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Over the past few months, I have hadthe privilege of celebrating the successof various businesses and individuals who make Halton Hills the kind of place we call home. From our Business of the Year Giant Tiger in Acton, who gives so much back to the community, to Club Green from Christ the King high school who won the Civic Pride award for their passion and commitment to the environment. The Georgetown Homecoming Committee who was named this years Georgetown Citizen of the Year. Through her work with the Georgetown BIA, Judith Avery Accountant on Main, our Entrepreneur of the Year, has made significant contributions to making Main Street Georgetown a destination place for shopping and services. Dale Turnbull from Food Basics, our Employee of the Year, who exhibits so much care and attention to customer service and to Simon Willis from CPI, our Junior Achievement Volunteer of the Year, who is passionate about educating the youth in our community about business and entrepre- neurism. Individuals and businesses like these are an important facet of our society and represent the things that we hold in high regard. As our town continues to grow, imagine what you value in your community. Do you see Halton Hills as a community that contin- ues to pride itself on being environmentally friendly? Do you see more opportunities for local high-paying jobs? Can you imagine Halton Hills as a community that embraces diversity, cherishes home-town values and retains its passion for arts, culture and heritage? Growth does not mean that we have to give up what we value as a community. We continue to attract new businesses and residents who compliment the ideals we wish to preserve. Controlled, planned and well-thought-out growth can occur when the community exerts its influence and displays passionate involvement. To meet the needs of our residents and to achieve greater economic prosperity, more employment lands are required to allow for growth of existing businesses and to create the opportunity for new businesses to establish themselves here in Halton Hills. By creating a more balanced residen- tial/business tax base, the pressure on the residen- tial taxes can be reduced. Greater business tax revenue to the town can then be used to fund enhanced town services, as demanded by the residents of this growing community. There are several obstacles in our way. The proposed increase in development charges that is currently before the Region of Halton will provide financial barriers to businesses who want to build or expand their businesses in our community. Beyond the economic costs associated with development charges, we also face the reality of a lack of water in Halton Hills, save for the 401 corridor. Businesses cannot expand their operations and new businesses cannot establish themselves given the current lack of water allocations available to them. These obstacles hurt future business development, but more importantly, have a direct and long-lasting impact on each of us as residents and business owners of our community. This is the time for action and involvement and to have a say in what we want our community to grow into. Growth can be positive, but we need to agree on what is important to each of us things like the environment, economic pros- perity, a safe and secure community for our families and the opportunity for local high paying office, technology and industrial jobs. We need to leverage our strengths and the culture and heritage we hold as important in order to create the kind of future we all want. I look forward to your comments, which can be sent to me at jamie@haltonhillschamber.on.ca. I want to hear from you. Jamie Schumacker, President, Halton Hills Chamber of Commerce A Quarterly Official Publication of Halton Hills Chamber of Commerce 328 Guelph Street, Halton Hills, ON L7G 4B5 Tel 905.877.7119 Fax 905.877.5117 Email info@haltonhillschamber.on.ca www.haltonhillschamber.on.ca Editorial Committee Editor: Cor Baarda, Knowledge Management Business Resources: Beverley King, Halton Hills Public Library Chamber News: Sue Walker, Halton Hills Chamber of Commerce Whats News: Cor Baarda, Knowledge Management Features: Marnie Hughes, Communication Artistry Graphic Artist: Amanda Zylstra, Studio 19 New Members: Wendy Hue, Partners In Progress Production & Printing, The Independent & Free Press Steve Foreman, Director of Advertising, Dolores Black, Production Assembly, Horizon Packaging BusinessLink is the official publication of Halton Hills Chamber of Commerce. Unsolicited material is not eligible for payment. Opinions expressed are those of the author, not necessarily those of the Chamber, its Board of Directors or its membership. It is distributed free to all Chamber members and through The Independent & Free Press. Locating the new offices of AGSI wastricky at first as the exterior of thebuilding is very unassuming and does not reveal the complex and fascinating nature of the business inside. Angus GeoSolutions Inc. (AGSI) is an innovative leader in data collection and usage. They transform raw data into usable information across a variety of platforms. This is much more than a hard drive full of data. Their servers house 10s of millions of records on almost every conceivable topic with data also related to highly accurate maps. AGSI conducts detailed data collection and compilation which includes information such as addresses, roads, postal codes, telephone information, emergency response boundaries, hospitals, airports and helipads, utility assets, survey plans, lightning strikes, sewer and water assets, gas wells, and the list goes on and on. With this massive store- house of information, AGSI maintains an extensive and secure database from which they are able to draw this data in numerous configurations. AGSI will coordinate with clients to determine the method and type of information needed for a business application, and then configure their go360 internet application to satisfy secure access to anyone, anywhere, anytime. AGSI has offered solutions to business across several industries including communications, electric and gas utilities, all levels of government, transportation, agriculture, construction, environmental organizations, and security agencies. One of AGSIs recent noted Ontario projects includes the provision of their emergency management solutions involving the coordination of all levels of government to communicate in real time utilizing go360. This solution is used to assist in the resolution of any emergency. Emergencies can range from food chain safety and flu or SARS pandemics to power outages, tornados, and terrorism. AGSI was established in 1993 and they currently employ 30 full time and 52 part time employees across Canada and the US. Founder Chris Cameron, a trained geographer and ex-elite level athlete, started the business because he wanted to apply knowledge and mapping together for real life application. Now, through AGSI, their team offers clients the most powerful internet solutions and highest quality detailed information available across North America today. AGSI has already, and will continue to positively affect the daily lives of people across the country, province, and right here in Halton Hills. Angus GeoSolutions Inc. (AGSI) BusinessLink, Wednesday, April 23, 2008 3 Jamie Schumacker President Halton Hills A Place To Work And Live By Marnie Hughes, Communication Artistry AGSI TEAM