Brantford Launches Digital Main Street Service Squad

City receives $10,000 Digital Main Street Grant to help main street businesses use digital tools more effectively.

November 25, 2019: Brantford, Ontario. The Brantford-Brant Business Resource Enterprise Centre (BRC) announced today that it has received a $10,000 from Digital Main Street (DMS) to fund a Digital Service Squad to help main street small businesses improve their online capabilities.

The BRC together with the Downtown Brantford BIA received the grant from the Ontario government as part of the Digital Main Street program to establish a Digital Service Squad (DSS) to help small businesses in the downtown areas to enhance their use of digital tools and techniques to better evolve and grow. The DSS will consist of trained experts who will visit and assist main street small businesses at no cost to help them set up Google Business and conduct a digital-readiness assessment.

“The BRC is excited to launch ‘Digital Main Street’ in the City of Brantford in partnership with the Ontario BIA Association and the Downtown Brantford BIA,” said Mae Legg, Senior Business Consultant with the Brantford-Brand Business Resource Enterprise Centre. “Main street businesses are the backbone of our community, and business owners know the importance of staying at the top of their game to remain competitive. Enhancing their knowledge of doing business in the online world adds to their competitive edge. The BRC and our digital service experts are looking forward to working with downtown businesses to help enhance their digital capabilities and online presence, further building on downtown Brantford’s robust economy.”

A joint program funded by Government of Ontario and delivered by the Ontario BIA Association, Digital Main Street helps improve how small main street businesses use digital tools and techniques to become more successful. Today’s digital economy is vital to small businesses, and DMS will help them adopt new digital technologies from e-commerce and social media to back-office systems such as payroll and inventory.
“Our government is committed to helping small businesses improve their competitiveness, create jobs and attract investment,” said Ernie Hardeman, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. “That’s why I’m so pleased that businesses in the City of Brantford’s downtown will benefit from the expertise of a Digital Service Squad to help small businesses embrace digital technology. Our investment in the Digital Main Street program will help to ensure that Ontario is open for business and open for jobs.”

“The Digital Service Squad in the City of Brantford’s downtown will help local businesses gain the expertise necessary to compete in the new digital environment,” said Will Bouma, MPP for Brantford-Brant. “The training they’ll receive will help them to expand their business and compete locally, regionally, provincially, and in the global market place.”

Digital Main Street offers two types of grants:

• Digital Transformation Grant: There are several grants of $2,500 each available to qualifying small “main street” businesses across Ontario to help them adopt new digital technologies.
• Digital Service Squad Grant: Grants of $10,000 each available to qualifying municipal or business groups across Ontario to develop and implement local squads of digital vendors and experts to directly help small businesses.

“Brantford is leading the way in demonstrating the importance of digital technologies to small businesses and how Digital Main Street will help keep their downtown core vibrant and strong,” said Kay Matthews, Executive Director of the Ontario BIA Association. “Our small main street businesses are a critical contributor to Ontario’s economic, social and cultural health, and it’s vital that we work together to ensure their success. Digital Main Street will help the main street small businesses of downtown Brantford to compete in an increasingly digital world.”

If you’d like to learn more about participating as a Digital Service Squad member, please contact Mae Legg at mlegg@brantford.ca or 519-756-4269.

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ABOUT the Brantford-Brant Business Resource Enterprise Centre

The Brantford-Brant Business Resource Enterprise Centre (BRC) is an integral part of the City’s Economic Development and Tourism Department and the Ministry of Economic Development Job Creation and Trade’s network of Small Business Enterprise Centres that serve Ontario’s small business community. The BRC’s goal is to assist in the creation and development of small business in the City of Brantford by providing business owners support and resources to start or expand their operations.

ABOUT the Ontario BIA Association

OBIAA is the network that represents unique and vibrant BIAs across Ontario. The Association supports and advocates on behalf of its members through the building and nurturing of strong relationships and partnerships. OBIAA is a leader in the development and sharing of information, tools, resources and best practices, and is the ONE voice on common issues.

ABOUT Digital Main Street

Digital Main Street is an innovative program designed to help main street small businesses achieve digital transformation. The program is built around an online learning platform, structured training programs, grants and Digital Service Squads teams of street-level experts that help main street small businesses manage and grow their operations through technology adoption. The program was originally created by the Toronto Association of BIAs (TABIA) and a group of strategic partners including Google, MasterCard, Rogers, Microsoft and Shopify. The Province of Ontario expansion of Digital Main Street is funded by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and delivered by the Ontario BIA Association. The Ontario expansion is part of the government’s $12 million Main Street Enhancement Initiative to create jobs and support communities across the province. For more information, please visit digitalmainstreet.ca

MEDIA CONTACT:

Mae Legg
Senior Business Consultant
Brantford-Brant Business Resource Enterprise Centre
mlegg@brantford.ca
519-756-4269