Our Business Resource Toolkit will give smaller businesses a new online tool to find local resources and professional services to support their day-to-day operations

The Business Resource Toolkit is a robust directory of services and consultants offering expertise in a wide range of fields, including: human resources, accounting, legal support, insurance, IT, marketing, workplace health and safety, and hiring internationally trained workers.

It also includes resources tailored to the needs of agriculture-related and Indigenous businesses.

In all, there are more than 500 businesses and organizations listed for the Grand Erie and Elgin-Middlesex-Oxford regions, with their contact information and websites.

Users can search the directory for specific types of services or by location.

“The idea is to make it easier for businesses, especially smaller businesses and those in more rural areas, to find services to tap into when they need support with HR or other issues,” said Danette Dalton, the Workforce Planning Board’s executive director.

“Many businesses do not have a full-time HR or an IT person. Or, for example, may not know where to turn to get expert advice on how changes to government regulations affect them.”

The Business Resource Toolkit is a partnership between the Workforce Planning Board of Grand Erie and the Elgin Middlesex Oxford Workforce Planning and Development Board, with support from South Central Ontario Region Economic Development Corporation (SCOR EDC) and will be housed on the websites of both boards. The project was funded in part by the Government of Ontario.

The design and promotion of the Business Resource Toolkit were enriched by the expertise of students from Wilfrid Laurier University Brantford’s User Experience Design and Business Technology Management programs, Conestoga College’s Human Resource Management program, and the Marketing Management program at the University of Guelph.

“Businesses in more rural areas sometimes have unique issues. They also like to support and build relationships with other small businesses in their community,” Dalton said. “The toolkit helps with that, allowing businesses to search for nearby services.”

The toolkit helps build resilience and sustainability into the local economy by connecting businesses with other local, Ontario-based businesses, she said.