With BDC Small Business Week again upon us starting this Monday (October 19), Peterborough County’s economic development general manager is reminding us that small businesses across the region drive the local economic engine.
Rhonda Keenan says long before ‘Buy Local’ crossed the lips of politicians and business leaders across the country, that practice was key in fueling local economies. As such, she says it has long been a wider conversation that the county has worked endlessly to promote and encourage.
Keenan says while large industry “will always have its place” in terms of its importance to the local economy, small businesses, in their totality, bring just as much value to the table.
Keenan notes that besides providing jobs for local people and contributing to local economies, small businesses, by their very nature, provide a consumer experience that’s anchored by a uniquely personal connection.
Peterborough County, says Keenan, has listened to small business owners, worked to understand their challenges and roadblocks, and put in place programs to support their growth and success. She points to a recent series of workshops on Artificial Intelligence that were offered.
For more information on Peterborough County’s economic development programs and training, visit www.ecdev.ptbocounty.ca.
(Written by: Paul Rellinger)
