Strathcona BIA Connections Newsletter May 2010

Community Centre Basketball Program
at their 3rd annual Hoop-a-Thon.

For more information about the program and how pledges can be made, contact Ron Suzuki, Recreation Programmer, at 604-713-1851

SBIA Office

Our office location & mailing address

1220 E. Hastings
Vancouver, BC
V6A 1S6

City of Vancouver Provides Funding and Support for SBIA's Green Zone

On Tuesday April 20th Vancouver City Council supported the SBIA's efforts to establish Strathcona as 'Vancouver's Green Zone' by approving $40,000 to visually brand Strathcona as a 'Green Zone' and to expand upon the SBIA's Materials Exchange Network. The SBIA will be installing 20 bike racks to help commuters and customers alike utilize alternative transportation in Strathcona. Artistic pieces will be created for the bike racks to create visual cues for the 'Green Zone' as well as develop messaging about the environmental and health benefits of cycling. Look out for new racks coming to a sidewalk near you in 2010.

SBIA Awarded Vancity enviroFund Grant

Since 1990, Vancity's enviroFund has been supporting
community initiatives that address local environmental issues.
The SBIA has received a $48,000 grant from Vancity's enviroFund program to develop the SBIA's Materials Exchange Network which was kicked off last spring. Funding received will assist with
increasing the network, resources to raise awareness with area businesses through facilitated workshops, identify new
opportunities through assessments of business waste streams and facilitate exchanges online.

Vancity enviroFund Grant presented to SBIA Vice Chair Toby Barazzuol and SBIA Administrator Gretchen Overholtzer by Doreen Braverman of the Vancity Board of Directors

GHOST CEO APRIL RECAP
Professional Development: Ghost CEO Workshop Series

On April 15th, the SBIA hosted the last of three workshops in our
Ghost CEO Business Development Series. This last workshop focused on marketing for small businesses. Business Development Coach Heather White provided an engaging morning session with SBIA members to explain that marketing is about education and emphasized importance of spending your resources on educating your customers. Heather challenged SBIA members by asking them these 3 questions: What do you do? Why does it matter? And who cares? Heather cautioned marketing that focuses on product/service features that someone in the industry may obsess over but may not necessarily be of interest to your customer. It can just distract your customer from the reasons they want your product.

The series was a tremendous success and we will be working with Ghost CEO to bring more business coaching sessions to SBIA members in the future.

"Heather is spot on, she's succinct, funny and knows what she's talking about."

- Saul Brown of Saul Good Gift Co. on the April 15th session

Scooter Hive, 503 Railway
Vancouver's latest scooter shop, the Scooter Hive, moved into Strathcona's trendy Railway strip last summer. Owners Christian and Natasha Jahrsdoerfer chose the location for the like minded businesses and the ability to offer test rides without disrupting neighbours. The team holds down the fort with one employee and their poodle Zoe. Christian notes Scooter Hive is "the only vintage repair shop in Vancouver." In addition to a soft spot for Italian vintage, the Hive offers scooter consignment, DIY (Do It Yourself) repair courses, and group rides. With parking becoming a hot commodity in Strathcona and Vancouver in general - riding a scooter seems like the perfect alternative.

Scooter Hive is Open: Tuesday - Saturday, Noon to 6:00 pm

Scooter Hive owners Christian and Natasha Jahrsdoerfer
with their dog Zoe

Mural applications are now being accepted!
Murals have been found to be a great deterrent to graffiti and has benefited Strathcona by beautifying our neighbourhood. If you are interested in having a free mural installed on your building, please contact the SBIA office by June 1st, 2010 for a mural application.

Interested in joining the SBIA in going paperless for your communications?

Since January the SBIA has been utilizing Constant Contact's e-newsletter service to keep our communications green. We love that it is easy to use and low cost so we would like to pass along an offer to our members to try out the service free for 60 days. If you become a customer, we each receive a $30 credit! Help us become more sustainable and try out this great service.

Email us for a referral!

Call for Nominations
The SBIA Election Committee is accepting nominations for the SBIA's Board of Directors for the September Annual General Meeting (AGM). Please contact the office or visit our website for a candidate nomination package. Visit our website for more information.

Transition to HST
Information sessions are available across
Vancouver on Harmonized Sales Tax, book now as spots are filling up fast. Dates online at the CRA website.

Rising Star

Letterbox Design, 325 Railway Street

For over three decades, Letterbox Design has been a leading graphic and environmental design firm, specializing in multi-disciplinary branding and 3-D design. Letterbox is responsible for award-winning campaigns for numerous high profile projects across North America. This winter the design firm moved from Kitsilano to Railtown and is in love with the vibrancy and energy of Strathcona. We sat down with Partner and Creative Director Kiky Kambylis to find out what makes the firm tick.

Letterbox was started over 30 years ago by Founder and President David Hornblow as Designworks. The firm rotated through three continents finally settling in Vancouver as Letterbox Design in 1981. Letterbox sets itself apart from other design shops with its 3-D design focus; most shops only take on 2-D projects. The firm's dedicated Environmental Graphic Design Department creates brand solutions via signage and interior sales and interactive spaces.

This fall, the firm was contracted to develop and produce graphics for the Whistler and Vancouver locations of USA House at the 2010 Olympics. The project began only three months ahead of the Games and involved coordinating designers from a variety of international teams. "One of the greatest measures of [the project's] success was seeing the interaction of guests in the space," says Kambylis. Over 10,000 visitors were welcomed into the venues throughout the Games including VIPs and Olympic Athletes. USA may have won the medal count but Vancouver won the bid!Letterbox also worked on the campaign for Millennium Water in False Creek which doubled as the Athletes Village. The brand identity was focused around the project's unique LEED features, community aspect, and as access to Vancouver's last waterfront.

Touching on our most recent SBIA event, the Ghost CEO Marketing Workshop, I asked Kambylis what she considers the biggest mistake people make when branding an idea. She explained that where many brands fall short is by not being authentic. "Do your homework and find a strong identity for the brand. An authentic story will resonate with the customer."

This spring Letterbox Design hopes to have more staff cycling to work and are looking forward to exploring their new neighbourhood.

Learn more at www.letterboxdesign.com

Property Owners Corner

Tax Shift for 2010
As a result of the hard work by the Vancouver Fair Tax Coalition (VFTC), City Council voted to support a City Staff Report recommending continuation of the 1% tax shift from commercial property to residential properties in 2010. The shift represents a significant savings of $5.68 million for non-residential properties in 2010 alone. Since 2005, the VFTC has been successful in achieving cumulative savings of over $114 million dollars in commercial property taxes. The SBIA has been a member of the coalition since its inception, actively working with the VFTC to provide feedback for the budget process and the tax shift on behalf of our members. Interested in learning more about the Vancouver Fair Tax Coalition? Check out www.fairtaxcoalition.com

Could Your Property Be Re-Labeled?
Effective June 1, 2010, the British Columbia Ministry of the Environment (MOE) will implement Protocol 12 which outlines a classification and reporting requirement for contaminated sites and redefines high risk sites. In changing the definition for high risk sites, Protocol 12 could re-label properties currently not included in the existing definition of high risk. Learn more at www.strathconabia.com/businessResources.php

COV & Metro Vancouver Partners with Climate Smart to Help Green Your Business
The City of Vancouver would like to make your business more competitive and sustainable by helping you to reduce fuel, energy, and associated carbon tax costs. The COV has partnered with Metro
Vancouver and Climate Smart to engage the business community in training that takes you through the process of creating a greenhouse gas emissions inventory and developing reduction strategies with a focus on cost savings, operational efficiency and brand lift. This training consists of three ½ day workshops scheduled over two months and typically costs $1500. With the partnership between the City of Vancouver, Metro Vancouver, and Climate Smart, this training is being offered at a reduced cost of $500 for a limited
number of Vancouver-based businesses.

Registration deadline is May 21. For more information and to register contact Christine VanDerwill at ClimateSmart - 604.254.6283 ext 238

Awning Improvement Project
Launched in the fall of 2008 the Great Beginnings Awning Program will be extended through March 2011. The Awning Improvements project is a collaborative effort between the City of Vancouver and the Strathcona BIA to improve the street scape, making the business district more attractive. The City of Vancouver will contribute 40% of the cost of re-skinning or purchasing a manual retractable awning up to a maximum of $1500. The grant must be matched with a 60% contribution from the program participant. Check out the information below to find out more and to see if you are eligible:
Information & Application Package
Great Beginnings Program Background

Bike to Work Week in Strathcona
The SBIA is partnering for the first time with the Vancouver Cycling Coalition by sponsoring two commuter stations for Bike to Work Week (May 31- June 6th). The two commuter stations will be in Strathcona on June 2nd and June 4th. The SBIA is opening up the opportunity for SBIA members to get involved with this event by providing snacks, beverages, prizes or employee volunteers for the over 200 bike commuters passing through our stations. This is a great opportunity to showcase your business and products.

Get in touch with the SBIA office immediately to find out how to get involved with this sponsorship opportunity.

Learn more about Bike to Work Week

Mark Your Calendar

Bike to Work Week: Strathcona BIA Sponsored Stations
Wednesday June 2nd from 4:30pm-6:00pm at Adanac & Clark Dr.
Friday June 4th from 6:30am-9:00am at Union & Hawks

Powell Street Festival
Saturday, July 31st & Sunday, August 1st, 2010 from 11:30 am to 7pm. This year, the Festival will be returning to its newly rennovated home in Oppenheimer Park (400 Block of Powell Street)

Sustainability Expo 2.010
Coming this fall!

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