With Small Business Month upon us, the Cornwall & Area Chamber of Commerce, the Cornwall Business Enterprise Centre, and Cornwall & the  Counties  Community  Futures  Development  Corporation  are partnering to  host  a  digital  version  of  Bridges  to  Better  Business,  to  celebrate   our   region’s entrepreneurial strengths, and the resiliency and creativity small business owners have demonstrated in the face of the pandemic.

This week-long e-conference is planned for the last week of October, with Zoom events happening daily. These events will highlight key segments of the local economy who have been hit particularly hard by the pandemic.    The events will feature speakers from prominent local businesses, knowledgeable community leaders, and will provide time for follow up from audience members.

Event Schedule:

• Monday, October 26, 2020 – Restaurants
• Tuesday, October 27, 2020 – Town Hall
• Wednesday, October 28, 2020 – Retail
• Thursday, October 29, 2020 – Town Hall
• Friday, October 30, 2020 – Tourism

To accompany each panel, the three main sponsor organizations will be collaborating on a video production, which is expected to launch alongside the e-conference. The videos will highlight the experiences of key local businesses from the region.

“We are thrilled to be working closely with our small business leaders to showcase the entrepreneurial spirit displayed by our community during the global health crisis,” said Candy Pollard, business consultant for the Cornwall Business Enterprise Centre. “We are doing all we can to position our region for prosperity and learning from others is a key milestone in that endeavour. We are all excited to hear these stories and showcase local successes.”

“Akwesasne, Cornwall and SD&G are saturated with adaptable, hard working and dedicated entrepreneurs. The goal of this event is to celebrate their resiliency while, hopefully, giving other entrepreneurs helpful ideas and arming them with information, funding and tools to help them survive and recover this pandemic.” said Lesley Thompson, Executive Director of Cornwall & the Counties Community Futures Development Corporation.