Video project
Houston business success stories are being showcased in a short video, funded, produced and posted by the Province in June or July, following a community branding exercise.
The B.C. Economic Development Community Video Project is about inspiring BC Communities with examples of strong local leadership, solid outcomes and lasting community benefits.
With the impending mill closures, both Houston and Quesnel were chosen for the project, to showcase "their respective strong community brands and economic development resilience," said the government information release.
"The videos will demonstrate how these communities have worked during this time of transition to develop the partnerships and business strategies needed to help strengthen and diversify their local economies."
The success stories in the video will be told from the community point of view, featuring interviews with local community leaders, economic development personnel and other local stakeholders.
The Ministry of Jobs, Tourist and Skills Training, which is running the project hopes that the videos will also inspire other B.C. communities who may face the same situation at some point.
Three other B.C. communities will also be selected for the video project via a nomination and selection process.
When finished, the videos will be posted to the BC Government Youtube channel.
Workshop
The Province is funding a Land Development Workshop in Houston before March, focusing on investment attraction and business development.
The funding was achieved through the B.C. Community Adjustment Team, who have been working with Houston council since the Oct. 24 announcement of the impending closure of Houston Forest Products.
The three main priorities they've been working on are worker transition, community services and economic development.
Part of economic development, the workshop will walk participants through the development process, discussing the following topics: Conducting a land readiness assessment, navigating the site selection process, developing a land development prospectus, identifying relevant provincial government supports, resources and contacts, and how to create a high quality investment profile for the OpportunitiesBC website and other marketing vehicles.
The workshop will emphasize strategies for creating a viable and attractive land development opportunity, and how to overcome the common barriers to investment attraction.
They will also share success stories from communities.
Business walks
Houston council and Economic Development Committee members will do a Business Walk in Houston this spring.
The group will walk from business to business for three hours, asking the owners basic questions about business successes, barriers and ways to improve business.
It's an informal way for community leaders to build better relationships with the business community and gather information about ways to stimulate the economy.
It can help them identify common themes for action and gather industry intelligence to foster business growth.
The walk is funded by the Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training.