The Bow Valley Restart Fund Assists 39 Local Businesses
The Bow Valley Chamber of Commerce Association (BVCC) and the Town of Canmore joined forces in 2020 to assist 39 local businesses with restart costs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bow Valley Restart Fund (BVRF) was administered by the BVCC, and with the help of the Town of Canmore $107,724 was received by local businesses. The $9,905 from the BVCC and the $97,819 from the Town of Canmore directly impacted the economic sustainability of the Bow Valley business community. The BVRF provided grants of up to $5,000 each to Bow Valley businesses that required financial assistance to restart and reopen.
Restart costs were unforeseen due to the sudden and unexpected nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and businesses are facing additional costs to ensure the health and safety of patrons and staff. Things such as restocking perishable inventory, hiring new staff, training, personal protective equipment, store modifications, and cleaning costs to name a few. And financially managing all of this while having occupancy allowances restricted. Businesses are facing the challenge of understanding a new economic landscape in the Bow Valley which means doing business differently. One day we will welcome international visitors to the Bow Valley again and the BVCC wants to help local businesses thrive.
The administration of the Bow Valley Restart Fund was organized by the Bow Valley Chamber of Commerce Association. The BVCC's mission is to sustain a successful business community in the Bow Valley by elevating, connecting & advocating for BVCC members. For questions about the BVRF please phone 403-688-5656 or email askus@bowvalleychamber.com.
Thank you to all who applied and congratulations to all successful applicants!
"COVID-19 restart fund a boon for Bow Valley businesses"
Testimonials:
"The Bow Valley Restart Fund which was administered by the BVCC allowed me to purchase PPE and an outdoor display for in front of my Gallery. The outdoor display was a great and safe way to promote the Gallery to visitors who may not have wanted to enter the store due to COVID-19. One of the goals of the Ken Hoehn Gallery is to help our customers have a great day, regardless of whether they decide to purchase a print. The outdoor display helped people enjoy their day as they strolled Main Street and helped us achieve this important objective."
-Ken Hoehn Photographer / Owner / Operator
"Thanks to the Bow Valley Restart Fund, the Ammonite Factory was able to re-open its doors with all the necessary safety measures required by Alberta Health Services. This has allowed us to remain in business even though we have lost our major physical customer base, international tourists. With just a small number of local customers and the continued health restrictions, it has been difficult to maintain sales at our store. To adapt to these difficult circumstances, we have moved towards e-commerce. With the funds we have received we have also been able to increase the hours of work for our Media and Communications Associate. This has allowed us to redesign our website to improve customer experience. We have also started Google advertising and developed our Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to engage with our international consumers. This has resulted in an increase in online sales, especially for fossils and jewelry. We hope to see this trend continue until we can welcome back international visitors to our premises."
-Richard Morgan Owner / Operator
"The Bow Valley Restart fund was a great initiative that helped us cover some of unexpected costs related to the impact of the pandemic. These funds allowed us to adapt our business and provide more outdoor seating in the summer as well as making interactions within the cafe safer for our customers and members of staff. Since then, we have reinvested the funds we received and have set about improving our patio area to provide a safer place for our customers to enjoy their purchases, in an outdoor environment year-round."
-Dean Smolicz Owner / Operator
Mountain Event Rentals - Mountainscape Weddings - Mountainscape Events
"We were grateful to receive the Bow Valley Restart Fund grant. It was much needed to cover our unforeseen covid expenses. We put this toward all sorts of PPE to keep our staff and clients safe. As well as make work-from-home spaces more ergonomic, comfortable and efficient for our team."
-Jeff Langer-McIntosh Owner / Operator
"The Bow Valley Restart Fund (BVRF) funding helped with restart costs during COVID-19 to enable Communitea Cafe to meet our goal of being the safest restaurant possible. We were so grateful to be able to successfully expand our outdoor dining areas and patio which was a huge part in keeping our staff and customers safe from May - October. Also, we were able to install cutting edge technology air filtration system on our HVAC. This system is scientifically proven to eliminate 99% of all airborne and surface Covid 19, among other bacteria and viruses, VOC's, mold, and odors. This is a permanent system that will benefit us and customers well beyond the pandemic."
-Marnie Dansereau Creative Director/ Owner
