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RELEASED: Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Getting involved paid off for Todd Shivers, owner of Lake Country Auto.

Shivers was one of 92 business owners who volunteered early to be a part of the Orillia Area Community Development Corporation’s (CDC) Business Retention and Expansion (BR+E) survey. A draw was held among the early-bird participants for a pair of tickets, donated by Casino Rama, for the Jennifer Nettles concert Jan. 15 at the casino.

“We are pleased with the initial response from local business owners, but we still need more input,” said local CDC general manager Wendy Timpano. “We are looking forward to more businesses getting involved now that the busy holiday season is over.”

The BR+E survey is a joint project, led by the CDC and involving the City of Orillia, the townships of Ramara, Oro-Medonte and Severn, Rama First Nation and the County of Simcoe. The project also receives funding and technical support from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

“This input is important to our community,” said Timpano. “We are conducting this survey to better understand the local environment for doing business. Individual responses are kept confidential and the information will be helpful in planning future economic development activities.”

A summary of the survey results will be made available at the end of the project.

Local businesses could still qualify for more prizes including tickets to Arrival from Sweden: Music of Abba (Feb. 5) and the Eli Young Band (Feb. 26). Business owners or operators will be entered in the draw if a BR+E survey is completed and submitted to the CDC by the draw date deadline of Jan. 20. Businesses that completed a survey earlier in the project will also be eligible for these draws.

For further information on how to participate, contact Gary Staines, BR+E co-ordinator, at 705-325-4903, ext. 114, or [email protected].

Source: Packet & Times