Working together to help Vaughan grow

LORI ABITTAN, Publisher

It was my great pleasure to attend the Best of Vaughan Awards on Sept. 22 and meet so many of our city’s dynamic and innovative entrepreneurs.

As a publisher, I have had the privilege of meeting and interacting with people from all corners of the globe, but when it’s all said and done nothing gives me a greater sense of belonging than my home, my family and my community.

Proudly the community of Vaughan has been my community for over 10 years now.

When I think of Vaughan I think of a vibrant community of people whose commitment, vision and hard work have made Vaughan the fastest growing city in Canada. Many of our small businesspeople were at the awards presentations because Vaughan residents — their consumer base — wanted to recognize them as outstanding businesses and entrepreneurs that continue to play a vital role in Vaughan’s successes.

The Best of Vaughan Awards were created through the efforts of Vaughan Today and as an extension of another program we launched in Vaughan called “Shop Local” at the onset of our global economic downturn. We understood then that small business owners were left to fend for themselves.

How does what we do as a community publisher relate to you, and why do we feel so strongly about local economies? We are at the grassroots, we understand community, we understand the importance of niche markets and we wholeheartedly understand what small business owners across Canada bring to their local economies. In aggregate, they represent and are the backbone of Canada’s economy.

As a general rule, they work long hours, take great risks and don’t always have access to capital to grow. They tend to live in the community they serve and are continuously reinvesting in that same community. Every time a local business is displaced, the economic and social impact on the community can be quite devastating.

The impact of our consumer base shopping outside our local economy can have equally devastating effects, albeit over a longer period of time. And not just on our retailers — independent local businesses shore up and make use of an array of supporting services including insurance brokers, architects, cabinet makers, lawyers, advertising agencies, realtors and much more. Every dollar spent at community-based businesses creates a multiplier effect in the local economy.

Local businesses tend to use more locally produced goods and services than nationally based franchises and chain stores, which means more jobs locally.

Small business owners also tend to support local causes and they are essential to the advancement of their community.

Small businesses also help define our sense of who we are in this community they add character to the city and provide a diversity of choices.

We may each have our personal favourite stores, coffee shops, restaurants and corner stores, but  let’s remember their health depends on our continued patronage.

While much progress is being made in support of small businesses, we at Vaughan Today believe strongly that more should be done and for this reason we are committed to coming up with programs that allow consumers and businesses to connect better.

We look forward to working closely with both our readers and small businesses in Vaughan to achieve this in the weeks and years to come.