Dear Readers,

Welcome to our second economic development newsletter produced on behalf of Elgin County Council and the Department of Community and Cultural Services.

Our newsletter series is designed to inform our region, and the world at large, about why Elgin County is a special place for business. There are many reasons why we are optimistic about our future. This newsletter, like the first, tells you about some of the excellent businesses we have in our County and why they are continuing to prosper.

We continue to expand and promote our new marketing strategy and brand that was launched in September. We invite you to visit our website www.progressivebynature.com regularly as it is constantly changing and expanding.

For prospective investors and site selectors we are making it easier than ever to obtain comparative data that shows just how competitive Elgin is as a place for business. At www.progressivebynature.com you can easily find extensive information about our targeted growth industries and the economic strengths of the County and the seven municipalities within it. Recently we listed all of the rates for property taxes as well as water and sewer rates for each municipality.

It is important that we have the involvement and support of the community for our economic development initiatives, just as we had in the development of our marketing strategy. That’s why we are working on a new idea called the Ambassador Program. The purpose is to create a team of local volunteers to act as ambassadors, promoting the benefits of being an Elgin business, as they attend conferences and meet business contacts in their day-to-day activities. We hope to have the program ready for launch this fall.

Another idea we are investigating is to build a virtual tradeshow on www.progressivebynature.com – a place where anyone in the world can view the offerings of Elgin County businesses, download
information and ask questions of the business owners. This is an excellent way for local companies to reach global markets without incurring the expense of attending international trade shows. We would be glad to receive any comment from the business community about this potential project.

We are focusing our attention on finding ways to attract and expand business investment in Elgin County and the ideas can come from many sources. One is the South Central Ontario Region (SCOR), which is developing an economic strategy that is the subject of an article in this newsletter. We are also working closely with the Ontario Ministry of International Trade and Investment and had a meeting with ministry officials recently to discuss how Elgin County can participate in and benefit from the ministry’s programs for economic stimulation.

Meanwhile we are meeting with investment consultants to discuss opportunities to expand the County’s agriculture and energy sectors, and putting the finishing touches on a five-year plan for
tourism development.

These are busy times for Economic Development & Tourism Services. We take our inspiration from the energy and creativity of the people who are building their businesses and with them the future prosperity of our County. We hope you will enjoy reading their stories in our newsletters.