FORT FRANCES—The Fort Frances Chamber of Commerce has been busy working on a new business retention and expansion survey, with the aim to launch it in late March.
“At this point, we’ve gone over the survey and are deciding on some community-specific questions,” said community development officer Kerri Dittaro, who started working on the survey in January along with the business retention and expansion task force.
“Tentatively speaking, we’re talking about having a business information session the week after March Break. It will be a public launch where we let businesses know what we’re doing,” she added.
“Shortly after that, we’ll be placing an ad in the paper inviting businesses to participate and hopefully get a good response.”
Dittaro noted the survey is “in-depth,” and will take about an hour to complete. She will be sitting down with each participating business and personally conducting the survey.
A business retention and expansion survey was conducted here back in 2001. But this survey is much more condensed and the questions have changed since then, noted Dittaro.
Some businesses also may be asked to fill out separate sector-specific surveys, covering retail, tourism, manufacturing, mining, and agriculture.
“How many businesses are in those sectors in our area will determine whether they’ll be asked to fill out the sector-specific surveys,” said Dittaro.
“If we only have two or one businesses represented in a sector, it doesn’t make any sense,” she explained. “It would be difficult to keep it confidential, and it’s not a very good sample size.”
Dittaro said she made a presentation to the town’s Economic Development Advisory Committee on Monday, and that committee will be recommending council contribute $5,000 to the project.
This recommendation likely will be on the agenda at this coming Monday night’s regular council meeting.
Assuming the town pitches in funding, Dittaro hopes to launch the survey in March. She will be entering survey data as she goes along, with survey analysis to start by the end of May or June.
The business retention and expansion task force then will put together a report and create a long-term action plan based on the survey findings.
The business retention and expansion task force consists of Dittaro, Dawn Booth, Christine Denby, Barb Cournoyer, Nancy Daley, and Kevin Nielson.
Other members include Cathy Emes (Chamber of Commerce), Jane Gillon (Ministry of Northern Development and Mines), Geoff Gillon and Crystal Godbout (Rainy River Future Development Corp.), Coun. Tannis Drysdale (Town of Fort Frances), Alan Tibbetts (EDAC), Gary Rogozinski (Abitibi-Consolidated), Anne Renaud (Confederation College), Russ Ling (BIA), and Couchiching First Nation economic development officer Christine Jourdain.
The task force refers to the business retention and expansion program as “an internationally-recognized, community-based, volunteer-driven economic development tool that responds to business needs and issues.”
It also “encourages communities and local businesses to work together, enhances job creation and economic prosperity, and encourages the growth and stability of local business.”
Fort Frances Times
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