The Bradford Board of Trade (BBT) is back with their annual Open for Business golf tournament, but this year there will be two opportunities to take part.
The first tournament will take place on Friday, Aug. 20, and the second will be on Friday, Sept. 24. Both will be held at the Bradford Highlands Golf Club on Brownlee Drive.
"The board felt that with the restrictions and lost opportunities of the past year that hosting outside events that would get people together in a safe format was something the community was craving and looking forward to," said BBT President Tina Morrison. "We felt it was a priority to provide events where connections could be made and renewed."
Both members and non-members of the BBT are encouraged to participate and help support local businesses in Bradford.
The Bradford Board of Trade hosts the tournaments every year as a way for businesses to network, advertise and socialize.
"Our golf tournaments will provide us all to get out, see some friendly faces, make connections and build our networks stronger and better!" said Morrison.
Throughout the pandemic, the BBT has been a pillar of reference for financial support programs and grants for local businesses.
"We've remained available to the community throughout to provide supports to any business needing guidance, information, or a caring ear to listen," said Morrison. "The biggest challenge we've heard from businesses is the uncertainty. Can they open safely? Will they be able to stay open? Developing confidence and the ability to plan, short and long term. A close second is finding skilled workers. While they're looking for new team members, they need to be experienced and able to hit the ground running."
"We're looking forward to the golf tournament and seeing the community out on the course! We've missed seeing everyone. It's great to have something to look forward to," said Morrison.
The BBT's #BWGTakeout challenge this past winter, which had residents post photos of their meals from local restaurants on social media, resulted in over $48,000 generated within BWG's restaurant community.
Another way in which the BBT has been helping local businesses, is the Rapid Screening Initiative, providing COVID-19 rapid tests for small local business owners.
"Businesses with 150 employees or less are welcome to participate in this program. The goal of the program is to identify asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic cases of COVID-19 in the workplace that might otherwise be missed, helping to curb the spread in the workplace, at home, and around the community. This program is free for all businesses," said Morrison.
The BBT is also currently accepting nominations for their Business Excellence Awards this fall.
"Our goal is to receive a record number of nominations for our Business Excellence Awards. Businesses have had to reinvent themselves several times over this year and deserve to be recognized for their resilience and adaptability. We're coming out of such a challenging period, it's time to celebrate!"
Anyone looking to participate or sponsor the golf tournament events, can visit here or reach out to the BBT Office by email at info@
