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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