The mission was to bring together over 40 businesses from 13 sectors, offer them ideas, get them to network, and build support for each other moving forward.
Those in attendance would have to agree, the mission was successful. Everyone from golf industry representatives to construction to transportation and many more attended the business support event on March 20.
People were talking to each other, learning about new funding opportunities, and finding common ground. This was in line with vision the organizers had for the collaborative environment: to help bridge gaps, create connections, and show the business community they are not alone.
“The mindset going forward will be in our business community will be about collaboration,” says Saleem Hall from YMCA Employment and Learning Centre. “We’re not in this along and the struggle one person is experiencing is probably the same that someone down the road is experiencing. And maybe one of them finds a way through it and they share with each other.”
The joint effort meeting was the result of a collaboration between the YMCA Employment and Learning Centre, the Huntsville/Lake of Bays Chamber of Commerce, and the Township of Lake of Bays economic development team.
Hosted at Canvas Brewery in downtown Huntsville, the meeting featured several guest speakers focusing on topics that included economic development, new Canadian workers, innovation, technology, and business support.
Hall says he was extremely happy with the turnout and says it’s important to support each other in these chaotic times.
“There are things we can’t necessarily control through an economic development lens,” says Hall. “Stuff that’s happening south of the border with tariffs. We got an overwhelming response. Many are struggling with skilled labor force shortages and finding resources for innovation.”
In the end, there were definitely some good ideas that the business community in Muskoka can take away from the event, explains Hall.
“We heard about some homemade best practices and that there are innovations happening here at home,” he says. “We have people forging away when it comes to supporting new Canadians and their opportunity to participate in our labour force, and there are nuggets of gold everywhere in our community. What the YMCA does is we try to play a role in bringing people together and recognizing it’s a community approach. Developing how we decide to grow and respond to external threat.”
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