City unveils new business data portal
The City of Penticton has launched an interactive tool that promises to make research and development much easier for current and future business owners.
The Penticton Business Toolkit — www.PentictonBizToolkit.com — features a variety of resources ranging from information on housing starts and business licences to demographics and income levels.
While the focus of the toolkit is to help prospective business owners, it could also be used, for example, by retirees and families thinking about moving here.
Jennifer Vincent, an economic develop-ment specialist for the City of Penticton, spent 40 hours researching and developing the project after speaking to over 100 business owners who voiced concern about the lack of a central clearinghouse for data.
The toolkit was developed through a partnership with Localintel, an award-winning Canadian technology firm based in Calgary. However, many aspects of the tool remain customizable to the city, and can be updated as suggestions pour in from the many anticipated users.
Improving information and data was one of the key focuses of development services for the city that led to the conception of the toolkit, and opening up the lines of communication for business owners and their needs was another.
“One major project that we took to council a few weeks back was the economic development partnerships agreement with 12 different partners in the community,” said said Anthony Haddad, director of development services.
“Collaboration and partnerships with a number of different partners in the community was a big focus for us.”
Those partnerships are in evidence with links from the toolkit to outside agencies such as UBC Okanagan and Interior Health for those seeking jobs or education.