MORE COMMUNITY STORIES:

Supporting Local Innovation
The Research, Innovation and Commercialization (RIC) Center provides technical assistance and advice to local innovators through a partnership with the Town of Caledon. RIC supports small businesses focused in aerospace, advanced manufacturing, life sciences, and emerging technology sectors to commercialize their innovations and bring them to market.

Dufferin Mompreneurs – This dynamic network of 500+ small home-based businesses began in 2010 by Rachel Manuel and Sara Clarke — business women with young families –who were looking for affordable ways to market and advertise their own businesses.  Dufferin Mompreneurs offers its members affordable web advertising on their site – www. dufferinmompreneurs.com  – and opportunities to be part of showcase events hosted by the group.  More than just a successful marketing initiative for local entrepreneurs, Dufferin Mompreneurs has also become a close and supportive group of women working together to achieve the same thing: a chance to work for themselves with more flexibility and time with their families.

REPORTS & RELATED LINKS

RELEVANT REPORTS:

• Economic Resiliency in Caledon: A Community Perspective – In this 2010 Research Report by HCIA, a framework for assessing community economic resiliency is presented.  This framework is then used, along with available data and statistics, to assess the strengths and challenges of the economy of the Town of Caledon and provide recommendations for possible action.

• Caledon Economic Indicators Summary June 2011 vs June 2010 – This table, developed by Caledon Economic Development Staff offers a summary comparing the first two quarters of 2011 with the same period of 2010.

• The Dufferin-Caledon Life Science Innovation Team Report – This 2004 Report, explores the potential opportunities for Dufferin-Caledon in creating a life-science economy which is defined as, “An economy based on new and alternative products and services derived from, or related to, renewable biological material.”

• Fostering Entrepreneurship in Rural Ontario – This report from the Ontario Rural Council, contains a summary of the discussions generated in a Rural Entpreneurship Forum hosted in 2007.

• Economic Development in Rural America:  An Outcome-Focused Approach  – This slide presentation provides an overview of the current issues surrounding the creation of “outcome-based” economic development  in Rural America (2007)

• Developing Entrepreneurial Economies in Rural Regions – This report on the proceedings from a 1996 workshop focusing on entrepreneurship highlights the rich discourse on the culture of change necessary to create entrepreneurial economies able to compete on a global scale.

• Shop Local Campaigns for Small Towns – This document outlines seven steps, and provides several templates to develop an effective “shop local” campaign designed specifically for small towns.

• 2011 Local Labour Market Plan for Waterloo, Wellington Dufferin – This plan, published by the Workforce Planning Board of Waterloo, Wellington & Dufferin, provides an update on local labour market demand in key industries, including manufacturing, which were hit hard by the recession. It also looks at two new industries facing challenges and opportunities: Truck Transportation and Finance/ Insurance and includes information on local labour market supply.

RELATED LINKS:

• Dufferin.biz – Working together, the eight municipalities of Dufferin County have established this site in order to raise the County’s profile to attract the attention of people considering an enterprise’s move, expansion, or start-up and to provide companies and entrepreneurs within the County with a wealth of information to help them grow into their business plans.

• Orangeville Small Business Enterprise Centre – provides guidance and support to start-up and existing small businesses during their initial years of operation.

• Workforce Planning Board of Waterloo, Wellington, Dufferin – The Workforce Planning Board functions as a neutral broker of research, and a disseminator of information.  It is one of 25 local planning boards, funded by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities to conduct and distribute local labour market research and to work collaboratively with partners to find solutions to local workforce development needs.

• Caledon Small Business Enterprise Centre  – This centre is a one-stop shop for Caledon entrepreneurs and small business owners providing them with information, guidance and assistance in business development, start-up and expansion. The centre is a joint initiative of the Town of Caledon’s Economic Development office, the City of Brampton’s Economic Development office and the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, is located at Caledon Community Services in Bolton.

• Greater Dufferin Area Chamber of Commerce – The GDACC represent over 500 member businesses in Dufferin County.  Its mandate is to enhance the economic, civic and social welfare of Dufferin County while serving as the Business Advocate of Choice.

• Caledon Chamber of Commerce – The vision of the Caledon Chamber of Commerce is to be the “voice of good business”: committed to the economic, social and environmental health of Caledon.

• The Town of Caledon – Economic Development – This site provides an overview of the economic development strategy and resources developed by and for the Town of Caledon.

• The Rural Development Philanthropy Learning Network – This diverse group of community foundations and funds, and philanthropic and rural development organizations exchange experience, knowledge and skills to increase rural assets to livelihoods, economies and community vitality.