BusinessonnectionsIssue 1Volume 3January 2012

ORANGEVILLEBUSINESS.CA

COMPANY PROFILE

Technicor Celebrates 25 Years in Operation

The Town of Orangeville salutes Technicor Inc. on its upcominganniversary and congratulates the Orangeville-based companyfor 25 years in operation. Technicor originated in 1987 when owner Keith Oussoren decidedto leave his job with a large multi-national company to venture outon his own. The business operated as a local home-based venture for seven years before expansion led to a relocation inOrangeville in 1994. Technicor expanded yet again, and in 2004,this thriving enterprise relocated to its present location at 450Richardson Road in Orangeville. Specializing in the machining and fabrication of engineered andprecision plastic products, Technicor’s business has evolvedover the years by acquiring equipment and developing state-of-the-art processes that enable the company to deliver high quality products at competitive prices. Working with a diversecustomer base, Technicor provides plastic components to equip-ment manufacturers that include the construction, packaging,conveying, mining, and agricultural sectors.Serving customers in the local community, the GTA and otherparts of Canada, Orangeville’s central location and proximity tothe marketplace have enabled the company to remain and growhere while also providing the lifestyle benefits valued by theOussorens. “We wanted to live and raise our family in a smalltown and all of our needs were met in Orangeville,” saysTechnicor President Keith Oussoren. The availability of a qualifiedand dedicated workforce also helped to meet those needs.“When we first decided to start Technicor, it was risky, but welove the work, the customers we work for and we have a greatteam behind us,” adds Fran Oussoren. With today’s rapidlychanging work environment, the fact that Technicor has such acommitted workforce – 110 years of combined service, in fact –is testament to the values held by Keith and Fran.Technicor demonstrates sincere dedication to quality production,customer service, affordability and continuous improvement –important qualities in achieving a quarter century of businesssuccess. To learn more about Technicor, visit www.technicor.ca.

Growing Numbers of CreativeClass Workers in DufferinThe Workforce Planning Board of WaterlooWellington Dufferin recently published a study oncreative class workers in Dufferin County in orderto identify trends and opportunities for growthamong this important employment group.The concept of the creative class emerged out ofresearch done by Dr. Richard Florida which defineslabour markets by classes and outlines that allworking people in a given economy can be repre-sented by one of three classes - working, serviceand creative (and its super-creative core). Creativeprofessionals are knowledge-based workers whodraw on their higher levels of education to solvespecific problems and include individuals workingin healthcare, business and finance, the legal sec-tor, and education. The super-creative core includes a wide range of innovative occupations suchas science, engineering, education, computer programming, research, arts, design, and media. On a North American scale, the working class has steadily declined over the past 60 years whilethe service class has been the largest class of workers for 50 years and continues to be largerthan any other class. The creative class and its super-creative core grew slowly until 1970, whenthis employment class began to experience accelerated growth.The report by the Workforce Planning Board shows promising trends for the growth of the creative class in Dufferin County. Accounting for 26% of the overall workforce in the municipality,the creative class is growing faster than any other class. In fact, based on the most recent census data available, from 2001 to 2006, creative class employment grew by 19% in Dufferin –more than double the provincial growth rate of 8%.As the economy shifts from industrial to creative, the values of the workforce also shift. Creativeclass workers place more weight on where they choose to work and live. This group is attractedto communities with lifestyle options, cultural and ethnic diversity, a tolerant attitude, and accessto technology. A highly-skilled workforce, vibrant artistic, historic and cultural environment, sense of communityinvolvement and pride, and modern and highly reliable infrastructure and technology are all attributes that make Orangeville and its surrounding area an ideal location for this fast-growingclass of workers. Armed with an innovative and solution-oriented approach, this skilled employ-ment group will have a very positive effect on Orangeville and its surrounding region.

C

Orangeville Economic Development and Tourismnow available on Facebook, TwitterThe Economic Development/SBEC office is now officially launched on Facebook and Twitter! TheFacebook page, which will exist within the Town of Orangeville site, has been launched to providean additional method for staff to communicate with the business community and the Twitteraccount (@OrangevilleED) will provide yet even more opportunities to engage with businesses andshare information, leads and resources.“Social media is a fast-growing component of business life,”says Mayor Rob Adams. “By utilizing tools such as Facebookand Twitter to conduct outreach to local business owners,we broaden our ability to create more open and interactivecommunication with the visiting public.” Both the Facebookpage and the Twitter account are great ways to stayinformed about upcoming business activities, programs,events and workshops.

Connect wi th Bus iness . Connect wi th L i fe .

2011 Bridges to BetterBusiness Focuses onMarketingDuring a highly informative and entertainingevent, successful entrepreneur, author and mar-keting specialist Terry Straker shared tried andtrue ideas for marketing small businesses at theannual Bridges to Better Business event on November 9. Made possible by a partnership betweenthe Orangeville & Area Small Business Enterprise Centre, the Ministry of Economic Developmentand Innovation and Canada Ontario Business, this year’s event provided many ideas on how partic-ipants could build their businesses effectively and creatively while on a tight budget.Mr. Straker engaged attendees with a fast-paced presentation on the common marketing problemsthat most small business owners face today and offered unique and creative solutions to fix them.He emphasized that consumers today are bombarded with marketing messages on a daily basisand as a result, are skeptical of business owners and the products or services they provide. Today’s consumers are experienced and knowledgeable and are looking for simplified shoppingexperiences that provide good value for their money, Mr. Straker says. “If you can’t provide thatexperience and knowledge, they will find it somewhere else.” While explaining how customers arelost, he indicated that 68% of customers leave because the company conveys an indifferent attitude towards the customer and fails to make the experience special. In order to retain existingcustomers and attract new ones, he provided four keys to standout success for any businessowner: status, quality, value and uniqueness. Status involves making customers feel like they are important to the business and might includesuch things as offering a VIP or membership card for discounts. The quality of a product orservice is determined by both its ability to meet the customer’s expectations and by the waythat the company promotes itself. For example, a professional approach, quality website andsuperior business card are important to back up the image of a quality product. A product orservice that is considered to have good value is not necessarily the cheapest product but it isthe one that offers the best price for the quality of the product. Value can be added throughincentives, add-ons, guarantees or simply by providing superior service. Finally, a businessshould be unique in order to attract new customers and retain existing ones. To stand apartfrom the competition, a business must be able to create differentiation between itself and otherbusinesses in a congested market.Held each year in the fall, valuable information, tips and techniques, when combined with amplenetworking opportunities, make the Bridges to Better Business event a great business invest-ment. To keep informed on all of the SBEC events and workshops throughout the year, contactsbec@orangeville.ca.

ORANGEVILLEBUSINESS.CA 87 Broadway, Orangeville, Ontario L9W 1K1 Phone: 519-941-0440 Toll Free: 1-866-941-0440Fax: 519-941-9033 E-mail: info@orangevillebusiness.ca

IN THE NEWSStarting a Small Business • January 26, 9 a.m. and May 16, 6:30 p.m.In this session participants will learn about what is involved in startinga small business in Ontario, why a business plan is so important andwhat is involved in developing a successful business plan. This work-shop will answer many start-up questions and provide participantswith the tools needed to begin working on their own “road maps” tosuccess. Cost - $10.

Tax Planning for Small Business • February 8, 6:30 p.m.Gerry Hogenhout of Hogenhout and Associates will lead this interactivesession and provide valuable tips and essential rules for operating asmall business and minimizing or deferring income taxes payable.Find out what you need to know about the tax system and your business by learning about home office deductions, effective tax deferral techniques, common misconceptions and much more. Free.

Social Media Boot Camp - Part 2 • February 22, 9 a.m.This workshop will help you to harness the power of social media andlearn how to develop content that is engaging and sincere. Major topics include engaging your target market, increasing visibility andgrowing fans into ambassadors, making decisions using social analytics, tracking and measuring social media return on investment,driving traffic with social bookmarking sites, using blog and YouTubeto stand out, growing a following and improving search engine rankings. Cost - $15.

Effective Advertising for Small Business • March 27, 9 a.m.Effective advertising is crucial for small business owners who want toreach their target markets and attract new customers. An importantpart of the marketing strategy, advertising can have a significantimpact on your business success. Topics include planning, designingand monitoring the advertising campaign, creating a demographicprofile of your customers, selecting the best advertising mediums,evaluating effectiveness of advertising and measuring return oninvestment. Cost - $10.

Doing Business with the Government • April 10, 9 a.m.This seminar is designed to help local business owners learn how todo business with the Federal, Provincial and Municipal Governments.Participants will learn how each level of government does its purchas-ing and how to include these groups as your customers. Free.

Financing Your Small Business • May 8, 9 a.m.This seminar, delivered in partnership with the TD Bank, will help smallbusiness owners understand financing from a banking perspective.Learn about how bankers determine lending qualifications, how tobest present your business case and how to leverage personal equity for start-up loans. Free.

Visit www.orangevillebusiness.ca/events to registeronline for any of these events.

UPCOMING EVENTS

2011 Economic Outlook BreakfastDerek Burleton, Vice President and Deputy Chief Economist with TDBank Group returned as the keynote speaker at the Town ofOrangeville’s Economic Outlook Breakfast on October 19. Speakingto a sold-out crowd of 120 local business and community leaders, Mr.Burleton provided an overview of the economic situation in Europe,the U.S. and in Canada and predicted modest economic growthnationally. Visit orangevillebusiness.ca to view his presentation.

2012 Summer Company ProgramThe Orangeville & Area SBEC will partner with the Province ofOntario again to deliver the 2012 Summer Company Program.The program provides students with the opportunity to startand run their own summer businesses while receiving mentor-ing, training and awards of up to $3,000. The program is opento students between the ages of 15-29 who are returning toschool in the fall. The 2012 program is now open for applica-tions. Visit www.ontario.ca/summercompany to get startedor call the Orangeville & Area SBEC at 519-941-0440 Ext 2258 for more information.

Fall SIOR EventThe Town’s Economic Development/SBEC office sponsored and attended the fall Societyof Industrial and Office Realtors (SIOR) seminar in Toronto. The learning event was attendedby almost 300 industrial and commercial realtors and site selectors and it provided theTown with an excellent opportunity to showcase the community and promote available landand buildings.

THINGS TO KNOW

40 Centennial Road, OrangevilleLarge, well maintained building for sale on approximately 5.5 acreswith severance to be completed by vendor prior to closing. Zonedfor industrial use, the 63,953 square foot building provides anexcellent investment opportunity as it is partially tenanted for a 5year term with approximately 30,000 square feet available for useor lease. Asking sale price is $3,200,000. Please contact ScottSutherland, Vice President, SalesRepresentative, Colliers MacaulayNicolls (Ontario) Inc., Brokerageat 416-777-2200 (bus.).

REAL ESTATE - FEATURED LISTING