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Welcome to the Innisfil Economic Development newsletter!
This month, we're excited to share the latest updates on economic growth and upcoming events in our community. From innovative startups to thriving local businesses, there’s always something to celebrate in Innisfil. The Town of Innisfil’s Economic Development team is here to support you—reach out anytime at business@innisfil.ca for general inquiries or business assistance.
Transforming Ideas into Action
The Town of Innisfil Economic Development Office and Cookstown & District Chamber of Commerce are excited to welcome Leslie Fournier, a placemaking specialist, to Cookstown on April 30 to speak with Innisfil businesses about the power of community collaboration.
Business owners, artists, creatives, and community builders from across Innisfil are encouraged to join us at the Glass Manor (5108 County Rd. 27, Cookstown) on April 30 from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. for a morning of:
- Learning about the power of leveraging art, activity, and community in revitalizing main streets; and
- Exploring partnerships to attract more customers and increase vibrancy in your neighbourhood.
Leslie Fournier will share real-world examples of past projects she has led which helped transform main street spaces across Ontario into vibrant, must-visit destinations.
Registration is required. Tickets are free and open to all business owners and residents within Innisfil. More details, along with the link to register, will be shared soon by the Town of Innisfil Economic Development Office. Make sure you are following @innisfilecdev on social media to be the first to know when the registration link goes live.
DMZ Innisfil All Access: Mastering the Art of the Pitch
.png "DMZ Innisfil Mastering the Art of the Pitch Workshop")
The DMZ Innisfil program provides business incubator and accelerator programming to help local businesses grow and scale. Delivered by the Town of Innisfil Economic Development team, the DMZ Innisfil All Access program provides educational workshops and events to entrepreneurs throughout Innisfil, Simcoe County, Barrie and Orillia.
Our next DMZ Innisfil All Access event features expert speaker Frank Erschen, Canada’s #1 Pitching Coach, who will be conducting Mastering the Art of the Pitch: How Entrepreneurs Can Win Investors & Customers.
Frank Erschen has worked with thousands of founders in over 30 countries on business strategy, business models, and how to convey these topics in a compelling way to target audiences: investors, partners, customers, talent, team, stakeholders, and friends and family. Frank specializes in: short-form pitching (15 second elevator pitches to a few minutes with or without a deck) and long-form pitching (3 to 8+ minutes) covering effective introductions, problem description, market sizing, solution description, competitive differentiation, revenue model, projections, team attributes, ask, financing expectations and execution, pitch development and delivery, Q&A preparation and performance. In other words, everything you need to consider in building a compelling pitch to target audiences.
Mastering the Art of the Pitch is designed for local entrepreneurs and will include:
- The opportunity to learn from Canada’s #1 pitching coach, Frank Erschen
- Tips for short form pitching suitable for first-time conversations at networking events and tradeshows
- A chance to share your short form pitch and receive feedback
This workshop has now sold out, but feel free to join the waitlist for a chance to be invited if space becomes available. If you're interested in more events like this, we encourage you to follow us on social media, @innisfilecdev, to be the first to know about upcoming workshops!
Breaking Down Barriers
The Town of Innisfil is hoping to inspire other communities by celebrating the success of its Breaking Down Barriers Awareness program. Led by the Innisfil Accessibility Advisory Committee (IAAC), this engaging and interactive program introduces young minds to the importance of living in an inclusive world through educational workshops.
The program uses hands-on stations for students to experience what it’s like to be hearing and/or vision impaired, have sensory issues, and navigate a wheelchair through public spaces. The program also teaches children about the concept of an invisible disability and how to approach people who may need help because of a barrier. The program relaunched in 2023 with approximately 350-500 local students taking part each year. This year, the program is expected to grow from eight participating schools to eleven.
To learn more about the incredible work the IAAC is doing with the Breaking Down Barriers Awareness program, be sure to read the full success story on our blog at innisfil.ca/BreakingDownBarriersSuccess.
Join our Team
The Innisfil Economic Development Office is recruiting for an Economic Development Champion (contract role) to implement the Business Retention and Expansion Project. We are looking for a dynamic and collaborative individual to join our Economic Development Team! Directly in line with the Town of Innisfil’s Strategic Plan 2030, you will take a “Community First” approach to promoting, expanding and strengthening Innisfil’s economy and community.
Please view the full job posting for details. Interested candidates are encouraged to submit their application online through the Town’s website by April 4, 2025.
Podcasting 101
Have you always wanted to create a podcast but don’t know where to start? The Innisfil ideaLAB & Library Lakeshore Branch is offering a Podcasting 101 class on April 9 which will explore topic ideas, recording techniques, and how to actually get your podcast out to the world! This is a free class and registration is required.
Resources in Response to U.S. Tariff Concerns
The Town of Innisfil is actively engaged in discussions with a number of partners regarding the impending tariffs. In particular, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, is leading the charge on behalf of Canadian municipalities as it pertains to a number of tariff related impacts, which may include, but are not limited to municipal law enforcement, import and export of goods and services, impacts to municipal procurement and infrastructure projects, and potential impacts on small and medium sized enterprises (SME’s). Mayor Dollin, Council, and Economic Development staff are participating in these conversations and sharing the feedback of local business stakeholders.
In the meantime, the County of Simcoe Economic Development Office has created a dedicated webpage with comprehensive Tariff Resources to help businesses navigate potential changes. Also found on the site is a short tariff impact assessment created in collaboration with the Western Ontario Wardens Caucus.
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