Bradford Catalyst Centre, without a home, getting down to business

Bradford’s new Business Catalyst Centre still doesn’t have a permanent home, but that isn’t stopping the town and partners from offering seminars beginning as early as Thursday.

Council approved hosting the programming in town facilities based on a report from Michael Disano, manager of economic development for the town, during the regular council meeting on Oct. 1.

The town’s Office of Economic Development hopes to support local entrepreneurs and business owners through the following four workshops planned for this fall and winter at the town’s new social services and community hub at 177 Church St.

1. Introduction to Intellectual Property with Elizabeth Collison — Oct. 4
2. Navigating Business Insurance with Heather Hill — Nov. 12
3. Effective Marketing Strategies with Michael Gutta — Dec. 3
4. Financial Literacy and Business Systems with Paul Ohem — Jan. 21

“I’m excited about it,” Mayor James Leduc said of seeing the programs launch, led by some local business owners.

The town is looking to expand programming in collaboration with the Henry Bernick Entrepreneurship Centre and Georgian College, as well as Nottawasaga Futures.

“The goal is to offer a comprehensive suite of programs and events that cater to the diverse needs of our entrepreneurial community,” Disano said in the report.

Other suggested temporary locations include the Zima Room at the Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library and the Don Harrison Auditorium at the Bradford and District Memorial Community Centre.

Eventually, the centre is expected to offer 24/7 access to co-working, meeting, and event space for clients, as well as local community groups. However, despite hiring a real estate agent, staff have had difficulty finding a suitable “brick-and-mortar” location available in the town’s downtown, partially due to low vacancy rate of commercial properties in the area, according to the report.

“I understand the challenges trying to find the right places for something like this, and maybe that’s just a sign that we’re not really at the level the application want us to be,” Ward 6 Coun. Nickolas Harper said.

Consulting firm Accolade Innovations Inc. has been helping the town plan the catalyst centre and according to the report hired Pinpoint Engineering to inspect and prepare a construction feasibility report on each potential property to determine the scope and cost of work required for each.

The results were reportedly presented to council during a closed session on June 25, but Leduc said council was “shocked” by the costs, so staff were instructed to keep looking.

Ward 3 Coun. Ben Verkaik asked if there were still any location in the running and if 157 Holland St. E. was still among them.

Dean Gillis, economic development officer, explained staff had concerns about renovations and sizing at that location, but added there are still “a couple” spaces being considered, including the Village Inn at the historic four corners, for which the real estate agent was working on a potential draft lease agreement.

“There’s no real rush at this time,” the mayor said. “We’ve got this catalyst centre going and we’re going to be able to run it out of our facilities for now.”

So far, the catalyst centre has secured $530,000 in funding, including $200,000 from the town, $180,000 from the co-working partners and $150,000 from the Rural Economic Development Fund, while the town’s application for $1 million from FedDev is still awaiting a response, according to the report.