HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2011-12-22, Page 48PAGE 48. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2011.
Douglas Barill and Mark Hussey
presented good news about
economic development in Huron
County at the Dec. 14 Committee
of the Whole meeting in Goderich.
Barill said driving business in
Huron County begins with the
business directory at shopinhuron.ca
and that is where Huron County has
a huge leg up on some other counties
in the area.
“I haven’t seen another business
directory this dynamic and as
useful as this one,” Barill said about
the Huron County business
directory.
Barill said he was encouraging
people throughout Huron County to
“think globally, act locally” but
that it was crucial to focus on the
people behind the business in the
area.
“We feed the world,” Barill said,
“and our manufacturers supply the
world.”
Introductory cards on the website
feature a picture of a business owner
and their story. Local examples
include Kelly Wharton with Spa
Essentials in Blyth and Eric Coates
from the Blyth Festival among many
others.
Timber’s Outfitters was also
featured in a video shown to Huron
County Council. The video focused
on owner Dwain Forrest’s love for
kayaking and how it drove him to
open his business in Seaforth.
“These are trailers about the
person behind the business,” Barill
said.
To help drive people to the
website, Barill said, coasters have
been made up and placed in
businesses throughout Huron
County. They feature the web
address in addition to an EQ code
people can scan with their
smartphones that will take them
directly to the website.
Barill says the program is
working. The advertising, in
addition to a local contest has driven
traffic to the website in never-
before-seen numbers for Huron
County.
“That’s been the effect of the
Christmas contest and the print
advertising,” he said.
Where there were only 40 visits in
April, there were over 9,000 visitors
in November. As of the Dec. 14
meeting, Barill said, the site was
already seeing higher numbers than
November and would surpass
November’s numbers this month.
Barill then said Forrest was
already seeing results from the
campaign, saying he sold five
kayaks in one afternoon after the
video had been released on the
website. Barill said Forrest is a
believer in the program and he will
tell any Huron County councillor
that if they come and visit his
shop.
Continued from page 47
Wanderlust, by Morris Panych and
Marek Norman, will be produced in
2012. Also under commission are
Judith Thompson and the creators
of The Drowsy Chaperone, Lisa
Lambert, Bob Martin, Don
McKellar and Greg Morrison.
The Festival’s New Play Program
also includes the Playwrights
Retreat, launched in 2008 by
Festival Dramaturge Robert
Blacker. Since then, 52 Canadian
playwrights have participated in
either the Retreat or individual
writing residencies, with Andrew
Moodie completing the Festival’s
most recent residency in
September. Two projects from the
Festival’s upcoming 2012 season
came out of these residencies:
Daniel MacIvor’s play, The Best
Brothers, and the Alon Nashman/
Paul Thompson collaboration,
Hirsch.
Business ownershighlighted by
Shop in Huron
Santa’s job is a snap
Students at Hullett Central Public School learned that perhaps Santa Claus’s job isn’t
necessarily a snap when they go over the list of things he has to do for Christmas. Making the
discovery were Brette Brohman, left, and Kiara Driscoll. (Shawn Loughlin photo)
Stratford
orders
new
plays
By Shawn Loughlin
The Citizen