EVENTS

Retail Trends
Derek Nighbor, Vice-President (National Affairs) with Retail Council of Canada will discuss what the changing Canadian economy means to the retail industry. Specific focus will be allocated to the concerns of Eastern Ontario communities.

Retail Consultant, Pierre Cliche
Peter is a Personal Coach and Author of “Business Strategies for Downtown and Rural Merchants”.

With a proven track record of accomplishments, Pierre works with a number of associations as well as with clients to help them develop their own abilities for success in their quests for improvement while aiding them in adapting to change. Pierre will discuss "How to Survive with the Big Box Stores" and the importance of hiring the right staff in a retail environment.

Keynote Speaker
Joshua Bloom teaches communities how to revitalize their commercial centers by first gaining an understanding of their local economies and then helping them apply that knowledge to a series of market-driven and achievable projects. He has particular interests in using research on local customers to deepen the picture painted by traditional demographic data sources, and in cultivating sustainable clusters of chain and independent businesses. He has published articles on both of these subjects. Before joining the Community Land Use and Economics Group (CLUE Group), Josh spent ten years as a program officer at the National Trust for Historic Preservation's National Main Street Center where he was instrumental in expanding the program's urban reach to cities that included Boston, Cleveland, St. Louis, Los Angeles and others.