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25 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday April 9,1999 Business An Oakville Beaver Feature To reach this section call 845-3824 Fax:337-5567 Photo by Barrie Erskine W ELCOME HONOURS: Welcome Wagon recently honoured its top hostesses in the Halton-Peel area. Those received awards included (front 1 to r) Pat Fairfield, Oakville Hostess of the Year and Linda MacLeod, Milton Hostess of the Year. Standing (1 to r) are: Josi Stasiewicz, Area Manager; Rochelle Van Essen, President and Colleen Raven, Mississauga Hostess of the Year. B usinesses eyeing tow n favourably Inquiries to the Town of Oakville and to the Tourist Information Centre at the Chamber of Commerce remained strong in the month of February, accord­ ing to the Town's Economic Development Department. Nearly 350 general industrial and commercial inquiries were handled by the Economic Development Department in February, many of which were looking for economic and demo­ graphic information on Oakville. It is hum these general inquiries that more serious clients who are considering an investment in Oakville are identified. By the end of February, the department is managing a total of 66 prospective clients in their data base, of which 21 are considered more serious or "hot" and are actively considering invest­ ments. These requirements are in the manufacturing and commercial sectors and will take several months to develop. The Town of Oakville through its partnership with the Chamber of Commerce, supports the operation of Oakville's Tourist Information Centre. The Centre saw approximately 600 vis­ itors in the month of February. A total of 424 inquiries were served, including those in person, mail, e-mail, and fax. It is interesting to note that over 60% of these inquiries come from Oakville res­ idents. This is not unusual for many tourist information centres as the "Visiting Friends and Relatives" (VFR) market is a strong component of tourism. Local residents are gathering information to prepare for visits by friends or relatives this year. Oakville Economic Development Partnership The Town of Oakville and the local business community are moving for­ ward with plans to establish a more for­ mal partnership to both govern and deliver economic development services in the future. In February, Town Council approved a staff report recommending the creation of a not-for-profit econom­ ic development corporation in partner­ ship with the business community and will give full consideration to the struc­ ture and form of the organization in June. The creation of the organization was called for in a recent economic development strategy and is intended to enhance the participation and results of Oakville's economic development pro­ grams. It is anticipated that the new not-for- profit organization will have both busi­ ness and political representation on the board and enjoy both municipal and pri­ vate sector investments to enhance eco­ nomic development The new corpora­ tion will also hire its own staff to deliv­ er services under a performance con­ tract with the Town. Over the next sev­ eral months, the Economic Development Department has retained outside consulting help to assist with meeting the needs of a number of mar­ keting and research programs. A Steering Committee has been established called the Oakville Economic Development Partnership to guide this process. Local firm in Legislature network upgrades UNIS LUMIN Inc. of Oakville, has been awarded a contract to upgrade the technology at the Ontario Legislative Assembly. The project will provide the OLA with a single source for the integration of its entire network infrastructure. Phase One will see the network infrastructure upgraded to an ATM solution. UNIS LUMIN's Project Management team will provide inte­ gration services, implementation man­ agement and configuration of the entire network. Before BeforeBefore Thank You Oakville! For voting me as Best Dentist. Your confidence is really appreciated! Akl \ The Oakville Beaver DR* STEPH EN PH ELA N Best Dentist Comprehensive Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry 1500 Heritage Way • 827-1619 | pe.,dcrv. 1 ^ , (Selection yjcnti.s't/H j a,s' a n . (r t j „ , , n n Our attention to Esthetic Details enables you to maximize the full U W l I K l L y potential of your smile. Call today for a personal consultation. ) i ^ All of the above cases were personally treated by Dr. Stephen Phelan O A K V IL L E , W IN D > O R C H ESTR A An A fternoon o f M usic: The Oakville Wind Orchestra is presenting its annual spring concert, "From Bach to Basie", at the Oakville Centre for the Performing Arts" on Sunday, May 2 ,1 9 9 9 from 2 to 4 p.m. Tickets are $12 and are available at the box office by calling 815-2021 or call Jacquie Holmbeig 338-8114 for further information. Hope to see you there! S pecial P re -S eason E v e n t!! Save$300?° Installed AIR CONDITIONER Plus No payment HiJuly 1/99 OAC Reg. Price *1570 A PPLEWOODIR CONDITIONING • 5-year Free Parts & Labour • 10-year compressor warranty • 1 1/2-ton condenser & coil only. (905) 275-4500