February 7, 2022.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Local entrepreneurs and business owners are encouraged to submit their opinions on how an entrepreneurial hub would help them start or grow their business
Ingersoll, ON- Community Futures Oxford has engaged consultants to gather community insight about the development of an entrepreneurial hub in Oxford County. The exploration of developing a coworking space that serves entrepreneurs was identified as a strategic priority for the organization; gaining valuable community input is considered a key action in the exploration process.
The organization has engaged experienced consultants from Innovation Guelph. The consultation will be led by a team at Innovation Guelph, selected for their direct experience supporting organizations with the development of entrepreneurial programs and resources including similar hub models in Ontario and nationally. “We are excited to be working with Community Futures Oxford to discover how the entrepreneur ecosystem can be supported in Oxford County,” said Linda Horowitz, project manager.
The upcoming consultation process will include anonymous surveys as well as small focus groups. Some of the questions the organization hopes to answer include:
Entrepreneurs wishing to provide feedback can contact: oxfordsurvey@innovationguelph.ca.
For more information contact:
Linda Horowitz
Program Manager, Innovation Guelph
linda.horowitz@innovationguelph.ca
Background
Community Futures Oxford (CFO) has served Oxford County from an office in Ingersoll since 1993. Located on Oxford Street beside the Town Hall, the office building has an ideal location in downtown Ingersoll with approximately 2700 square feet above grade and an unfinished basement of roughly 2700 square feet. The board of directors would prefer to use the existing location and wishes to understand what the best and most desirable use of the space may be. The organization has funding set aside to renovate the building appropriately to serve the needs identified in the business plan. The organization is most interested in ensuring the investment into property updates can effectively serve the needs of the organization, its staff, and local entrepreneurs. While the existing building is located in Ingersoll, CFO proudly serves Oxford County, which includes three urban and five rural lower tier municipalities. The business case will seek to understand how the location can best serve as much of our geographic area as possible.
About Community Futures Oxford
Community Futures Oxford is one of 60 Community Futures Development Corporations in Ontario and 269 across Canada. With financial assistance from the Government of Canada through the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario and Oxford County, Community Futures Oxford provides access to capital, delivers programs and services to assist small businesses, and support community economic development in Oxford County.
About Innovation Guelph
Innovation Guelph’s business acceleration programs are designed for high-potential startups and small to medium-sized enterprises from across southern Ontario that are ready to scale and serves as single point of entry to a provincewide network of regional innovation centres and business support services.
IG works collaboratively with local communities to build a globally competitive, knowledge-based economy and an innovation ecosystem that drives economic growth, supports environmental sustainability, and enhances the quality of life for everyone. With a reputation for fostering inclusivity, IG was recognized in 2020 by the Innovators and Entrepreneurs Foundation, receiving their CANIE Business Support award at both the provincial and national levels, as well as the University of Guelph’s inaugural HeForShe Impact award for our gender equity work. www.innovationguelph.ca