Supporting business owners to help grow Whitecourt

When it comes to supporting local businesses, understanding the challenges faced by business owners is an important piece. The Town of Whitecourt’s Business Visitation Program, running for five years now, aims to bridge gaps and provide a single point of contact, which helps enhance communication between Town staff and the business community.

Rhonda Hough, Economic Development Officer for the Town of Whitecourt, said the program is part of the Town’s Business Retention Strategy. “It helps us identify challenges and any partnerships or synergies with businesses. We gather that input and bring that back to the table to look at how we can learn more about shaping future programs, policies, and resources that support future growth and sustainability. We get all that information from our business community, and then it helps us guide those programs.”

Hitting the pavement and speaking to business owners in person is a big part of building a solid relationship and knowing how to help and when. “I think the businesses speak for the community. Realistically, for us to be successful, we need to hear from them. The perfect example is COVID. When the pandemic hit, we had to shift our resources and learn what businesses needed at that time. If we didn’t have this program, fully forward and successful, we wouldn’t have been able to reach out to those businesses and help support some of their needs,” said Hough.

Another big part is that Town staff get to meet the owners. “We learn about what’s going on, and it also lets us promote them. We had a large project come into the community, and they were looking for local businesses. If we weren’t in tune with our businesses to know what’s out there, we wouldn’t have been able to share those resources locally with larger businesses. That procurement opportunity is there with this program,” said Hough.

She said that they have learned about zoning challenges that businesses faced or permitting information that someone needed and were able to clear up potential barriers. “We’ve met with businesses that were struggling in certain areas or weren’t aware of certain policies and how to move forward.” She said one-on-one meetings with the Planning and Development department have helped get people back on track.

Not only does the Town of Whitecourt do business visitation by itself, but they also do joint visits with the Whitecourt & District Chamber of Commerce, Alberta Labour and Immigration, and Community Futures Yellowhead East. “We went to visit a business and gather some information and work on things, and they were struggling with future sustainability, with how they were going to stay open. We brought in a workshop through the Business Support Network because of this program and brought in a consultant who worked one-on-one with businesses. It was super successful.”

As common themes come forward from business owners, resources are found to help find solutions. “It brings all those results together so we can collaboratively work and identify any issues and even identify successes, putting businesses together. Maybe one business is successful, and another needs some mentoring. That’s what that partnership does. We have so many resources and skills right here in the community, and we bring that all together and come up with solutions,” said Hough.

She said that in meeting business owners, they’ve discovered that often people are unaware of the business attraction tools available. “If they are attracting employment from outside the community and having a hard time, we can support that. It’s being able to give those tools to businesses and say, these are the tools we have to offer, we are here to help, and there’s no charge to businesses. It’s a synergy between the Town of Whitecourt, our partners and businesses.” Hough said they’ve provided tours of the community to potential employees and are working with realtors on investment attraction strategies.

For new business owners in the beginner stages of their entrepreneurship, Hough said people often aren’t aware of what permits they need or why. “It’s not a deterrent or red tape. There are reasons for planning and zoning. We teamed with the Planning and Development department, and we provide presentations to Community Futures, the business community, the Business Support Network highlighting what’s needed and then creating those resources they can go to, to get that information.”

One of the new things available to businesses is a revamped business section on the Town of Whitecourt website. “They wanted quick, easy steps on what to do, so we cut a lot of that red tape based on our Business Visitation Program feedback,” explained Hough.

On average, pre-COVID, they visited 80 businesses yearly. Hough said they want that up over 100. “A lot of businesses have reached out to us, and we have a list of about 200 businesses, based on one of the surveys that we did, that are interested in connecting with us for a business meeting. “I think knowing what’s in our community and being able to promote it is important. That’s what we do. We like to promote our businesses and work with them. If they have something going on that we can help promote, then that’s a win for both of us.”

There are around 700 businesses in Whitecourt. Thanks again to program feedback, a feature added to the website this year is a Business Directory. “Now, on our website, there’s a Business Directory with every business we are aware of in the community. Because we don’t have business licensing, it’s hard to track, but we did a pretty good job getting that directory up and running. There’s a map of where you can find it in the community and a website link that directs you to that business.”

Those interested in setting up a meeting or who have questions can email economicdevelopment@whitecourt.ca or call 780-778-2273 and ask to speak to the Economic Development department. “Don’t be afraid to reach out. Everything is confidential. We are here to give support. We have a good network and a good team of resources to help support businesses,” stated Hough.