A print shop is one of the many local businesses that recently received some extra funding to help with their digital footprint.
According to officials with CK Economic Development and the Small Business Centre, multiple businesses in Chatham-Kent were awarded a combined total of $50,000 from the Digital Main Street grant, made available by the Ontario Business Improvement Area Association.
The Economic Development department got its own grant in late 2019 and used it to bring on a Digital Serice Squad. The team worked with businesses across Chatham-Kent to provide a digital assessment, help businesses improve their online presence and show them how to apply for the Digital Main Street grant.
The grant application process concluded in December 2019 and a total of 20 businesses from Chatham-Kent were selected by the Ontario Business Improvement Area Association to receive funding.
“We would love to see a few more businesses receive grants in Chatham-Kent, but there is a limited amount of dollars available to distribute and we are being told only the top plans are being considered,” said Economic Development Officer Doug Robbins. “What has been great to see is that the grants are being awarded to businesses in communities across our entire region.”
One of the businesses selected for the grant includes Instant Print & Promo in Chatham.
Owner Dave Dawson said he's put forward a plan to help the company expand into the online market.
"I’m about a month away from going live and I don’t want to get into too many specifics right now, but we are very happy to receive the grant,” said Dawson. “I have also been attending training sessions that the Small Business Centre has been hosting and they have been very helpful.”
Some of the next steps for Chatham-Kent's Digital Service Squad includes focusing on expanding training tools for local businesses.
