On May 1st, businesses in 100 Mile House were surveyed for the 3rd time in three years to find out how business is going in the District of 100 Mile House. The District of 100 Mile House, Community Futures Cariboo-Chilcotin, South Cariboo Chamber of Commerce and the Province of BC teamed up to conduct a survey blitz of local businesses as the 3rd Annual Business Walks took place on May 1st. Business Walks are an opportunity for communities to get a sense of the local business climate and better understand the opportunities and challenges for business. The information collected is used to target local and regional business supports and is one of the ways the District is building on Business Retention and Expansion efforts.
Nine teams of volunteers (19 people) hit the streets and talked with 113 businesses during a 3 hour burst of activity. Business owners and managers were asked a few questions about the state of their business and any supports they might be looking for.
“It was a very positive experience experience for volunteers to talk one-on-one with businesses about their successes and challenges, and for business owners to chat about their business and what they need to grow and prosper,” says Joanne Doddridge, Director of Economic Development and Planning for the District of 100 Mile House.
Preliminary results show similar needs identified in previous Business Walks, especially around labour shortages and strategies for growing their customer base. Next steps for the Business Walks Planning Team are to collate and analyze the responses and prepare a summary report. The report will be posted on the District of 100 Mile House and the South Cariboo Chamber of Commerce websites when it’s ready, likely in early summer. The business support team will also be following up with those businesses that requested follow up information.
Any businesses that were missed but want to participate, are encouraged to call the Municipal Office at 250-395-2434 to book an appointment. The Business Walks Planning Team wishes to thank Horton Ventures & TRU for the meeting space, all the volunteer walkers for their time and enthusiasm, the Free Press, Vista Radio and CaribooRadio.Com for their media assistance, and 100 Mile House business owners for taking time out of their busy day to talk with us.
