8122/travel/Extreme+Tourism%3A+Nuclear+Power+Plants+in+Sweden.

The question is: In as much as Kincardine’s festivals attract thousands of visitors, some of whom in turn might be encouraged to set up businesses in the Municipality, can Kincardine make more use Bruce Power to attract businesses to its community?

The Value of Industrial and Business Parks

There are two parks in Kincardine’s catchment area. The Bruce ECO Industrial Park has been in operation since the 1980s. The other is the proposed Kincardine Business Park between Highways 21 and 9.

Both parks have the potential to attract businesses to Kincardine. And these businesses in turn have the potential to attract other businesses, either similar in pursuit or activity, or services that support the resident businesses. For this reason it is worth spending a few moments to examine both parks.

Definitions

• An industrial park is typically “a large tract of land, sub-divided and developed for the use of several firms simultaneously, distinguished by its shareable infrastructure and close proximity of firms”.

• An eco-industrial park satisfies the definition of an industrial park, but in addition is “a community of businesses that cooperate with each other and with the local community to efficiently share resources, (information, materials, water, energy, infrastructure and local habitat), leading to economic gains, gains in environmental quality, and equitable enhancement of human resources for the business and local community”*

* See 2010 presentation by Raymond Côté, Senior Fellow Eco-Efficiency Centre, Dalhousie University, Halifax: http://www.crsc.ualberta.ca/en/Events%20Archive/2010-09-16-EcologicallySustainableIndustrialParks.aspx

The Bruce ECO Industrial Park

Originally called The Bruce Energy Centre, the park is located about 12 km from Kincardine and occupies 245 acres of land immediately adjacent to Bruce Power. Steam, electricity, water and sewer services were supplied to the site by Bruce Power. The eco-industrial park designation allowed for medium to heavy industrial uses all with the possibility of outdoor storage.

Canadian Agra Inc* located in Kincardine helped kick-start the project.

* Canadian Agra was established in 1981, is owned by the Sieber family, originally from Austria. The company was founded to buy farmland throughout

Canada and to assemble land holdings of 1000 to 5000 acres. That land was then sold to European investors. Canadian Agra would then lease out the land and provide property management.

Initially, six companies organized around Bruce Power to take advantage of its waste heat and steam generation. The main industries in the park included:

• Bruce Tropical Produce – a hydroponic greenhouse, equivalent to a 100-acre field, growing 2.3 million pounds of tomatoes each year.

• Bruce Agra Foods – which processed fruits and vegetables into concentrates, sauces and purees.

• Bruce Agra Dehy – dehydrated locally grown crops to produce nutrient rich feeds for livestock and horses.

• Commercial Alcohols – the largest manufacture and distributor of alcohol in Canada

• BI-AX International – as specialized company that manufactures special polypropylene films.

• St. Lawrence Technologies – a research and development facility that specializes in finding ways to convert renewable resources to viable products.

Despite the remoteness of the location, businesses with larger energy needs located there because of the cheap heat/energy. Once Bruce Power was brought in, they stopped offering ‘cheap heat’. Only full-priced energy is available.

Currently, the greenhouse is empty; the brewery closed; Greenfield Ethanol still uses the building; and two small tenants are on site.

One potential inhibitor for successful development in the ECO Park is lack of natural gas. With the exception of certain types of heavy industry, which require remoteness, no competitive advantage cost-wise has been identified for the site.

About 30 eco-industrial parks are at various stages of development around the world. Most have only reached the design stage. Some like Bruce have set up but failed to launch successfully. A couple of examples of eco-industrial parks that have prospered:

• Kalundborg, Denmark: Partners include Novo Nordisk (the largest producer of insulin in the world), Novozymes (the largest producer of enzymes in the world), Gyproc (French producer of gypsum board), RGS 90 (Danish soil remediation and recovery company) and others. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalundborg_Eco-industrial_Park

• TaigaNova, Alberta, Canada: Partners include the Alberta Construction Safety Association, Epcor, Honeywell, Cummins, AGAT Laboratories, and others. http://www.taiganova.com

Kincardine Business Park

The proposed park is planned for light or prestige industrial uses. The Municipality is studying the park’s development. In 2013, a price tag of at least $10 million was assessed for its development, plus another $1-$2 million for servicing the park and completing upgrades to existing municipality infrastructure. The Municipality is looking at developers or landowners to kick-start the project.

However, prospective developers or landowners interested in finding more about Kincardine Business Park, will have a hard time finding information on the Municipality’s website. http://www.kincardine.net/documents.cfm?categoryid=71

So it was interesting to read a report in The Kincardine Independent (May 2014), which informs that Kincardine’s business park could be greatly expanded in the next few years. Work has begun on a new TownPlace Suites Marriot. The hotel expects to open late spring 2015 with 84 guest rooms. A 6,500-square foot conference centre will connect the hotel. Moreover, the Legacy Hospitality Management and Development, which is developing the project on three acres, also owns 30 acres that Legacy’s managing partner, Arif Ismail, says his company is in talks “with a number of businesses that have expressed interest in occupying space on the property…. We are negotiating to get industrial, commercial and retail here. We want to develop that portion on land in the next few years.” http://www.independent.on.ca/site/?q=node/4373

Target Groups

Kincardine BIA’s 2013 survey of businesses on summer events (Impact Analysis of the Summer of 2013) includes this comment from one of the owners:

“Need events that include younger age groups. All events are for 40+ age groups” (additional comment #16)

Other data collected by Kincardine seems to confirm this. The 2009 Economic Impact Study on the Kincardine Scottish Festival indicate that the “non-local visitor is over the age of 50, mostly female… are married / living together with children grown up”.

Senior visitors to Kincardine can be considered good news for community business recruitment and retention. It all depends on how you look at it. As discussed earlier, tourism is a business attraction strategy. It can and should be used as a way of bringing new businesses into Kincardine.

According to a recent study by Merrill Lynch, titled “Work in Retirement: Myths and Motivations, Career Reinventions and the New Retirement Workscape”

(June 2014), many senior-aged tourists could eventually set up shop in Kincardine.

Working in retirement (based on 1,800 working retirees)

• 62% continued to work to stay mentally active • 46% work to stay physically active • 42% work for the social connections it provides • 36% work for sense of identity and self-work • 31% work to make money

Even if Kincardine is not able to attract “grey entrepreneurs” the aging population base offers numerous opportunities for a younger cohort of business owners.

Potential Wins

• Dooher’s Bakery in Campbelford, ON is regularly voted the best bakery in Northumberland County. It sells out its bake goods not just in summer during the busy tourist season, but all year round as well. The 2010 survey of residents listed a bakery as one of their top five ideas. A Scottish Bakery fits Kincardine’s overall heritage and branding.

- Grandpa Jimmy’s Scottish Bakery is located in Grand Bend. Perhaps they could be encouraged to expand to a second location in Kincardine? https://www.google.ca/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&es_th=1&ie=UTF-8#q=grandpa%20jimmy's%20scottish%20bakery

• Several sources point on the need for tourism training. The 2010 study for the Kincardine Business Improvement Area states: “We really need hospitality training, to address the lack of really good customer service.” (p. 26). In 2011 the Four County Labour Planning Board made the same point: “Effective and on-going customer service excellence training and industry standard professionalism training is a requirement for the continued success of this industry in the Four County region. Higher levels of education in the replacement workforce is needed as positions continue to be created, particularly in the high tourist season.” Kincardine could set up a tourism and training campus, in conjunction with Fanshawe College and its School of Tourism and & Hospitality. http://www.fanshawec.ca/tourism Given Kincardine’s tourism focus, providing training and co-op experience is a real possibility. Stratford, ON did something similar when it successfully partnered with Waterloo and set up the innovative Digital

Media Campus.

Going Forward

After reviewing about 2,000 pages of surveys and available data that is relevant to the topic of business attraction and recruitment in smaller (rural) communities, we believe the following conclusions can begin to inform a strategy for going forward.

1. Economic development or business attraction in smaller communities may not be about the 'what' or type of business but the 'who' or type of person inclined to start/operate a small town enterprise. A successful strategy will profile the types of people wanted and where to find them.

2. While tourism is often seen as a contributor to business recruitment, it may not be working in Wiarton and Kincardine. Both communities feel closed to business for 10 months per year. Both community brands have not yet been interpreted for business recruitment. Community information regarding economic development is not easy to find. Recruitment communications will have to be aligned with the audience we want to attract.

3. Existing data is either too old or too thin, and there are no ‘magic bullets’ that we could identify. That said, we also believe collecting more data will be of little use in the execution of a business attraction program.

4. We believe both community brands can be interpreted for business development/attraction. There is no need to evolve the brands. We just have to aim them in the right direction.

5. There are clusters in and around both communities. While small, they are the foundations for attracting new business (owners) to the area.

6. The Bruce Nuclear Generating Station is a potential source of entrepreneurs - this will impact Kincardine and should be core to our strategy. Wiarton does not enjoy this 'side effect' of a huge local employer with international reach. But Wiarton does have hundreds of thousands of tourists passing through per year and an extremely unique piece of geography. Both, in addition to agri-businesses, will inform a strategy for Wiarton.

7. Local business people in both communities will be important participants in recruitment. We'll need local mentors, champions, their opinions and their networks.

Finally - we believe ideas, innovation and action (implementing a plan) will contribute more to business development and recruitment than more data

collecting. There are examples of small communities throughout North America that are successful because they take bold steps to position themselves as progressive, interesting places to bring ideas to life and to live. That's the opportunity going forward.

BRUCE  COUNTY  

360  DEGREES  OF  ATTRACTION  

CONTENTS  

•  The  Journey  So  Far  

•  Who  Not  What  

•  PosiBoning  NarraBve  

•  Top-­‐line  Strategy  

•  Regional  Strategy  

•  Community  Strategy  

•  Recommended  Next  Steps  

THE  JOURNEY  SO  FAR…  

THE  JOURNEY  SO  FAR…  

•  The  objecBve  remains  clear;  aQract  and/or  grow  businesses  to  Bruce  County  (Kincardine  &  Wiarton  as  test  cases  to  establish  a  winning  process).  

•  We  expanded  the  premise  to  reach  beyond  main  streets.  The  ecosystem  of  a  community  extends  beyond  its  downtown.    

•  The  Audit  Report  was  delivered  to  the  working  commiQee  on  July  22.    

•  We  audited  exisBng  data,  websites,  business  aQracBon  readiness,  exisBng  plans  and  an  inventory  of  current  businesses  and  gaps.    

THE  JOURNEY  SO  FAR…  

•  We  reviewed  exisBng  tourism  brands;  while  extremely  good  and  on  the  right  path  in  both  communiBes,  the  brands  do  not  necessarily  transiBon  tourism  to  BR&E.    

•  We  conducted  orienteering  sessions  in  both  communiBes  (business  leaders  and  influencers).  

•  We  studied  ED  reports  and  data,  best  pracBces  from  similar  communiBes  and  resources.  The  majority  reveal  good  planning  but  limited  execuBon.    

•  We  searched,  filtered  and  considered  informaBon  as  business  operators/owners  from  outside  the  communiBes.  

THE  JOURNEY  SO  FAR…CONCLUSIONS  

1)  The  data  is  thin,  somewhat  out  of  date  and  does  liQle  to  establish  a  way  forward.  It  is  also  inconsistent  between  both  communiBes,  so  must  be  assumed  the  inconsistency  grows  when  you  add  more  communiBes.    

2)  Both  communiBes  lack  BR&E  brands  that  are  equal    and  complementary  to  the  tourism  brands.  We're  not  business-­‐ready.  

3)  There  seems  to  be  a  gap  in  strategy  between  the  region  and  individual  communiBes.  One  is  not  (yet)  feeding  the  other  (funnel  process).  

THE  JOURNEY  SO  FAR…CONCLUSIONS  

4)  Respecdully  -­‐  both  towns  are  aQracBve.  So  are  many  of    the  other  similar  communiBes  with  similar  aQributes  that  are  using  similar  grants  to  reposiBon  themselves  for  BR&E  (all  using  similar  strategies).    

5)  In  the  context  of  (4),  remoteness  becomes  a  significant  obstacle  for  the  communiBes  of  Bruce  County.  

6)  And  in  the  context  of  (5),  how  Bruce  networks  and  builds  its  business  community  at  and  around  home  is  just  as  important  as  reaching  further  afield.  

To  simply  create  a  100-­‐page  strategy  document  that  idenBfies  gaps,  quotes  subject  maQer  experts,  references  entrepreneurial  psychographics  and  so    on  will  not  generate  tangible  results  in    our  opinion.  Most  communiBes  lack  the  on-­‐staff  resources  to  execute  these  programs.  

WHAT’S  NEEDED  IS  AN  ACTION  PLAN    THAT  WILL  RESULT  IN:  

•  A  connected  regional/local  process  for  aQracBng  and  supporBng  community  specific  BR&E.    

•  Mobilizing  regional  and  local  business  people  to  contribute  to  and  support  public  sector  efforts.    

•  A  business  brand  that  is  equal  in  strength  and  inspiraBon  to  the  tourism  brands.    

•  A  clear  understanding  of  who  (not  what)  we  want  to  aQract.  And  the  means  to  reach  them.    

Who  Not  What…  

The  Business  AQracBon/Expansion  appeal  for  all  of  Bruce  County  (with  the  possible  excepBon  of  businesses  related  to  Bruce  Power)  should  focus  on  an  entrepreneurial  mindset  as  opposed  to  specific  kinds  of  businesses  to  fill  a  gap.    

THERE  ARE  (AT  LEAST)  EIGHT  SEGMENTS  OF  PEOPLE  WE  SHOULD  KEEP  TOP  OF  MIND  WHEN  DEVELOPING  THE  BRUCE  ACTION  PLAN.  

•  ExisBng  Owner/Operators  (Expansion)  

•  Friends  &  Family    (Mobilized  Network)  

•  Free  Spirits  (Trekkers  &  Surfers)  

•  Tourists  (What  if…)  

•  Bruce  Alumni  (Come  Home)  

•  Pension-­‐Happy  (55  &  Flush)  

•  Bruce  Power  Families    (Bored  Brains)  

•  Seasonal  Residents  (Investors)  

CreaBng  and  execuBng  communicaBons  tacBcs  against  each  segment  is  a  key  success  factor.    

Engage  The  Mindset:    Bruce  Business  AQracBon  NarraBve  

A  NarraBve  posiBons  the  brand  and  sets  the  message  parameters.  It  establishes  context  and  answers  the  quesBon  why.  It  informs  both  what  you  should  focus  on  inside  and  communicate  outside.    

IMAGINE  A  DIFFERENT  LIFE...  

 In  this  life,  whether  you're  starBng  out  or  easing  back,  your  ideas  have  space  and  Bme  to  grow.  In  this  different  life,  the  pursuit  of  what  truly  gets  you  up  in  the  morning  is  less  about  the  race  and  more  about  individual  drive.  In  your  new  life,  the  pressure  cooker  has  an  off-­‐switch.    

 Imagine  a  life  where  accomplishment  replaces  what  might  have  been,  Bnkering  leads  to  invenBon,  art  becomes  industry  and  sweat  becomes  equity.  Imagine  a  life  where  that  equity  -­‐  past,  present  and  future  -­‐  goes  100%  further  than  you  ever  thought  it  might.    

 Imagine  a  life  where  independent  thinking  is  supported  by  enBre  communiBes  of    like-­‐minded  people;  so  you  can  be  on  your  own,  but  only  as  alone  as  you  choose  to  be.  Imagine  a  new  life  where  energy,  nature,  agriculture  and  innovaBon  all  combine  to  create  ferBle  ground  for  your  dream  to  grow.    

 There  is  a  different  life  for  those  with  the  spirit  to  explore  it  in  the  communiBes  of  Bruce  County.  And  we're  here  to  help  when  that  spirit  moves  you...  

BRUCE  TO  BUSINESS  (B2B)  

•  Lead  regionally  (Bruce  County).  Act  locally  (Kincardine,  Wiarton,  etc.).  Create  an  iniBaBve  called  Bruce  To  Business  that  takes  advantage  of  Bruce  resources  to  aQract  and  posiBon,  while  mobilizing  local  parBcipaBon  to  bring  opportuniBes  home  and  support  them.     BRUCE 2

BUSINESS

REGIONAL:  

•  Create  a  B2B  Digital  Engine  that  helps  entrepreneurs  and  businesses  determine  (explore  and  self-­‐select)  which  Bruce  community  is  the  best  fit  for  their  specific  'dream'  or  needs.  Use  digital  communicaBons  to  spread  the  word.      

LOCAL:  

•  Create  the  B2B  Mentoring  Network  and  Toolkit  that  provides  communiBes  with  a  step-­‐by-­‐step  program  to  fulfill  what  the  Engine  delivers  (funnel)  while  encouraging  local  expansion  and  exploraBon  within  the  exisBng  business  community.    

THE  DIGITAL  ENGINE  

PARTNERS PASSION MATCH LIFESTYLE

ABOUT BRUCE

BUSINESS PRIMER

Explore a different life.Imagine what life could be. With time and space to grow. Where it's less about the race and more about individual drive. Where tinkering leads to invention, art becomes industry and sweat becomes equity. And where that equity goes 100% further than you ever thought it might. Imagine a life where energy, nature, agriculture and innovation all combine to create fertile ground. Imagine it – then start building it here.

THE  DIGITAL  ENGINE  

PARTNERS PASSION MATCH LIFESTYLE

ABOUT BRUCEWorld-leading energy innovation, world biosphere reserve, two million people...

BUSINESS PRIMER

Explore a different life.Imagine what life could be. With time and space to grow. Where it's less about the race and more about individual drive. Where tinkering leads to invention, art becomes industry and sweat becomes equity. And where that equity goes 100% further than you ever thought it might. Imagine a life where energy, nature, agriculture and innovation all combine to create fertile ground. Imagine it – then start building it here.

THE  DIGITAL  ENGINE  

How to grow a business in Bruce County.Startups & expansion, aid & tips.

Starting

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Expanding

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ABOUT BRUCE BUSINESS PRIMER PASSION MATCH PARTNERS LIFESTYLE

NAVIGATION

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

LINKEDIN

BRUCE COUNTY / NORTH BY NORTHWEST

THE  DIGITAL  ENGINE  

Match your talents to the best opportunities in Bruce County.

Content is focused on having the visitor complete a simple form that helps the search engine identify opportunity matches in the region.

ABOUT BRUCE BUSINESS PRIMER PASSION MATCH PARTNERS LIFESTYLE

Name Skills

Talent

Preferred Business

Lifestyle Options

Submit

Contact info is provided along with a few successful matches to consider.

NAVIGATION

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

LINKEDIN

BRUCE COUNTY / NORTH BY NORTHWEST

EXPLORE  A  DIFFERENT  LIFE  

•  Allows  visitors  to  explore  Bruce  communiBes  by  establishing  their  preferences  and  match  talents.  

•  Provides  basic,  up-­‐to-­‐date  ED  informaBon  in  one  place  and  links  to  other  sites/sources  of  info.    

•  Where  success-­‐story  videos  about  senng  up  shop  or  expanding  in  Bruce  reside.    

•  Links  visitors  directly  to  the  Business  Owner  Network  of  their  choice  in  each  community.    

•  PosiBoning  is  aligned  with  the  strategy  and  narraBve;  site  is  current,  fresh  and  appealing.  

REGIONAL  RATIONALE:  EXPLORE  A  DIFFERENT  LIFE  (DIGITAL  ENGINE)  

•  Think  of  it  as  eHarmony  for  entrepreneurs    (we're  connecBng  businesses  and  communiBes).  

•  AQracts  candidates  from  all  segments  and  invites  exploraBon  by  people  who  are  looking,  who  'get  it’.    

•  Scalable;  also  beQer  and  easier  to  support  at  the  regional  level;  provides  real  value  to  community  iniBaBves.  

•  Links  to  real  people  in  each  town/faster  track.    

•  Measurable,  easy  to  change,  evolve.    

REGIONAL  COMMUNICATIONS:  

•  Digital  development  

•  SEO  (entrepreneurial  focus)  

•  Adwords/PPC  

•  Targeted  PR  (Energy/Eng,  Ag,  Enviro,  EcoTour,  etc.)  

•  Digital  adverBsing  

B2B Wiarton B2B Kincardine B2B Regional

Find Yourself In Bruce CountyThe opportunities to start or expand your business ideas and passions in Bruce County are almost unlimited. But a great, real world way to determine the best fit is to connect with a network of mentors and business people who are already living a different life and loving it in the communities of Bruce.

Choose the community network that fits you best. Or follow the path to B2B Regional to join the discussion in the Bruce Regional Economic Development office.

BRUCE 2 BUSINESS

B2B  LOCAL:  THE  LOCAL  NETWORK  

B2B  LOCAL:  THE  LOCAL  NETWORK  

B2B Kincardine

B2B Regional

BRUCE 2 BUSINESS

B2B Wiarton

main

groups

James SmithEnershare Tech9 members

How to Form a B2B Wiarton Group1. Dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod.

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my page groups about Bruce2Business

blog posts

Welcome to B2B WiartonSubhead for Wiarton

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Michelle WallaceBiosphere Treks6 members

SurfiaCustom Boards18 members

Yakobov & LeeChartered Accountants24 members

View All

THE  LOCAL  NETWORK  

•  Create  a  pladorm  where  individual  community  business  owner  networks  can  connect,  share  ideas,  leads  and  mentoring.    

•  Develop  on  WordPress,  Ning  Pladorm  or  LinkedIn.    

•  Most  likely  there  will  be  a  common  front  door  (Bruce  To  Business);  this  will  be  linked  upstream  to  the  Regional  site  (Explore  A  Different  Life).  

•  Two  groups  to  start;  Kincardine  and  Wiarton.  Visitor  gets  to  the  front  door,  chooses  a  community  and  gets  involved,  or  goes  directly  to  the  community  that  you  are  involved  in,  bypassing  the  front  door.    

B2B  LOCAL:  THE  COMMUNITY  TOOLKIT  

TOOLKITKINCARDINE

BRUCE 2 BUSINESS

B2B  LOCAL:  THE  COMMUNITY  TOOLKIT  

TOOLKITKINCARDINE

BRUCE 2 BUSINESS

Bruce County - B2B - TOOLKIT - Instruction Card / Flashdrive

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TOOLKIT

BRUCE 2 BUSINESS

Welcome to your Kincardine B2B toolkit. Start at the beginning and work your way through the easy-to-follow process for attracting businesses, supporting expansion and supporting local business culture.

TOOLKIT

BRUCE 2 BUSINESS

WHERE TO START

WHO TO LOOK FOR

HOW TO COMMUNICATE FAST-TRACKING

USING THE B2B NETWORK REGION

Where To Start

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TOOLKIT

BRUCE 2 BUSINESS

WHO TO LOOK FOR

HOW TO COMMUNICATE FAST-TRACKING

USING THE B2B NETWORK REGION

WHERE TO START

WHERE TO START

How To Communicate

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TOOLKIT

BRUCE 2 BUSINESS

WHO TO LOOK FOR FAST-TRACKING

USING THE B2B NETWORK REGION

HOW TO COMMUNICATE

Co-op Kit Print Ads Brochure

Online Online etc

THE  COMMUNITY  TOOLKIT  

•  Create  a  repository  of  ads,  tacBcs,  sample  brochures  and  direcBon  that  local  B2B  Groups  and  ED  commiQees  can  use  to  transiBon  regional  acBvity  into  local  business  aQracBon  markeBng  and  support.    

•  Could  be  a  real  box  or  a  'digital  box'.  

     -­‐  Self-­‐service,  like  a  co-­‐op  adverBsing  kit  

     -­‐  How  to  collect  the  right  informaBon        -­‐  Advice  for  fast-­‐tracking  business  queries  

•  Make  it  easily  updatable;  may  want  to  consider  a    B2B  intranet    

COMMUNITY  RATIONALE:  B2B  LOCAL  NETWORK  &  TOOLKIT  

•  Gives  local  communiBes  ulBmate  control  over  execuBon  and  costs  (and  related  results).    

•  Is  as  turnkey  as  possible;  allows  slow  or  fast  launch  depending  on  the  town  and  resources.    

•  Can  include  an  IniBaBon  Program  where  the  local  group  is  'taught'  how  to  use  the  program.  

•  Allows  more  accurate  targeBng.    

•  Is  owned  and  managed  by  the  local  B2b  group.  

OVERALL  B2B  ATTRIBUTES:  

•  Allows  both  outbound  and  inbound  digital  connecBvity.    

•  As  turnkey  as  is  possible;  as  self-­‐directed  as  necessary.    

•  Allows  segmentaBon  and  tailoring.  

•  Engages  community  business  leadership,  parBcipaBon  and  ownership  -­‐  takes  advantage  of  local/personal  networks.    

•  Visual  branding  is  as  strong  as  Spruce  The  Bruce    (but  less  intrusive  so  as  not  to  interfere).  

•  Uses  both  regional  and  local  resources  in  the  right  way  to  maximize  value.    

NEXT  STEPS:  

•  Improve  and  approve  top  line  strategy  and  regional/local  collaboraBon.  

•  Complete  segment  profiles.  

•  IdenBfy  community  business  leader  networks  and  sell  parBcipaBon;  choose  the  right  pladorm.  

•  Finish  conceptual  creaBve  for  all  tools  create  a  deployment  budget.  

County of Bruce: Business Needs Analysis

Business Matching and Action Plan

November 14th 2014

Introduction

The business matching criteria is based on what we know or have learned about the communities of Kincardine and Wiarton through site visits, discussion with local stakeholder groups, and through Tenzing’s situation analysis process, including some but ultimately limited economic data.

The two communities are distinct from each other. Not just in their location, but also in how they regard their towns’ growth prospects. Each has specific conditions that encourage or discourage business development.

What we know – and what has been generally acknowledged by all concerned – is that candidates that are likely to set up businesses, or invest in commercial enterprises, are those who “get it”. In other words, the place/location chooses them, more than the other way around. For the most part, the business owners that we are likely to appeal to are the ones who - for whatever reason - connect with Kincardine or Wiarton. We heard this stated repeatedly. The connection or bond that is formed with Kincardine or Wiarton may be based more on emotional ties than on left-brain logical considerations. Though importantly, empirical facts and data are necessary to support the emotional pull to set up a business in either of the two towns.

Someone with $100,000 to invest in a new restaurant may choose Kincardine because of its beautiful setting on Lake Huron and the quality of life that the town offers. Nonetheless, the future business owner will also want to be assured that the volume of seasonal visitor traffic plus trade from local customers will provide the new venture with a reasonable ROI.

Sophisticated site selectors may shortlist either Kincardine or Wiarton for numerous reasons. Bruce Power’s presence is clearly a strong draw for companies that are aligned to the energy sector (nuclear or otherwise), including companies that provide technical, consulting, maintenance or equipment services. Their reasons for choosing Kincardine will not be based on emotions but on other factors, such as wanting to be part of a growing energy cluster, and the benefits that provides, including access to a growing talent pool, networking opportunities, availability of lucrative contracts to sell or develop reciprocal services, geographic clout in the region, and more.

It will take an integrated strategic and tactical plan to attract and recruit businesses. Specific recruitment and target engagement tactics will be needed, given the differences between the prospects. The business owner who moves to Kincardine or Wiarton because “they get it” and the prospects whose site selection criteria are very deliberate have distinct needs and interests. For this later group, the selected location has to literally check off all the boxes before any consideration to setting up a new business is seriously contemplated. To convince the former may only take a visit for them to visualize their future in a new setting. Kincardine and Wiarton have to prepare for each possibility.

This is up for further discussion.

Kincardine

There is no shortage of retail in Kincardine; the mix may not be perfect or to everyone’s tastes. Local stakeholders indicated some of the shopping is too exclusive (expensive) in that it appeals to rich out-of-town shoppers, or those with higher incomes, mostly represented by the employees of Bruce Power.

Previous research pointed out gaps in the retail scene. Changing technology and consumer preferences mean some of the options are no longer viable – such as having a video store in town, like Blockbuster (used to be before it went out of business).

Kincardine stakeholders have also indicated they are flexible in their shopping habits, meaning, they do not hesitate to drive to a big box store on the outskirts of town, or to a discount mall down the highway, or even to drive as far as Toronto or other urban centres to get what they want.

If previous retailers were not able to sustain their operations in downtown Kincardine, this might suggest that the local residents did not support them with their business, and rather took their business to where there was better selection, better service, cheaper prices or perhaps all three.

Across Canada the small, independent hardware stores that used to be a mainstay of every shopping district have closed because shoppers have taken their business to the big box outlets. The small hardware store has fallen to the cold law of supply and demand. It is unlikely that another retailer – including chain’s will actively choose to set shop in downtown Kincardine.

Moreover, the face of retail is rapidly changing. More and more people are choosing to purchase goods and services online. The traditional “bricks” model of retailing is morphing, and will continue to do so in both small towns and large cities, leaving darkened store windows and closed shops along main street and in the malls.

It will take more than retail outlets and chains to fulfill Kincardine’s wish-list for more business.

That being said, there is a virtuous cycle that occurs when businesses (of any kind) grow and expand. As businesses expand they attract more people. Higher populations attract more retail. Higher density creates the opportunity to start-up new and different kinds of stores, with multiple offerings and choices within the same category, such as clothing and restaurants. And on it goes.

The point being, Kincardine’s focus should be on attracting businesses, not just retail operations, and not just to the downtown core, but throughout the municipality.

In no particular order, the following businesses match Kincardine’s needs, based on what know, or have heard, or believe to be true.

1. Accommodation

Opportunity: Bed & Breakfast Inns

• Currently, there are four (4) B&Bs listed. There is opportunity to add more inns.

Rationale:

• The town’s tourism push (currently, over a 100K visitors each year) suggests the need for additional, alternative forms of accommodation to keep visitors in town for overnight stays.

• B&Bs appeal to visitors of all kinds, with an emphasis on the 30-50 year old demographic, with middle-class incomes. Source: http://teoros.revues.org/738

• The average B&B employs 4.6 people. Source: http://www.thebandblady.com/bb-statistics-highlight-growing-trends.html

• The B&B sector is also highly profitable for operators, making it a desirable entry-level business for anyone who may want to move to Kincardine and start a new life. Source: https://www.ic.gc.ca/app/scr/sbms/sbb/cis/benchmarking.html?code=721191&lang=eng and http://www.moneysense.ca/property/income/starting-a-business-how-i-started-a-bb

Action:

• There are numerous websites that cater to prospective owners/operators of B&B inns, including forms, government sponsored sites on how to start / run a B&B, and as well as trade and association sites. A few options include:

o The Federation of Bed and Breakfast Accommodation (also see the Conference Program that was held last weekend) http://www.fobba.com/

o BBCanada - see the owners’ section, including instruction on how to start a B&B http://www.bbcanada.com/bb_marketplace/instructors/

o Bedandbreakfast.com is a US site that offers advice and programs for innkeepers: http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/innkeepers

• According to INC magazine, operating a B&B is the 7th top start-up (out of 10) among retirees. Which suggest, Kincardine could promote to residents age 55 plus who have retired or are contemplating future opportunities post retirement. Source: http://www.inc.com/ss/7-top-retirement-start-ups#6

2. Entertainment

Opportunity: Multi-use Venue / Movie Theatre

• The Aztec’s building condition makes it unsuitable for performances after Labour Day, leaving Kincardine without a local movie theatre for most of the year.

• A movie theatre is on the town’s 2010 wish list.

Rationale:

• According to at least one source, movie theatres have been proven to thrive even when the economy is down, making them a good bet for a small business operator. Source: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/233491

• Movies theatres are important to a town’s sense of place, and play an integral role in helping to retain local workforce. Source: http://celluloidjunkie.com/2014/04/11/gates-family-foundation-saves-small-town-cinema-death-digital

• Mixed use venues that combine cinema screens, coffee shops and other features provide more consistent revenue streams. Besides screening first-run movies, Cineplex has expanded its business operations by showing opera, sporting events, museum tours, as well as by renting out their venues to business groups, monetizing advertising opportunities and more.

• Source: http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/movies/2013/03/07/why_cineplex_ceo_ellis_jacob_doesnt_fear_the_future.html

Action:

• The opportunity might be taken up by a local resident (seasonal or fulltime) who has an interest in cinema, wants the experience of being a theatrical exhibitor, or who just wants to see the experience of “going to the movies” continue in their town.

• A second avenue is to contact known exhibitors, such as the Rainbow Cinema chain out of Edmonton, that recently took up ownership of the cinema in Cobourg, ON (pop. 11,000) Source: http://www.northumberlandmall.ca/news/detail/new-cinema-operator-announced-at-northumberland-mall/

• A third avenue is for the community to start a coop venture to run a cinema. This has proved financially successful for at least one town in Ontario Source: http://www.northerndevelopment.bc.ca/explore-our-region/success-stories/beacon-theatre-goes-hollywood-with-new-digital-projector

3. Senior Services

Opportunity: Home Care Service Provider

• The Bruce Community Futures Development Corporation 2011 report on Bruce Seniors’ Needs Analysis sets up the opportunity.

The report outlines businesses and services that are in short supply. For entrepreneurs this should suggest an opportunity is to create new businesses to meet a growing demand. The list includes:

o Provision of Home Care Services– including housekeeping services, meal preparation and personal care assistants (p. 30)

o Housing (i.e. Home Building) – extends to a broad spectrum of housing types from bungalows and apartments/condos to assisted living facilities (p. 29)

o Maintenance Services – home repairs / handyman services (p.27) o Transportation – specialized seniors programs and services (p. 54)

Rationale:

• Aging population isn’t unique to Kincardine, but Kincardine’s population is ageing slightly faster than the median age of Ontario. Source: http://www.city-data.com/canada/Kincardine-Municipality.html

• Significant opportunities are available for businesses that cater to baby boomers’ healthcare, home maintenance and delivery/transportation requirements.

• Health care is just one opportunity, but arguable the most significant opportunity. According to the Canadian Home Care Association the sector is worth $7 billion a year. Source: http://www.nursenextdoorfranchise.com/home-health-care-franchise/home-health-care-a-growing-industry

• According to the Ontario Home Care Association’s CEO, “We have seen the growth of small companies, like the beginning of franchises. That sort of growth I'd say is greater than the big companies.” Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/small-business/sb-growth/day-to-day/aging-population-sparks-opportunity-in-home-care/article15061458/

Action:

• Far ranging - from attracting franchise operators to the community like the Canadian chain “Nurse Next Door” - to encouraging local entrepreneurs to step up and seize the opportunity for themselves. Source: http://www.nursenextdoorfranchise.com/home-health-care-franchise/home-health-care-a-growing-industry

4. Bakery

Opportunity: Not just a bakery, but a SCOTTISH BAKERY

• A bakery is on the town’s 2010 wish list.

Rationale:

• A Scottish Bakery fits Kincardine’s overall heritage and branding.

Action:

• Grandpa Jimmy’s Scottish Bakery is located in nearby Grand Bend. Perhaps they could be encouraged to expand to a second location in Kincardine? Source: https://www.google.ca/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&es_th=1&ie=UTF-8#q=grandpa%20jimmy's%20scottish%20bakery

• Several community colleges across Ontario offer chef and culinary programs. Reaching out to the college’s placement services could lead to graduates who might want to relocate to or start a new business in Kincardine.

5. Tourism & Hospitality Training

Opportunity: A Regional Training Centre

• Several sources point to the need for tourism training. Many Kincardine businesses undertake training of staff in order to ensure their service needs are maintained during the busy summer season. This is probably effective, but it is not cost-efficient, and likely it results in inconsistent training standards.

• Given Bruce County’s emphasis on tourism and the push by communities in the region to attract visitors to their festivals and events, it makes sense to establish a training program that meets the specific requirements of local businesses. Kincardine could become the centre for a tourism and training campus.

Rationale:

• The 2010 study for the Kincardine Business Improvement Area states: “We really need hospitality training, to address the lack of really good customer service.” (p. 26).

• In 2011 the Four County Labour Planning Board made the same point: “Effective and on-going customer service excellence training and industry standard professionalism training is a requirement for the continued success of this industry in the Four County region. Higher levels of education in the replacement workforce is needed as positions continue to be created, particularly in the high tourist season.

Action:

• Kincardine could set up a tourism and training campus, in conjunction with Fanshawe College and its School of Tourism and & Hospitality. http://www.fanshawec.ca/tourism

6. Surf Culture

Opportunity:

• To be at the front end of a growing market, as Kincardine becomes the leading cold water surf destination on the Great Lakes.

• There are several ready-made businesses that fit this sector including shops that rent, sell or manufacture surf paraphernalia, schools that teach surfing, support services that cater to surfer accommodation and food destinations, and more.

Rationale:

• Tofino, BC has a population just 2000, yet it punches above its weight in establishments that cater to visitors and in particular, to cold water surfers from around the world. For example: Tofino offers visitors 142 places to stay; 70 places for food and beverages; 59 kinds of shops, including 13 outfitters and rentals. There is no reason why Kincardine could not achieve the same success. Source: http://www.tourismtofino.com/directory

Action:

• Sitka is a Canadian company with an established brand among surfers and wilderness activists. The essence of Sitka is that of a cold water brand that differentiates on “doing what you love in a harsh climate”. The visual image of their brand shows members of their surf team in snow and ice.

• Sitka aims to have 100% domestic Canadian production by 2016. • Make the business case to Sitka to establish an outlet in Kincardine.

Source: http://sitka.ca • Surf Ontario (http://www.surfontario.ca/) is a surf shop in Toronto that

sells equipment, offers lessons, and is a resource for cold water surfing enthusiasts in Ontario. Kincardine and other locations on Lake Huron are currently listed as lesson locations; there may be a natural opportunity for an expansion of their business.

7. Drake Hotel / Drake General Store

Opportunity:

• The Drake Hotel and its sibling, The Drake General Store offer an alternative and somewhat unique shopping / dinning / accommodation experience that fits in with Kincardine’s artistic culture.

Rationale:

• The proprietors of the Drake Hotel have just opened a new boutique hotel in Wellington (population 1,200). One local commentator (her online handle is Mama Fish) commented “The Drake is an excellent addition to our village it will bring interesting people and contribute to the economy of the county.” Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/travel/destinations/hip-hits-prince-edward-county-at-the-drake-devonshire/article21024193

• The Drake General Store concept has been expanding retail outlets across southern Ontario, including pop-up seasonal pop-up stores in conjunction with HBC. Source: http://www.drakegeneralstore.ca

Action:

• Contact Drake Hotel owner Jeff Stober and make the case for opening soon in Kincardine.

8. Local Foods

Opportunity:

• Create an outlet store that showcases local foods – from fresh produce in season, to prepared local specialties. Why shouldn’t Kincardine become a food destination?

Rationale:

• Walk along Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Queen Street and visitors quickly get a sense of the town as a food lover’s Mecca. Shops like Greaves Jams and Hillebrand Winery Boutique convey the bounty of the local countryside.

• Kincardine could set up a storefront that highlights the area’s importance in food production. It could be the centre where people learn about the agri-tourism opportunities in the region, and where visitors can buy local specialties. Source: http://www.kincardinenews.com/2009/09/15/local-food-project-continues-to-grow

• Given the growth of online delivery of food products, the outlet could be set up as a “bricks and clicks” operation, open all year, and selling local produce to customers around the world.

Action:

• Establish a cooperative among all the food growers in the area.

9. Brew Pub / Craft Brewery

Opportunity:

• Kincardine was once home to Steelback (now defunct). The opportunity is to open a new craft brewery or a brew pub that features its own locally brewed beers and ales, plus serves a full menu of food items.

• Kilannan Brewing Company is the only craft brewery in Bruce Region, and it is located in Owen Sound. Source: http://www.ontariocraftbrewers.com/breweriesMap.php

Rationale:

• Craft breweries are growing as tastes change. Ontario is home to 32 new community breweries that have opened in 2013, and over 150 more listed as either open or in the planning stage.

Opportunity:

• Contact the Ontario Craft Brewers Association for a line on companies or individuals who maybe ideal future partners for Kincardine’s needs. Source: http://www.ontariocraftbrewers.com

10. Credit Union

Opportunity:

• Kincardine’s retail financial services are covered by three big banks (RBC, Scotia and BMO) and by one credit union (Meridian).

• Meridian’s historic connection to HEPCOE (the former power workers’ credit union merged with Meridian in 2005) underscores its presence in Kincardine, but this should not rule out the opportunity for another credit union to open a branch in Kincardine.

Rationale:

• Stakeholders commented on how Kincardine pulls from southwestern Ontario. Notably, either families who are looking for vacation property or a retirement community. Kitchener-Waterloo-London is within Kincardine’s catchment area, and even more so than the Greater Toronto Area (other than the outskirts of Mississauga).

• It makes sense that credit unions within southwestern or south central Ontario may want to follow their customers to where they live and set up branches to serve them.

Action:

• Present the business case to leading credit unions such as Libro or First Ontario.

Wiarton

According to Spruce The Bruce’s Wiarton Toolkit:

“As the provisioning headquarters to the beautiful Bruce Peninsula, Wiarton is the perfect central basecamp for any day hike, boat trip or camping adventure.” This statement is essentially true. The physical beauty of its location, its proximity to the Bruce Trail, its setting on Colpoy’s Bay with access to Georgian Bay and the Great Lakes beyond give Wiarton many natural advantages. But according to discussions with Wiarton stakeholders, the town has some way to go before it becomes “the perfect central basecamp”. Many of the amenities that stakeholders discussed had to do with the need for a wider offering of services to appeal to a wide strata of visitors: from accommodation at different price points and comfort levels, to activities for visitors (including children) during the shoulder seasons and in the winter months, to broader availability of food and dining options. As discussed were the challenges that visitors have getting to and from Wiarton from large urban centres. Winter road conditions make the drive to Wiarton an adventure, to say the least. In the summer months the stated three-hour drive (see the Town of South Bruce Peninsula Community Profile) only applies to travelers coming from outer fringes of the Greater Toronto Region. In reality, it is more like fours hours (or longer) by car to reach downtown Toronto. In other words, the distance and the time it takes to travel, means that visitors who drive are committing to the destination, and to the likelihood of an overnight stay in Wiarton. The Wiarton/Keppel District Airport is certified to handle a variety of aircraft types and sizes. However, stakeholders indicted that the airport badly needs upgrading; and there are federal restrictions on the types of services it can provide under its current license. As well, there are ongoing disputes about the source of funding (i.e. who will pay) for the improvements the airport needs. That said it is universally recognized that the airport is an underdeveloped asset, which, in future could make a significant contribution to Wiarton’s economic development. As a smaller centre (Wiarton’s population is 2,291; the Town of South Bruce Peninsula is 8,500) it is understandable that local residents might travel to larger municipalities for the services they need or want. Nearby Owen Sound (population 21,680) in Grey County is approximately thirty minutes away by car.

However, visitors expecting a basecamp experience do not want to drive out of town (or even out of the county) for services and amenities. They want everything close at hand. Wiarton needs to become a purpose-built centre. The town must live up to the experience of truly being Basecamp to the Bruce Peninsula. Case-in-point: Whistler Mountain Bike Park is based in the British Columbia ski resort using ski lifts, ski runs, and other infrastructure to attract mountain bikers in the summer months. The study concluded that total visitor spending in Whistler attributable to mountain biking exceeded $34.3 million over the period June 4 to September 17, 2006, supporting an estimated $39.1 million in new economic activity (GDP). (Source: Sea to Sky Mountain Biking Economic Impact Study, Western Canada Mountain Bike Tourism Association). Moreover, there are positive economic indicators that suggest “soft outdoor adventures” represent a growth market for Wiarton. These include people who engage in hiking / backpacking, kayaking or canoeing, biking, horseback riding and birding. In North America there are upwards of 11 million potential customers who participate in “soft adventure activities” (Source: A Snapshot of the Hiking & Backpacking Travel Market in North America, 2003).

Among Ontario adventurers, long distance hiking trails like the Bruce Trail are the most popular (Source: Hike Ontario Survey, 1998). According to the aforementioned survey, attributes of Ontario hikers and walkers indicate:

• 48% were male; 52% female • 79% were under 50 years of age and of this number, 34.6% were 29 or

younger and 44.4% are between 30 and 49 years of age • 20% of the total number of respondents is between the ages of 50 and

69 years

• Hikers are generally well-educated – the majority hold a college diploma or higher

• Hikers are in the middle to upper income range; • Autumn is the most popular season for hiking, followed by spring,

summer and winter; • Most hikers hike with friends and/or family.

Source: http://www.ontariotrails.on.ca/assets/files/pdf/member-archives/reports/HO-BestPractices-Web.pdf

And more, Canada’s more than 6 million hikers, climbers and paddlers engage in numerous cultural and entertainment activities that have significant economic spin-offs:

• Going out to eat in restaurants: 92.4% • Going to festivals and fairs: 67.0% • Going to farmers’ markets: 44.3% • Going to day spas: 16.1%

And so is their preference for accommodation while on trips:

• Public campgrounds: 44.5% • Lakeside resort: 30.5% • Private campground: 29.5% • Health spa: 8.6% • Country inn with a gourmet restaurant: 6.9%

Source: TAMS 2006 – Canadian Activity Profile http://en-corporate.canada.travel/sites/default/files/pdf/Research/Product-knowledge/TAMS/Canadian%20Travellers%20Outdoor%20Activity/CDN_Hiking_Climbing_Paddling_en.pdf

In other words, the facts and figures support investment by entrepreneurs in Wiarton’s basecamp positioning. 1. Accommodation

Opportunity: Hostels

• Wiarton’s business list features eight (8) campgrounds and two (2) hotels. There are no hostels at the moment.

Rationale:

• More accommodation options will appeal to a wider sector of visitors, and extend the season beyond the traditional May thru October cycle. Local campgrounds like Trillium Woods close after Thanksgiving.

• Hostels appeal to a younger demographic that fit the profile of the largest cohort of hikers. For many younger foreign visitors, staying in hostels becomes part of the travel experience.

• Tofino, BC (population 1,876 residents) is similar in many ways to Wiarton. Tofino attracts visitors from around the world. Providing accommodation has become a leading business for the community. The town lists at least 25 B&Bs as well as subsets of inns, guest houses, hostels, campsites plus more up-market options, including condo suites, resorts, motels and hotels. Source: http://www.tofinochamber.org/business_directory/accommodations

Action: • Based on Tofino’s experience, “build it and they will come” seems to be

the message. The opportunity is there for local residents to extend the welcome mat by opening B&Bs or investing in the development of hostels, and guesthouses, or more expensive forms of accommodation.

• An alternate approach is to contact HI-Canada. Hostelling International-Canada (as it is also known as) has over 80 years of experience. This not-for-profit association manages a network of 60 hostels across Canada. They will be a rich source for leads, information, and know-how on how to set-up a hostel in Wiarton, or possibly to put the town in contact with entrepreneurs that are interested in expanding hostelling options in new communities.

2. Service Amenities

Opportunity: Dry Cleaners, Ice Cream Shops, Niche-type Stores

• These services were identified as missing in OMAFRA’s 2008 Report on Wiarton

• Source:http://www.southbrucepeninsula.com/en/economicdevelopment/resources/FirstImpressionsReport.pdf

Rationale:

• The writers of the First Impressions Report indicated their surprise that Wiarton had on offer several kinds of shoe stores, but lacked basic amenities such as ice cream, confectionary stores, or a dry cleaner, which typically are staples of small towns. (Note: Northern Confections started in Wiarton in 2008, so perhaps after the writers of the First Impressions Report published their findings).

• These businesses usually have a low-cost entry point but provide the potential of high margins, and this appeals to a wide range of entrepreneurs.

• As a basecamp, many adventurers are looking for small mementoes they can take home with them or food items they can consume while on the trail. They are looking for unique items, such as craft and handmade goods by local artisans and artists. Food and clothing items are particularly of interest. Banff, AB is similar size to South Bruce Peninsula (the population of Banff is 7,584). By comparison the town lists 16 different niche shops. (Source: http://www.discoverbanff.com/Shopping/GiftsKeepsakes). Wiarton’s long history in stone quarrying and wood finishing also suggest that more local stone and wood souvenirs could be offer to visitors.

Action:

• Many newcomers to Canada find initial business success in retail. As small business owners they often choose to operate establishments like dry cleaners and specialty stores. The Canadian Immigrant Newsletter details Simcoe’s success at recruiting new Canadians to its communities. Source: http://www.cicnews.com/2014/09/small-canadian-towns-hoping-attract-immigrants-canada-093763.html

• An alternate approach is to reach out to the many community centres in Toronto, representing the Province’s different ethnic and cultural groups, for their advice on recruiting future business owners to Wiarton.

• It seems as well, some of the opportunities discussed above could (and should) appeal to local Wiarton residents, and especially to the local craft and food producers, who would benefit from the opening of a year-round co-op store or craft centre. This may simply be a matter of planting the idea through an article in the community newspaper (Wiarton Echo) or encouraging a local business like jc Custom Art’s Jennifer Michelle Crawley 9 http://www.wiartonecho.com/2013/11/04/new-artist-in-town) to see the possibility in a new, but complimentary enterprise, or inviting a successful well-established manufacturer like Caframo to sponsor the development of a local art centre.

• Ottawa’s Rideau Canal Skateway is essentially a business managed by the National Capital Commission. Last winter the world’s longest skating rink attracted over a million visitors. Wiarton could create a similar attraction, with skate trails along the Bruce.

• The Skateway also gave birth to the very popular BeaverTails pastry, which is now a national franchise chain (http://www.beavertails.ca). WillyTails anyone?

3. Adventure Training

Opportunity: Training Centre for Industry Professionals or Wanabees

• Adventure training and certification of professionals is on the rise because the sector is growing rapidly.

Rationale:

• There is a lack of training standards and this is causing concern among the public. For profit and not-for-profits, including community colleges, are seeing the opportunity to step up and create standards by offering training programs. Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/outdoor-adventure-industry-lacks-oversight-victims-lack-recourse-1.2561140

• In addition to individuals who want credentials in order to advance their careers in the industry, there is also a large group of amateurs who want to make sure they are properly certified in order to enjoy their adventure sports safely. Scuba diving has a long-standing history of training novices and professionals. Amateurs (sport divers) obtain their international open water card, while others wishing to advance to a professional level, obtain certification as a dive master. Authorized training is often provided through learn-to-dive programs offered by local dive shops. The shops also sell wet suits, masks, tanks and other kinds of scuba equipment. They may also act as travel agents for scuba-diving holidays.

Action:

• Contact Fleming College in Lindsay, ON about setting up an adjunct campus in Wiarton. Fleming’s Outdoor Adventure Skills Program fits perfectly with Wiarton’s basecamp persona. There are numerous examples of colleges and universities that partner with communities outside of their traditional catchment areas in order to provide local training and education programs. Algoma University’s (Sault Ste. Marie) St. Thomas, ON campus is one example. Source: http://flemingcollege.ca/programs/outdoor-adventure-skills

• Alternatively, Wiarton could contact one of the for-profit groups that provide adventure training, such as Adventureworks Associates, Inc in Dundas, ON. Source: http://www.adventureworks.org/index/about.html

• A third option is to contact Canada’s Department of National Defence (DND) and convince them to sponsor an adventure training centre. DND would support the centre with personnel and set up training programs for the public. Additionally, the centre could be used for recruitment purposes. Source: http://www.forces.gc.ca/en/about-policies-standards-defence-admin-orders-directives-5000/5031-10.page

4. Provisioning

Opportunity: Sporting Goods Outfitters

• These are broadly defined by Statistics Canada as retailers under NAICS 45111.

• Sports equipment and repair services were identified as one of the gaps in the abovementioned First Impressions Community Exchange Report.

• More recently, Wiarton stakeholders identified this gap as an impediment to the town’s growth as “basecamp’.

Rationale:

• A community the size of Wiarton can support more than one outfitter. Indeed, adventurers will likely want to choose from a variety brands and makes of equipment at different price points.

• It is quite common in centres that cater to sports adventurers to see several establishments selling or renting sports equipment. Indeed, their multiple storefronts add to the visitors’ impression that town is a mecca for sports enthusiasts.

• The businesses are profitable. In 2011 the average annual net profit for small and medium-sized businesses in the Sporting Goods Stores category was $23,600. The gross margin was a healthy 37.5% Source: https://www.ic.gc.ca/app/scr/sbms/sbb/cis/benchmarking.html?code=45111&lang=eng

Action:

• Mountain Equipment Coop (MEC) is a Canadian success story. Consider approaching MEC about setting up an outpost in Wiarton. Source: http://www.mec.ca/AST/Navigation/MEC_Global/AboutMEC.jsp

• Alternatively, contact Thorncrest Outfitters, which has outlets in Southhampton and Tobermory, about setting up a Wiarton store. Source: http://www.thorncrestoutfitters.com/about.htm

• A source of business leads and detailed industry information is the Canadian Sporting Goods Association. Source: http://csga.ca/about

5. Bicycle Sales & Repairs

Opportunity: Specialist Cycle Sales & Service

• This sector is dominated by small, independents, making it an ideal start-up business for a cycling enthusiast with a desire to own their bike shop. Source: https://www.ic.gc.ca/app/scr/sbms/sbb/cis/establishments.html?code=451113&lang=eng#est2

• Stakeholders recently identified the absence of “a good bike shop” as an impediment to Wiarton’s growth as “basecamp”, given the area’s attraction to mountain bikers and trail riders.

Rationale:

• The category appeals to a broad cross-section of prospective entrepreneurs. There is not really a typical bike shop owner. Case in

point. Jamie Thiers is a 50-plus-year-old. He decided to open a bike shop in downtown Toronto as part of his retirement plan after a successful career as a high school teacher. His one-man shop on a side street in a residential neighbourhood is called “Biketoons” Source: http://cycleto.ca/org/biketoons

• Bike shops are becoming the new Starbucks – as a meeting place where people hang out, socialize, and even party. This adds to their attraction as businesses. Source: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/bike-shops-the-new-starbucks-2013-08-29

• Wiarton’s population base (2,000+ residents) is large enough to support a local shop year-round, with the upside of sales, rentals and services to visitors during peak riding season.

• The whole sector is growing rapidly, with cycling becoming “the new golf” for Baby Boomers. Source: http://cyclingmagazine.ca/sections/news/bicycle-sales-in-canada-regain-footing/

• In 2013, Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation laid out a 20-year cycling plan with the goal of becoming recognized as the “the best Canadian province for cycling and ranked among the top 10 jurisdictions worldwide”. Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/is-canada-missing-the-boat-on-cycling-tourists-1.2717129?

Action:

• There are numerous sites and forums that connect the cycling community. All it might take is to post an ad in one (or more) of the sites, inviting the community to set up a bike shop in Wiarton. Source: One such forum is Cycle Toronto: http://cycleto.ca/our-team; another is the eponymous Bike Forums: http://www.bikeforums.net/forum.php

• Bike Brothers is an independent store, based in Cochrane AB (population 17,580) that is hoping to franchise its operations. They might be a source for business leads. Source: http://www.bikebros.ca/bikebros.htm

• Incase someone locally wants to take up the opportunity but does not have prior experience of running a bike shop, the US-based National Bicycle Dealers Association provides detailed information on starting a bike shop, including typical operating costs / potential profit margins, and more. Advertising the opportunity in the Wiarton Echo might just kickstart the idea, and find someone locally like the above-mentioned retired high school teacher. Source: http://nbda.com/articles/want-to-start-a-bike-shop-pg70.htm

6. Tapping Into The Commuter Market

Opportunity:

• This is an opportunity for a small carrier that wants to make the Wiarton-Keppel Airport its home base for a commuter flight service.

• Daily air service will connect commuters in the crowded Kitchener-Waterloo-London market with Wiarton.

• Commuting by air will appeal to commuters who want to enjoy all the benefits of living in the natural beauty of the Bruce Peninsula.

• The travel distance from Wiarton to Kitchener is 114 miles (183 miles). By air this is well under an hour’s commute.

Rationale:

• County of Bruce stakeholders confirmed some residents already make the commute from Toronto and the Kitchener-Waterloo-London area.

• Commuting by air is popular in BC’s Lower Mainland. Everyday commuters catch flights from Nanaimo or Port Alberni or Salt Spring Island to go to work in downtown Vancouver. These commuters are like any other, except they fly rather than drive the distance. They choose to leave the city at night to return by air to more tranquil settings. Source: http://www.nanaimodailynews.com/news/nanaimo-region/benefits-of-living-in-nanaimo-just-too-much-for-workers-to-pass-up-1.244652

• Operationally, it is clearly a win-win for the carriers as well as for the commuters. For example, by road, Vancouver to Abbotsford is a little more than 67 kilometers. Because of traffic conditions in and around Vancouver, travel time can be more than an hour each way. By air, travel time is just 15 minutes, and costs about $50 each way. Source: http://www.abbotsfordairport.ca/assetfactory.aspx?did=17549

Action

• Brucelandair already operates a charter service out of Wiarton CYVV. This could be the starting point. Source: http://www.brucelandair.com

• Alternatively, Bearskin Airlines out of Thunder Bay has a history of being innovative, with flights to and from smaller communities. Source: http://www.bearskinairlines.com

• The industry publication AirCharterGuide.com lists more than 40 charter operators in Ontario. One or more of these maybe interested in a new business opportunity. Source: http://aircharterguide.com/CA_Operators/ON/Ontario

7. Marina

Opportunity:

• The opportunity is for Wiarton Marina to brand, sponsor, or take ownership of new summer and winter season sporting activities.

• The activities themselves will be a source of incremental business for the marina, while helping to build local businesses that are associated with

the activities, such as rentals, boat equipment and repairs, concessions selling branded goods, waterfront accommodation, and more.

Rationale:

• The above-mentioned First Impressions Community Exchange Report (p 17) indicates that the Marina and waterfront in Wiarton are undeveloped attractions. The reports suggest more water-based activities and community events have “the potential to attract tourists”. The activities listed fit nicely within Wiarton’s basecamp positioning. They include wind surfing / wake boarding; para sailing; kayaking; and sailing regattas / seadoo races.

• Wairton Marina is under new ownership – with new ownership comes fresh ways of looking at a business’s future potential.

• Sponsored events will help Wairton become a marina destination. • Some of the most successful marinas have branded events as ways to

attract new customers. Some examples: o Ocean Marina is the Pattaya Boat Show and Top of the Gulf

Regatta – Asia’s largest multi-class regatta. Source: http://www.tccc.or.th/ocean-marina-pattaya-boat-show-drives-marine-leisure-tourism-greater-pattaya/

o UK’s MDL Marinas sponsor the MDL Big Boat Championships Source: http://www.hamblewinterseries.com/news/mdl-marinas-supports-the-hamble-big-boat-championships-as-lead-sponsor-in-2014

o Marine Outfitters in Kingston, ON sponsors the annual Amherst Island Pursuit Race

o Source: http://www.hamblewinterseries.com/news/mdl-marinas-supports-the-hamble-big-boat-championships-as-lead-sponsor-in-2014

Action:

• One idea is to establish an annual sail race from Wiarton to Kincardine –from Georgian Bay to Lake Huron, around the treacherous waters at Tobermoy – and perhaps called “Wiarton Marina’s Bay to Lake Race”.

• The very successful Race to Mackinac Island at the top of Lake Huron covers a distance of 333 miles and attracts more than 350 boats each July. Source: http://www.cycracetomackinac.com/

8. Motorcycle Shop

Opportunity:

• Peninsula Sport and GT Sport are local businesses - but both are located out-of-town (Peninsula is nearby; GT Sport is further a field) - there is an opportunity to add a third shop, located in downtown Wiarton.

Rationale:

• Sales of new motorcycles and ATVs are on the rise. Many women riders

are taking to the road for the first time. According to one study, as many as 25% of new riders are women, which opens a new sales channel for bike store owners. Sources: http://www.mmic.ca/images/content/PDF/Annual%20Industry%20Report%20MMIC%20&%20COHV%20-%202013%20-%20summary.pdf and http://www.womenridersnow.com/pages/About_Women_Riders_Now.aspx

• The statistics on bike tourism suggest there is significant opportunity for Wiarton to gain greater share-of-wallet from riders. The average rider spends $300 - $400 to attend events. They need to stop for gas every three hours or so because their fuel tanks are small. This puts many riders in southern Ontario within striking distance of downtown Wiarton. Source: http://www.slideshare.net/alig8r/motorcycle-tourism

• The Bruce Peninsula is made for motorcycle enthusiasts. Numerous websites comment on the area’s open roads, beautiful trails, and scenic landscape. Source (among many): http://www.ridegreybruce.com/

• The First Impressions Community Exchange Report (p 18) suggests Wiarton could engage in more events to attract tourists – “motorcycle” is one of the activities listed. A cycle shop located in downtown Wiarton could take charge and make its own event or calendar of activities that attract riders from across North America.

Action:

• The action may be as straightforward as contacting one of the local bike shops and recommending they set up a location in town in order to take advantage of Wiarton’s basecamp positioning.

The following ideas are not specifically related to Wiarton’s basecamp positioning, but are interesting nonetheless.

9. Quarrying Operations

Opportunity:

• Build on the existing quarry operations. Pulverized limestone products are used in dozens of business sectors – from agriculture to oil & gas drilling operations (as drilling mud additives) to exhaust gas scrubbers for power plants, and more.

Rationale:

• There are several quarries in the Wiarton area that produce high-grade limestone and marble. Local businesses like Ebel, Arriscraft and Bruce Peninsula Stone offer cut and shaped natural stone for landscaping and building finishes. They ship material to company stores and authorized distributors across Canada through the US.

• However, according to the Town of South Bruce Peninsula Economic Development Plan 2005 (page 18), much of the quarried stone “…leaves the municipality largely in a raw, unfinished state. Some finishing is done, but we could do much better in terms of revenue generation, cottage industry development, jobs and skills development if more product left the Municipality in a value-added state.”

• In one form or another, each person needs about 62 kilograms (138 pounds) of limestone each year. Source: See below

Action:

• Contact the companies that specialize in producing pulverized limestone. One of these is Graymont, located based in Richmond, BC Source: http://www.graymont.com

• The National Lime Association lists member companies in Canada and the US. Source: http://www.lime.org/index/index.asp

10. Manufactured Homes Opportunity:

• Build on Wiarton’s lumber and wood fabricator business sector by attracting prefabricated micro-home manufacturers.

Rationale:

• There are several wood and building fabricators in the area including Frontier Log Homes, International Woodworking Limited and Brough & Whicher Limited, as well as several businesses that align to the construction trades. This suggests there are skilled technical and trades personnel who could support the development of a new venture, like manufactured micro-homes.

• Micro-homes represent a growing trend, as small prefabricated homes are being sought for infill projects in crowded cities, for first homes, as well as for vacation properties. Micro-homes range from basic construction to mid-market designs to luxury dwellings, appealing to a wide demographic and customer group that includes public housing, trailer camps, young professionals who want a first step on the property ladder, to retirees, and more.

Sources: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/20/garden/small-world-big-idea.html?_r=0 and http://online.wsj.com/articles/rethinking-the-double-wide-1407431525 and http://tinyhouseblog.com/park-model-homes/escape-park-models/

Action:

• There are several specialist manufacturers. Escape Homes has become the “poster child” for the micro-home movement, following an article that appeared in the Wall Street Journal earlier this year. Escape Homes was started by a resort owner in Wisconsin. It might be as simple as contacting Escape’s founder - Don Dobrowolski - about setting up a Canadian manufacturing operation. Sources: http://kstp.com/article/stories/s3495361.shtml and http://www.escapehomes.us

• A further source of leads is the National Home Builders Association. NHBA’s annual Builders’ Show (January 2015) is the largest gathering of professional home builders. Source: http://www.nahb.org/

• As well there are several Canadian prefab home builders, including Kent Homes in Atlantic Canada and Karoleena in Okanagan Falls, BC that may want to extend their operations to take advantage of markets in Central Canada or mid-US states. Sources: http://offer.karoleena.com/modern-prefab-modular-inquiry and http://www.kenthomes.com/kent-homes-home.aspx

Wiarton - Business List

Category Sub Category Name Phone AddressAccomodation Camping Bass Lake Resort Park 519-534-0919 179629 Grey Rd.Accomodation Camping Cape Crocker Park 519-534-0571 112 Park St. RR 5Accomodation Camping Fiddlehead Resort 519-534-0145 50 Oliphant Way RR 3Accomodation Camping Hope Bay Campground 519-534-1208 2 Hope Bay Rd. RR 6Accomodation Camping Mountain Lake Camp 519-534-0776 102 Mountain Lake Dr.Accomodation Camping Red Bay Tent & Trailer Park 519-534-2098 428 Huron Rd.Accomodation Camping Roth Park 519-534-0145 102 oarkside Ave RR 4Accomodation Camping Trillium Woods Campground 519-534-2555 129 Bryant St. RR 3Accomodation Hotel Pacific Inn 519-534-1370 624 Berford St.Accomodation Hotel Spirit Rock Outpost & Lodge 519-534-5168 877 Berford St.Association Boy Scouts Big Day Camp 519-534-3826 156 Dewar St.Association Bruce Peninsula Association 519-534-1730 294 Berford St.Association Maadookii Seniors Group 519-534-4918 33 Maadookii Cres.Association Oliphant Women's Institute Hall 519-534-3310 RR 3, WiartonAssociation Royal Canadian Legion 519-534-0622 330 Boyd St. Association Wiarton & District Curling Club 519-534-0171 563 George St.Associatoin Wiarton District Family Literacy Association 519-534-4040 572 Berford St.Manufacturer Caframo Ltd. 519-534-1080 501273 Gret Rd. 1Manufacturer International Woodworking Ltd 519-534-1692 588 ClaudeResources Quarry Arriscraft Corporation Adair Marble Quarries 519-534-0442 Hope BayResources Quarry Big Island Quarries 519-534-9688 141 Quarry Rd. Resources Quarry Bruce Peninsula Stone 519-534-3991 105 Greig Settlement Rd. Resources Quarry Ebel Quarries Inc. 519-534-0380 161 Old Oliphant Rd.Resources Quarry Limberlost Stone 519-793-3830 1692 HwyResources Quarry Wiarton Stone Quarry Inc. 519-534-2226 3566 Bruce Rd. 13Restaurant Green Door Café & Catering 519-534-3278 563 Berford St.Restaurant Kgum Bo Restaurant 519-534-0110 601 Berford St.Restaurant New Orleans Oizz 519-534-1223 637 Berford St.Restaurant Pacific Inn - Lucille's Restaurant & Lounge 519-534-1370 624 Berford St.Restaurant Red Fish Blue Fish 519-534-4091 565 Berford St.Restaurant Wiarton Inn & Restaurant 519-534-3400 666 Berford St.Retail Apparel Gilber's Shoe Store 519-534-1640 597 Berford St.Retail Apparel Josie's Fashions 519-534-5155 618 Berford St.

Retail Apparel Salvation Army Thrift Store 519-534-5799 557 Berford St.Retail Automotive Pinkerton's Auto Supply 519-534-0031 593 Berford St.Retail Automotive Stephens Auto Wreckers 519-534-0258 RR 2, Wiarton ONRetail Automotive Wiarton Service Centre & Car Wash 519-534-0630 656 Berford St.Retail Construction Home Buiding Centre 1-800-265-3740 10189 Hwy 6Retail Food Sullivan's Butcher Shop 519-534-3074Retail Food Wiarton Foodland 519-534-5794 370 William St.Retail Food/General Northern Confections 519-534-4449 651 Berford St.Retail General Bluebird Flowers 519-534-1941 574 Berford St.Retail General Great Canadian Dollar Store 519-534-1390 564 Berford St.Retail General Greyfair Furniture & Carpet 519-534-3320 612 Berford St.Retail General Home By Design 519-534-1500 552 Berford St.Retail General Mac's Convenience Stores 519-534-0130 333 Frank St.Retail General McKenzie's Pharmacy 519-534-0230 608 Berford St.Retail General Ozzy's Family Store 519-534-1506 551 Berford St.Retail General Petro Canada 519-534-2648 490 Berford St.Retail General Ram Trophies and Sportswear 519-534-0000 676 Berford St.Retail General Rankin River Trading Co. 519-534-0650 559 Berford St.Retail General Sadler's Home Hardware 519-534-0500 556 Berford St.Retail General Stoedter's Gift Shop 529-534-0567 600 Berford St.Retail General The Viision Christian Books & Gifts 519-534-3219 586 Berford St.Retail General Unfurgetable Petz 519-534-0610 636 Berford St.Retail General Wiarton Co-Op 519-534-1840 681 Berford St.Retail General With Love 519-534-9054 572 Berford St.Retail jc Custom Art Work 519-534-9522 580 Berford St.Service Animal Wiarton Animal Hospital 519-534-1910 10177 Hwy 6Service Childcare Cape Crocker Daycare 519-534-3909 255 Prairie Rd.Service Childcare Wiarton & District Co-op Nursery School 519-534-2121 671 Frank St.Service Childcare Wiarton Day Care (Kids Den) 519-534-4434 491 Brown St.Service Childcare Child A 519-534-5811 523 Tyson StService Construction Al Joyce Plumbing & Mechanical 519-534-5933 RR 1, Wiarton ONService Construction Barfoot's Contracting & Excavating 226-909-0008 RR 1, Wiarton ONService Construction Barfoot's Welding & Machine Shop 519-534-1200 517 Brown St. Service Construction Clear Lite Windows & Doors 519-534-4965 306 Frank St. Service Construction Davidson Ross Haulage 519-534-0104 649 McNaughton Service Construction Forbes Tony Sand & Gravel Ltd. 519-534-5540 381297 Concession 17

Service Construction Instagreen Hydroseeding 519-534-4248 442634 Concession 21Service Construction Outdoor Environment Landscaping & Design 519-534-3866Service Construction Porter Electrical 519-534-1946 462064 Concession 24Service Construction States Contracting 519-270-4447 WiartonService Death Whitcroft Funeral Home 519-534-5341 272 Berford St.Service Death George Funeral Home 519-534-0240 430 Mary Service Education K&B Driving Academy 519-534-2371 638 Berford St.Service Financial BDO Canada LLP 519-534-1520 663 Berdord St.Service Financial Royal Bank 519-534-1040 577 Berford St.Service Financial TD Bank 519-534-2100 585 Berford St.Service Financial Wiarton Insurance Brokers Ltd. 519-534-1930 644 Berford St.Service Legal Morris Roger M Lawyer 519-534-5040 673 Berford St.Service Legal Pegg Peter Lawyer 519-534-2011 647 Berford St.Service Legal Ziemski I W 519-534-5377 108 Ames St.Service Medical Bluewater Dental 519-534-3567 652 Berford St.Service Medical Dental Quest Placement & Temporaru Serv 519-534-3330 198 Gould St.Service Medical Dr. E J Barker 519-534-2411 369 Mary StService Medical Dr. John Van Dorp 519-534-0310 369 Mary StService Medical Grundmann James Dr (Optometry) 519-534-2793 306 Berford St.Service Medical Mills Stephanie RMT 519-534-5784 545 Frank St. Service Medical Wiarton Dental Office 519-534-1163 108 AmesService Personal Complete Wellness 519-534-2003 596 Berford St.Service Personal Hair Solutions & Esthetics 519-534-1324 525 Berford St.Service Personal Kimberley's Hair & Nail Studio 519-534-4204 517 Berford St.Service Personal Randy's Unisex 519-534-2274 573 Berford St.Service Personal Selective Styling 519-534-1690 564 Claude St.Service Realty Revell Real Estate Ltd. 226-909-0232 582 Berford St.Service Realty Bruce Peninsula Realty Ltd. 519-534-0111 582 Berford St.Service Recreation Wiarton Golf Club 519-534-0005 502386 Grey RoadService Tecnology PJ Computing 519-534-2314 589 Berford St.Service TransportationBluewater Taxi 519-534-1086 190 GouldService Travel Bluewater Travel 1-888-534-2671 566 Berford St.Service Frank St. Group Home 519-534-5127 615 Frank StService The Meeting Place 519-534-9062 575 Edward

Wiarton Echo 519-534-1560 573 Berford St.Arlington Building 519-534-0128 659 Berford St.

Victorian Order of Nurses 519-534-5294 621 Mary St.Accelerated Connections 519-534-42-56 577 Berford St.

Kincardine - Business List

Category Sub Category Business Phone Number AddressAccomodation B&B Awesome Art B&B without the B 519-396-9864 460 Queen St.Accomodation B&B Inverlyn Bed & Breakfast 519-396-8754 41 Inverlyn Cres.Accomodation B&B Lakeside Terrace 519-396-0481 352 Penetangore RowAccomodation B&B Lucerne Bed & Breakfast 519-396-9895 215 Mechanics Ave.Accomodation Camping Bluewater Trailer Park 519-396-8698 847 Saugeen St.Accomodation Camping Aintree Trailer Park Ltd. 519-396-8533 2435 Huron Conc 12Accomodation Camping Green Acres Campground & RV Park 519-395-2808 RR 1, KincardineAccomodation Camping Fisherman's Cove 519-395-2757 RR 4, KincardineAccomodation Hotel Best Western Plus 519-396-8242 791 Durham St.Accomodation Hotel Holiday In nExpress Hotel & Suites 519-395-3545 2 Millenium WayAccomodation Hotel Inn At The Harbour 519-396-3311 249 Harbour St.Accomodation Hotel Kicnardine Guest Cottage Motel 519-396-3887 392 Queen St.Accomodation Hotel Kincardinite Motel 519-396-7511 319 Kincardine Ave.Accomodation Hotel Lakeview Motel 519-396-3301 378 Queen St.Accomodation Hotel Maple Leaf Inn 519-396-5888 481 Broadway St.Accomodation Hotel Save Inn Motel 519-396-5454 1111 Sutton St. Accomodation Hotel Sutton Park Inn 519-396-3444 1126 Sutton St.Agricultural Maitland Valley Agri Systems 519-395-2615 RR 1, KincardineAgricultural Stanley Ron Farm Supplies 519-395-2434 RR 4, KincardineAssociation Arts Kincardine Theatre Guild 519-396-45-34 707 Queen St.Association Arts Kincardine Summer Music 519-396-9716 709 Russell St.Association Recreation Kincardine Curling Club 519-396-2951Association Recreation Kincardine Nimrod Club 519-395-0997 2334 Concession 12Association Recreation Kincardine Yacht Club 519-396-3150 236 Harbour St.Association Royal Canadian Legion 519-396-3837 219 Lambton St.Association Scout Hall 519-396-3532 278 Lambton St.Attraction Walker House Community Heritage Centre 519-396-1850 235 Harbour St.Manufacturing Electronics Special Electronics Design 519-396-8555 214 Bruce St.Manufacturing Cottrill heavy Equipment 519-396-4502 252 Saratoga Rd.Manufacturing Concepts Plus by Janzen Inc. 519-395-3916 528 Hwy 9, RR 4Manufacturing Commerical Alcohols Inc. 519-368-7723 RR 3, TivertonManufacturing BI-AX International Inc. 519-368-7015 3 Farrll Dr. TivertonRestaurant Anastasia's Soda Fountain 519-396-8030 813 Queen St.

Restaurant Bean's Bistro 519-396-4777 728 Queen St.Restaurant Boston Pizza 519-395-3966 4 Millenium WayRestaurant Bruce Steakhouse 519-396-5100 750 Queen St.Restaurant Coffee Culture 519-396-6420 764 Queen St.Restaurant Crabby Joe's Tap & Grill 519-396-9050 1113 Sutton St.Restaurant Cuyler's Family Restaurant 519-396-9144 401 Kincardine Ave.Restaurant Dairy Queen 519-396-2237 708 Queen St.Restaurant Erie Belle Restaurant 519-396-4331 259 Harbour St.Restaurant Gilley's Feedlot 519-396-7423 832 Queen St.Restaurant Godfather Pizza 519-396-4444 950 Queen St.Restaurant Harbour Street Braaerie 519-396-6000 217 Harbour St.Restaurant Hawgs Breath Saloon 519-396-6565 896 Queen St.Restaurant Jean's Family Restaurant 519-396-1900 1120 Sutton St.Restaurant KFC 519-396-3850 1796 Hwy 21Restaurant Knotty Pine Restaurant 519-396-3132 507 Broadway St.Restaurant Lake Range Market Café 519-395-0322 195 Lake Range Dr.Restaurant McDOnald's 519-396-4414 792 Broadway St.Restaurant My Wraps 519-396-9272 925 Queen St.Restaurant New Orleans Pizza 519-396-3100 923 Queen St.Restaurant New Season Tavern & Restaurant 519-396-2323 722 Queen St.Restaurant Scoop & Save Bulk Food, Ice Cream 519-396-8442 286 Harbour St.Restaurant Tay's Eatery 519-396-8291 810 Queen St.Restaurant The Verandah Tea Room 519-396-1960 315 Durham Market NorthRestaurant The Winning Booth 519-396-8235 908 Queen St.Restaurant Tramonto 519-396-8466 765 Queen St.Restaurant Victoria Park Restaurant 519-396-8001 335 Durham Market St.Restaurant Watercress Bistro 519-396-5727 829 Queen St.Retail Apparel A Delicate Edge 519-396-6434 801 Queen St.Retail Apparel Baxter's Row Fasion 519-396-5757 740 Queen St. Retail Apparel Becker Shoes 519-396-2902 790 Queen St.Retail Apparel Corabelle's 519-396-2100 775 Queen St.Retail Apparel Creative Casuals 519-396-5200 312-B Durham Market SquareRetail Apparel Eight Sisiters 519-396-7478 831 Queen St.Retail Apparel Fashion by Rose 519-396-5129 738 Queen St. Retail Apparel Gilbert's Jewellery 519-396-2672 743 Queen St.Retail Apparel JB's Lingerie 519-396-4455 789 Queen St.

Retail Apparel MacG's House of Fasion 519-396-3145 325 Durham Market SquareRetail Apparel New Look Consignment Clothing 519-396-2001 330 Durham Market SquareRetail Apparel Nine Waves Clothing 519-396-6463 737 Queen St.Retail Apparel Presto-Crest Custom Sports Wear 519-396-4420 929 Queen St.Retail Apparel Sandy's Sportswear 736 Queen St.Retail Apparel The Loop 519-396-511- 806 Queen St.Retail Apparel Tropix Sun & Swim 519-396-7861 928 Queen St. Retail Apparel Weekins Children's Clothing 519-396-5437 750 Queen St.Retail Apparel West Shore Clothing Shoppe 519-396-5369 792 Queen St.Retail Arts See View Art Studio 519-396-8599 708C Queen St.Retail Automotive Lakeside Chevrolet Buick GMC 519-396-3367 792 Broadway St.Retail Automotive MacMaster Motors 519-396-8231 520 Broadway St.Retail Automotive NAPA Auto Parts 519-396-3381 1117 Sutton St.Retail Automotive Pierson Motors Inc 519-396-7000 856 Queen St. Retail Automotive Rowe Motors 1-866-396-7693 441 Broadway St.Retail Automotive Spike's Auto Parts 519-396-1515 287 Lambton St.Retail Communications Rogers Communications 519-396-6677 827 Queen St.Retail Construction Bruce County Flooring & Interiors 519-396-4900 312-A Durham Market SquareRetail Construction TIM-BR Mart 519-396-3355 Hwy 21, KincardineRetail Entertainment Aztec Movie Theatre 519-396-3250 877 Queen St.Retail Entertainment Bluewater Summer Playhouse 519-396-3250 707 Queen St.Retail Food Bulk Barn 519-396-6052 781 Broadway St.Retail Food Foodland 519-396-3375 911 Queen St.Retail Food LCBO 519-396-2923 233 Braodway St.Retail Food Mac's Convenience Store 519-396-2134 954 Queen St.Retail Food Sobeys 519-395-0022 814 Durham St.Retail Food The Beef Way 519-396-2257 RR 2, KincardineRetail Food The Beer Store 519-396-2782 427 Broadway St.Retail Food The Bruce County Wine Seller 519-396-5161 1802 Hwy 21Retail Food Wine Kitz 519-396-2508 260 Durham St.Retail Food Zehrs Market 419-396-3474 Sutton Park MallRetail General Accents By Gordon's 519-396-3434 775 Queen St.Retail General Affordable Appliances 519-396-4842 330 Lambton St.Retail General Artemis Art Supplies & Instruction 519-396-5463 386 Harbour St.Retail General B&W Appliances Limited Sales & Services 519-396-8513 788 Queen St.Retail General Canadian Tire 519-396-3461 811 Durham St.

Retail General Cancussion 519-396-8595 749 Baird St.Retail General Chester's Prints 519-396-7551 798 Queen St.Retail General Compliments Gifts 519-396-7600 284 Harbour St.Retail General Condor Fine Books 519-396-3323 811 Queen St.Retail General Crowston Marlow 519-396-2612 689 Huron TerrRetail General Dollar Store 519-396-5900 711 Philip Pl.Retail General Fincher's 519-396-7012 816 Queen St.Retail General Fine Table and Bed 519-396-5129 738 Queen St.Retail General H&H TV & Appliances 519-396-3844 356 Princess St.Retail General Harbour Rose Boutique 519-396-6861 290 Harbour St. Retail General Home Hardware 519-396-2032 1770 Hwy 21Retail General Home Hardware 519-396-2032 1770 Hwy 21Retail General Huron Video 519-396-3531 855 Queens St.Retail General J'Adorn 519-396-4438 770 Queen St.Retail General Jerome Flowers & Gifts 519-396-2211 760 Queen St.Retail General Kincardine Country Depot 519-396-3451 315 Mechanics LaneRetail General Kincardine's Scottish Shop 519-396-1960 315 Durham Market St.Retail General Kwik K Vairety & Bakery 519-396-2224 751B Queen St.Retail General Lake Huron Video & Books 519-396-3531 855-A Queen St.Retail General Lowry's Store 519-396-5995 791 Queen St.Retail General MacNay;s Country Market 519-395-3855 RR 1, KincardineRetail General Pet Valu 519-396-9135 320 Durham MarketRetail General Pet Valu 519-396-2483 711 Philip PlRetail General Quinn Florist Ltd. 519-396-2563 929 Queen St. Retail General Shoppers Drug Mart 519-396-6220 781 Broadway St.Retail General The Plant Place 519-396-2612 689 Huron TerrRetail General Victoria Park Gallery & Gifts 519-396-6699 707 Queen St.Retail Home Dar-Lyn Pools and Spas 519-396-3388 861 Queen St.Retail Home H&H TV & Appliances 519-396-3844 356 Princess St.Retail Home McFadden's Maytag Home Appliance Centre 519-396-8740 960 Queen St.Retail Home Sears Hometown Appliance Store 519-396-7551 798 Queen St.Retail Home Sleepers Bed Gallery 519-396-1838 828 Queen St.Retail Home Sunset Blinds Ltd. 519-396-4541 312-C Durham Market SquareRetail Medical Gordon Pharmasave 519-396-3364 767 Queen St. Retail Medical McKechnie Pharmacy Ltd 519-396-2133 44 Queen St.Retail Medical Rexall Drug Store 519-396-3353 1116 Sutton St.

Retail Medical Rexall Pharma Plus 519-396-3353 1116 Sutton St.Retail Personal Sugar Shack Tatoo 519-396-8282 786 Queen St.Retail Recreation Bruce Bowling Lanes 519-396-7143 515 Broadway St.Retail Technology Don's Hi-Fi 519-396-3546 780 Queen St. Retail Technology Rogers 519-396-6677 827 Queen St.Retail Transportation Kincardine Marina 519-396-4336 236 Harbour St.Retail Transportation V-D Fiberglass Concepts 519-385-0528 25 North LineRetail Travel Expedia Cruise Ship 519-396-2929 880 Queen St.Retail Quinn Martin Ornamental Grasses 519-395-3255 RR 4, KincardineRetail J&D Signs 519-396-7836 273 Lambton St.Service Animal Cozy Cat Kennels 519-396-3232 18 Inverlyn CresService Animal Back Alley Professional Pet Groomer 519-396-7733 807 Queen St.Service Animal Dogs on Broadway 519-396-5553 237 BroadwayService Animal Queen St. Veterinary Services 519-396-3647 1005 Queen St.Service Animal Kincardine Veterinary Services 519-396-2071 RR 1, KincardineService Animal Paws Boarding Kennels 519-395-4102 RR 4, KincardineService Athletic Kincardine Karate Dojo 519-396-5211 337 Lambton St.Service Automotive CARSTAR Kincardine 1-866-396-7693 441 Broadway St.Service Automotive Doug's Auto Repair 519-396-6995 365 Kincardine Ave.Service Automotive MD Auto Clinic 519-396-6288 5-160 Mahood Johnston Dr.Service Automotive West Ontario Classic Auto 519-396-7065 312 Durham Market St.Service Business Weber Allan Consulting 519-395-5839 RR 4, KincardineService Business MJ Krupp Managemnet Inc. 519-396-8091 68 Penetangore RowService Communications Bruce Telecom 519-368-2000 725 Queen St.Service Communications Eastlink 1-855-714-4940Service Communications Kincardine Commericial Printing 519-396-3811 273 Lambton St.Service Construction Amarillo Custom Homes 519-385-0426 1080 KincardineService Construction Bogdanovic Homes Construction Inc. 519-396-9090 808 Park PlaceService Construction Buchanan Resoration & Contracting Inc. 519-396-8928 346 Kingsway St.Service Construction Champagne Renovations 519-396-7006 RR 2, KincardineService Construction Grant Frook Contracting Ltd. 519-396-8942 39 Queen St.Service Construction Helm Plumbing & Electrical 519-396-7636 RR 5, KincardineService Construction Mike Small Plumbing Contracting 519-395-5724 RR 4, KincardineService Construction Quality Construction Services 519-396-1095 1808 Hwy 21Service Construction Reyen Renovations 519-386-2313 352 Renetangore RowService Construction Wilken Paul Buillder 519-395-3663 RR 1, Kincardine

Service Construction Beisel Contracting 519-396-6583 281 Durham St.Service Construction R.F. Dore Surveying Ltd. 519-396-3464 932 Queen St.Service Death Davey-Linklater Funeral Home Ltd. 519-396-2701 757 Princess St.Service Distribution Rogby Trade Ltd 519-396-6060 Box 338, KincardineService Education Young Drivers 519-396-6606 910 Queen St.Service Education KIDS Co-Op Nursery School 519-396-4532 415 Russell StService Energy Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd 519-361-3200 Bruce County Rd TivertonService Energy Bervie Sipply 519-395-3586 RR 4, KincardineService Energy Bruce Power 519-361-2673 Box 3000 B0602Service Energy Edward Fuels Ltd 519-396-8841 Hwy 21 KincardineService Energy Leader Resources 519-396-3540 147 Mahood Johnston Dr.Service Energy SP Armow Wind 519-396-9433 322 Lambton St.Service Energy Technology Convergence Inc. 519-396-9832 Box 269 KincardineService Energy Vestas Canadian Wind Technology 419-368-7500 RR2, TivertonService Engineering Merlin General Corporation 519-396-7900 1475 Conc, Box 272Service Engineering NA Engineering Associates 519-396-1000 933 Queen St.Service Engineering RCM Technologies Canada Corp 519-396-7070 RR 5, KincardineService Financial BMO Bank 519-396-3335 761 Queen St.Service Financial Brian Taylor Manulife Securities 519-396-5511 904 Queen St.Service Financial CIBC 519-396-7515 822 Queen St.Service Financial Debbie Kesteloot Accountant 519-396-3399 281 Durham St.Service Financial Dundee Securities Corp 519-396-7700 250 Durham St,Service Financial Edward Jones Investment 519-396-9007 945 Queen St.Service Financial Freedom 55 Financial 519-396-3874 287 Lambton St.Service Financial H&R Block 519-396-6500 900 Queen St.Service Financial Harvey Financial Solutions Inc. 519-396-7224 346 Durham St.Service Financial Heather Padfield CFP 519-832-8768 630 MacKendrick Dr.Service Financial Manulife Securutues 519-396-5511 904 Queen St.Service Financial Matchett Financial Services 519-396-7526 886 Queen St.Service Financial Meridian Credit Union 519-395-3122 818 Durham St.Service Financial Miller Insurance Brokers 519-396-3465 1115 Sutton St.Service Financial Mortgage Intelligence 519-396-6800 819 Queen St.Service Financial Nancy Ackert Financial Solutions 519-396-6880 182 Carolway TrailService Financial Olympian Financial 519-396-6262 325 Lambton St.Service Financial Plantax Accounting 519-396-8100 325 Lambton St.Service Financial Royal Bank 519-396-3481 757 Queen St.

Service Financial Scotiabank 519-396-3328 755 Queen St.Service Financial Sharon Van Derlip & Associates 519-396-1771 288 Harbour St.Service Financial Sunlife Financial 519-396-2220 926 Queen St.Service Financial TD Bank 519-396-3314 665 Philip PlaceService Financial The Co-operators 519-396-7541 947 Queen St.Service Financial Tom Thompaon Investments 519-396-1177 140 Kitchener St.Service Financial The Shadeland Group Inc. 519-396-8700 125 Boiler Bch Rd.Service Fitness Curves 519-396-2882 776 Queen St.Service Fitness Magnum Total Fitness 519-396-3488 911 Queen St.Service Fitness Magnum Personal Fitness 519-396-3488 366 Lambton St. Service Fitness YMCA 519-396-9622 898 Queen St.Service Food Specialty Cakes 519-396-8040Service Home Creative Image Landscaping 519-396-4529 410 Princess St. Service Home Garden Concepts 519-395-0333 744 Princess St.Service Home Paul's Painting & Wallpapering Service 519-396-3889 941 Saugeen St. Service Home Wayne Zettler Furniture Refinishing Hand Stripping 519-395-3625 1041 HWY 21Service Legal Barker Diane Barrister & Solicitor 519-396-9542 329 Durham Marker St.Service Legal Donnelly, Murphy Lawyers 519-396-3636 969 Queen St.Service Legal J. Pitblado Law Office 519-435-9220 926 Queen St.Service Legal Laschuk & Farr 519-396-3307 282 Durham St.Service Legal Marshall & Mahood 519-396-8144 313 Lambton St.Service Legal Mathers William 519-396-3307 807 Queen St.Service Legal Smith Hunt Black 519-396-3558 281 Durham St.Service Legal Smith, Hunt & Buck Law Office 519-396-3458 281 Durham St.Service Legal William Mathers Barrister & Solicitor 519-396-1872 807-1 Queen St.Service Medical Brenda Manderson Homeopathic & Energy medicine 519-396-6001 281 Durham St. Service Medical Dr Miranda Deller-Quinn & Associates 519-396-3260 381 Lambton St.Service Medical Dr R Thiel 519-396-3663 325 Lambton St.Service Medical Dr Stanley Soloduka Chiropractor 519-396-7585 859 Queen St. Service Medical Dr W H Pym 519-396-3663 325 Lambton St.Service Medical Dr. Karen Rapley Chiropractor 519-396-4552 264 Lambton St.Service Medical Fine Fettle Natural Foods & Health 519-396-9600 928 Queen St.Service Medical Herbal Magic 519-396-4828 943 Queen St.Service Medical Joanne Metters RMT 519-396-2222 855-B QueenService Medical Joint Physiotherapy 519-396-2828 281 Durham St. Service Medical Kincardine Chiropractic & Wellness 519-396-9355 747 Queen St.

Service Medical Kincardine Dentistry 519-395-5100 6 Millennium WayService Medical Kincardine Family Eye Care 1-888-390-5940 316 Lambton St.Service Medical Kincardine Holistic Health 519-396-4018 281 Durham St.Service Medical Kincardine Total Foot Care & Orthodics 519-396-9255 277 Lambton St.Service Medical Lakeview Dental Services 519-396-3339 736 Queen St.Service Medical Pathways Family Therapy 519-396-7200 281 Durham St.Service Medical Zen Moments Massage Therapy 519-396-2332 724 Queen St.Service Personal Allure Beauty & Med Spa 519-396-5952 708 Queen St.Service Personal Dynamic Hair Design 519-396-8888 383 Kincardine Ave.Service Personal First Impressions Salon 519-396-2282 750 Queen St.Service Personal Hair Connection (Kincardine) 519-396-7487 2-281 Durham St.Service Personal Instyle Hair Studio 519-396-1234 802 Queen St.Service Personal Julia Health & Beauty Spa 519-396-1008 335 Durham Market St.Service Personal New Image Hair Design 519-396-2231 922 Queen St.Service Personal The Golden Comb 519-396-2875 1361 Concession 5Service Personal The Hair Loft 519-396-4333 363 Oenetagngore RowService Personal Trigger Points 519-396-7585 859 Queen St. Service Personal Chrome Hair Studio 519-386-1098 708B Queen St.Service Personal Snipin' Clip 519-396-3121 730 Queen St.Service Personal The Old Barber Shop 519-396-9389 892 Queen St. Service Personal Penny's Laundromat 519-396-6556 330 Durham Market SquareService Realty Coldwell Banker The Property Shoppe 519-396-3300 926 Queen St.Service Realty Re/Max Bluewater Realty 519-395-3977Service Realty Re/Max Land Exchange Ltd. Broker 519-396-8444 768 Queen St.Service Realty Royal LePage Exchange Realty Co 519-396-5522 969 Queen St.Service Realty Royal LePage Kincardine 519-396-3396 777 Queen St.Service Recreation Ainsdale Golf Course 519-395-5555 RR 1, KincardineService Recreation Kincardine Golf & Country Club 519-396-2112 2 Golf Course TrailService Technology MTC Computer Systmes 519-396-3274 746 Queen St.Service Technology Shoreline Communications 519-395-0593 RR 1, KincardineService Transportation Robert Q Travel 519-396-9595 751 Queen St. Service Transportation Kin Taxi 519-396-3411 279 Albert Rd.Service Commissioning & Technocal Services 519-396-7910 1475 Conc 5Service Taylor Sales & Service 519-396-2883 Hwy 21, Kincardine

Piper House 519-396-7300 330 Durham Market StPumping Station 519-396-8551 570 Kincardine Ave.

Merlin-Simex Corp 519-395-3450Hydro Save 519-395-4535 RR 4, KincardineBruce Control Systems 519-395-2455 RR 4, KincardineTarquil Productions 519-395-5346 RR 5, KincardineCottage Artistry 519-396-2787 52 Main St. Anderson Paper Products 519-395-0876 160 Mahood Johnston Dr.

312-B Durham Market Square

312-A Durham Market Square

312-C Durham Market Square