Roundtable

Workforce Roundtables

The objective of the round-table discussions is to better understand the challenges each sector, Retail, Restaurant and Tourism, is facing as it relates to attracting and retaining employees.

The dialogue and insights gleaned from the roundtables will inform program providers, new and existing programming and the implementation of future economic development actions plans within Lanark County.

Workforce Rountables

What sector does my business best fit in? The following definitions will help you determine the best fit for your business.

Retail

Retail businesses sell items or services to customers for their consumption, use, or pleasure. Examples of retail businesses include clothing, home goods, grocery, and convenience stores.

Food Service

Food Service establishments include any fixed restaurant, coffee shop, bakery, short-order cafe, tearoom, sandwich shop, pub, catering kitchen, or food truck in which food or drink is prepared for sale or service to the public.

Tourism

Tourism businesses include for-profit travel agencies, tour operators, accommodation, recreation, and entertainment.

Register to participate!

Each roundtable is limited to 15 businesses max to allow all those involved to have the opportunity to make contributions to the discussions. If there is sufficient interest in participation, additional roundtables dates/times will be announced.

Take the survey.

Did we mention it takes just 3 minutes to complete 😊

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the time commitment to participate in the roundtable? Roundtables will be 1hour in length. All participants are asked to complete the roundtable pre-survey that is estimated to take 3 minutes to complete. Survey link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ValleyCFDCroundtables

Does it have to be the business owner that participates in the roundtable? No. You can send a Manager, HR or other staff in your place that can speak to the workforce challenges the business has been experiencing.

Is the survey data and information collected through the roundtables anonymous? Yes. We will not disclose any information directly identifying participants or the business's name in the final report.

Will the roundtables be recorded? Yes. The recordings will only be for internal note-taking by Valley Heartland staff and will not be made public. We will not disclose anything from the roundtables that will directly identify participants/businesses in the final report.

Why is Valley Heartland hosting the roundtables? In 2019 Valley Heartland lead a year-long county-wide Business Retention and Expansion project. One of the actions identified in the final report was to host a series of roundtables around the workforce for a deeper dive into the sector-specific changes impacting local businesses. The dialogue and insights gleaned from the roundtables will inform program providers, new and existing programming and the implementation of future economic development actions plans within Lanark County.