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Good day!   

Welcome to the May edition of the Hamilton Economic Development Newsletter.  

Major Downtown Conference in Hamilton this June

From June 6-8 the 4th Annual Transforming & Revitalizing Downtown Summit will be held in Downtown Hamilton. This marks the first year that the summit has been out of Downtown Toronto and features an esteemed group of multidisciplinary speakers from around the world.

As part of the agenda, Glen Norton, Manager of the City of Hamilton's Urban Renewal Section will be leading a special tour to showcase how Hamilton has taken bold steps to reinvent its physical landscape, attract investments and transform its community.

Plus, hear from a multidisciplinary panel of experts across North America and around the world on timely topics including:
  • Engaging citizens in the planning process
  • Securing alternative sources of revenue for public projects
  • Implementing downtown waterfront master-plans
  • Strategies to support affordable housing in gentrifying neighbourhoods

Case-studies are presented by planners, policymakers, architects and other stakeholders representing municipalities of all sizes including Goderich (ON), Moncton (NB), Indianapolis (IN), Cleveland (OH), Austin (TX), Amsterdam (The Netherlands), Edinburgh (Scotland), and more.

As the key sponsor at the event, The City of Hamilton is extending to you a special 20% discount off the advertised rates. Enter VIP Code HML20 when registering and take advantage of this offer. (Note: this offer is available only to those who have NOT yet registered and cannot be combined with any other promotion). Visit http://www.revitalizingdowntowns.net to register and view the agenda. 

Introducing Sustainable Hamilton

 

There's a growing movement in Hamilton's business community toward a greener, leaner, more socially and environmentally responsible way of operating.

Sustainable Hamilton, a non-profit social enterprise, aims to inspire real, measurable progress toward greater sustainability within our businesses and institutions - and leverage the powerful influence of this sector to create change toward sustainable prosperity throughout Hamilton. Sustainable Hamilton is built on three key pillars: collaborative learning, measurable action, and recognition. Real action on sustainability is promoted through the Sustainable Hamilton Reporting Initiative that supports members as they measure, track and improve their triple bottom-line progress. Learning and networking events feature national-level sustainability business experts and celebrate the successes of local organizations.

Mark June 20th in your calendars, as Sustainable Hamilton hosts the Smart Business Sustainability Boot Camp. They've assembled an impressive line-up of Canadian business sustainability experts. Keynote presenter Tim Faveri, Director of Sustainability and Responsibility for Tim Hortons Inc., will share how his company is "Making a true difference" through sustainability. Colin Isaacs, of CIAL Group, will draw upon consulting experience with clients such as Loblaws, McDonalds, Maple Leaf Foods and others to help you understand how you can create a sustainability plan that can put you on the track to success. David Arkell of Burlington-based 360 Energy Solutions will provide practical steps to greater energy efficiency and cost savings. Kathryn Cooper, founder of the Sustainability Learning Centre will provide perspectives on how you can create a more engaged and enthusiastic team that will be more productive, innovative and "walk the talk".

For more information visit www.sustainablehamilton.ca or e-mail info@sustainablehamilton.ca.
Shining a Little Light on Designers

 

You might not know it but, there are a number of professional designers who have made Hamilton their home in the last few years. This undercurrent of business activity goes on without anyone seeing it. The design company called 'Ours' is a perfect example of this. Ours has offices in Dundas and collaborates with other professionals in a number of locations; these talented designers use technology to communicate: Skype, Basecamp, email and the good old telephone connect them and allow them to communicate and collaborate effectively, transfer files, present concepts, and organize production. They use these technologies to communicate as a team, with clients, and with any freelancers (local or otherwise) hired for production work. Even when clients are close, they continue to use these programs and platforms to support the client relationship. So, a client can be located in Nashville, the design company makes Hamilton their home and their partners and freelancers could be located anywhere else in the world.


Ours isn't unique on this front. There are lots of skilled designers in Hamilton, and it's very common place for communication to take place online. It's easy to do, cost effective, and it's definitely not a barrier to a successful working relationship. Really, the use of a variety of communication tools only makes things easier and more effective. And, because a lot of smaller firms operate from home-based offices, it isn't necessarily obvious that creative work is being done all over the city for clients all over the world.

Why do they choose Hamilton then? Many reasons including quality of life, affordability, proximity to family and friends and a growing creative vibe that is making us all sit up and pay attention! 
Business Plan Competition   

Calling all high school students. It's time again for the Annual Hamilton Business Plan competition. Those students attending high school within the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board and Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board who are 15 to 20 years old will create their own business scenarios and ensure that all components of the business plan are completed.

This is a great way for students to understand the importance of a business plan and provides them with real life experience in entrepreneurship. Business plans must be submitted to the Hamilton Small Business Enterprise Centre (City Hall, 71 Main Street West, 1st Floor) by May 21st, 2012. The top 20 plans will be invited to the annual E. R. Monaco Business Plan Competition on June 7th, 2012 and the top five monetary prizes include:

1st Place - $500.00, 2nd Place - $250.00, 3rd Place - $100.00, 4th Place - $75.00, 5th Place - $50.00.

For more Information contact the Hamilton Small Business Enterprise Centre at 905-540-6400.
Did you know... 
 
The Ottawa Street Business Improvement Area just hosted one of Canada's largest food truck rallies that brought over 12,000 people to the area to shop, mingle and most importantly EAT?  

You can check out a review by clicking here.
Thank you for reading!  Don't forget to connect with us via our social media tools for the latest updates in real time.

For more information on these stories and more, visit us online at www.investinhamilton.ca.