To celebrate Small Business Month, the Cornwall & Area Chamber of Commerce, the Cornwall Business Enterprise Centre, and Cornwall & the Counties Community Futures Development Corporation are partnering to host Bridges to Better Business Resilience and Pivot Workshops. This year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this event will be hosted entirely online through a series of Industry Panels and Town Halls from October 26-30, 2020.
The weeklong event will feature three industries in a series of Resilience and Pivot Workshops. Each workshop will highlight how that industry has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and how small businesses in that industry were able to pivot their business model to demonstrate resiliency. These small businesses did not just conform to new regulations, but were able to innovate new and exciting ways to conduct business that will not only take them to the end of the pandemic, but will prepare them for the future.
Each Resilience and Pivot Workshop will feature a produced video on a particular local, small business followed by a panel of small business entrepreneurs to answer questions from the audience and to provide behind the scenes experiences of how they overcame the challenges presented by the pandemic.
There will also be two Town Halls where experts in the business community will share how their organizations have worked alongside small businesses to offer resources and knowledge to help them mitigate the damage from COVID-19’s impact and how to plan for the future.
Resilience and Pivot Workshops:
RESTAURANT INDUSTRY PANEL
Monday, Oct 26th, 9 am-10:30 am
Video Highlight: Cup of Jo’s
Other guests include: Sheep’s Head Bistro
Registration Link
RETAIL INDUSTRY PANEL
Wednesday, Oct 28th, 9 am-10:30 am
Video Highlight: The Finch Market
Other guests include: Mrs. B’s Gifts & Home Décor, The Happy Popcorn Company
Registration Link
TOURISM INDUSTRY PANEL
Friday, October 30th 9 am-10:30 am
Video Highlight: Archies Family Golf Centre
Other guests include: Mohawk Council of Akwesasne’s Thompson Island Cultural Camp
Registration Link
Bridges to Better Business Town Halls
Tuesday Oct 27th , 12pm-1pm
Guests Speakers:
Simone Sherriff, FedDev
Stephen Beamish, Launch Lab and Digital Main Street
Rose D’Amato, Business Development Bank
Lesley Thompson, Cornwall & The Counties CFDC
Registration Link
Thursday Oct 29th, 7pm-8pm
Guest Speakers:
Denis Lapierre, Ontario Ministry of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade
Candy Pollard, Cornwall Business Enterprise Centre
Greg Pietersma, Cornwall & Area Chamber of Commerce
Martha Woods, Eastern Ontario Training Board
Registration Link
“We are excited to showcase our entrepreneur’s determination and ability to adapt in light of the pandemic,” said Candy Pollard, business consultant at the Cornwall Business Enterprise Centre and one of the main organizers of the event.
All online sessions are open now for registration at https://cornwallchamber.com/bridges-to-better-business-2020
The first 35 registrants on each workshop will receive a gift card, courtesy of our Breakfast Sponsor Tim Horton’s.
This unique execution of Bridges to Better Business would not be possible without the support from our sponsors: Tim Horton’s, Eastern Ontario Training Board, Mohawk Council of Akwesasne, McDonald Duncan LLP, and Business Development Bank of Canada.
