The MSBEC is assisted by an Advisory Council of funding sponsors and partners that meets quarterly to review the MSBEC operation and provide feedback and advice relating to the strategic direction of the Centre. Members of the Advisory Council are:

Co-Chairs:

Stephen Wong Sanning Cheng

President, ESM Group Inc. Partner, BDO Dunwoody LLP

Members:

Jim Jones Joe Virgilio, Ward 3 Councillor

Regional Councillor Chair of Economic Development

Erin Shapero Madge Linton, Business Consultant

Ward 2 Councillor Ministry of Economic Devt. and Trade

Keith Bray, President & CEO Sue Teti, Sales Manager

Markham Board of Trade RBC, Vaughan/GTA Business Banking

Brian Fernandes, Account Manager Reza Alavie, Professor

RBC, Vaughan/GTA Business Banking Seneca College

Stephen A. Chait

Director of Economic Development

Performance indicators

Among the key accomplishments of the MSBEC in 2005 were:

Ø Maintained client contacts through implementation of several successful marketing strategies. In 2004 and 2005, MSBEC respectively received/completed:

2004 2005

General Client Inquiries 2,095 2,090

Web-based Client Contacts 16,215 28,634

Consultations 220 214

Ø Maintained volume of small business seminars/workshops:

2004 2005

Small Business Seminars/Workshops 15 15

Attendance 898 637

Outreach 28 32

Attendance 2,074 1,640

Ø In conjunction with local accounting community, the Accounting Mentorship Program provided advice to 14 clients.

Ø Initiated and delivered 6 breakfast meetings to almost 200 participants, providing both business training and excellent networking opportunities for local small business community.

Ø Partnered with BizLaunch and Staples Business Depot to deliver a series of six free startup seminars that offered invaluable business training to aspiring entrepreneurs.

Ø Celebrated the “Small Business Month” with a premier small business forum that attracted more than 90 small business owners and leaders from Markham and the surrounding area.

Ø Delivered the third Markham Secondary School Business Plan Competition to Markham youths. Participation increased to 5 schools, 50 plans.

Ø Successfully administered the Ontario Summer Company Program and four Markham youths were awarded after successful completion of the Program.

Ø Maintained strong strategic partnerships with community partners and established new strategic alliances with public and private sector stakeholders, such as Markham Board of Trade, Canadian Youth Business Foundation, the Professional Engineers of Ontario-York Chapter, and Seneca College.

Ø Developed strong media relationships with local TV and community newspapers.

MSBEC’s efforts have made an impressive impact on the small business community. Based on the results of an on-going client survey of clients attending consultations at MSBEC in 2005, 49 businesses were either started or expanded.

Moreover, more than 200 businesses were registered through the Ontario Business Connects terminal in MSBEC in 2005.

Financial indicators

The MSBEC has maintained an excellent record of leveraging its core funding from the Town of Markham, and achieving year over year increases in earned revenue, all of which are deployed as operating funds. In 2005-06 the Town’s financial contribution of $115,000 represented 56% of the total MSBEC annual budget. The Provincial partner contribution of $70,000 represented a 25% increase over 2004-05. In 2006-07, MSBEC intends to leverage the Town’s contribution through increased sponsorships, grants, and earned revenue.

2006-2007: Funding of MSBEC

Town of Markham Contribution (in kind/cash) $115,000

MEDT Contribution –

Services Rendered 70,500

Sponsorships (anticipated) 15,000

Revenue – Seminars/Workshops/Programs 3,000

Total Funding (including in-kind) & Revenue $203,500

2006-2007: MSBEC Expenditures

Manager Earnings/Benefits $77,000

Junior Consultant/Administrative Consultant P/T 20,000

Marketing/Promotion 20,000

Office Space 36,000

Travel Expenses 2,000

Photocopying 3,000

Printing 5,000

Office Supplies 6,000

Publications 2,000

Advertising 5,000

Telecommunications 3,000

Meeting Expenses 6,000

Promotional DVD 15,000

Misc. 3,500

Total Expenditures $203,500

MSBEC Activity Targets in 2006-07

The MSBEC is a dynamic business and educational service. A complete description of its programs and services is provided in the enclosed Appendix A. A series of tables illustrating the performance targets for 2006-07 are presented below:

Table 1: CLIENT SERVICE PERFORMANCE TARGETS FOR 2006-2007, GENERAL INQUIRIES:

ACTIVITY

Volume Projected

2006-2007

1^st Quarter

2^nd Quarter

3^rd Quarter

4^th Quarter

Annual

General Inquiries (Telephone Calls, Walk-ins, E-mails)

550

450

550

650

2200

Table 2: CLIENT CONSULTATION PERFORMANCE TARGETS FOR 2006-2007, CONSULTATION:

	VOLUME 2005-2006		VOLUME 2006-2007
ACTIVITY	Projected	Actual	Projected
	Annual	Annual	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Year
Consultation - New Start-Up Client	150	160	45	30	30	45	150
Consultation – New Existing Client	45	37	12	10	10	13	45
Consultation – Repeat Start-Up Client	20	14	5	5	5	5	20
Consultation – Repeat Existing Business	5	3	1	1	1	2	5
Total New and Repeat Clients	220	214	63	46	46	65	220

Table 3: QUARTERLY BREAKDOWN – EDUCATION/SEMINAR PERFORMANCE TARGET FOR 2006-2007:

ACTIVITY	2006-2007 Apr - Jun		2006-2007 Jul - Sept		2006-2007 Oct - Dec		2006-2007 Jan - Mar
ACTIVITY	Volume	Attend.	Volume	Attend.	Volume	Attend.	Volume	Attend.
Seminars/Workshops	6	300	2	100	2	100	2	100
General Outreach	4	200	3	150	4	200	5	250
Events Hosted	0	0	1	80	2	160	1	120

Table 4: FACILITATED CONSULTATIONS PERFORMANCE TARGET FOR 2006-2007:

ACTIVITY

Projected Target

2006-2007

Apr-Jun

Jul-Sep

Oct-Dec

Jan-Mar

Total

Accounting

Other Considerations in 2006-07

The market for MSBEC services continues to grow, in large part due to population and economic growth, and in part also due to the growth of awareness of the service and the increased visibilities of the MSBEC in the Markham community. In 2006-07 this growth in demand for service will likely be augmented due to the closing of the YMCA’s business counseling services (due to a loss of federal government assistance). The MSBEC Manager and the Director of Economic Development will monitor the demand for service over the course of the year and will advise the Town should any modifications to service delivery be warranted.

Similarly, the Manager and Director will pursue discussions with community partners (including the Markham Board of Trade, Seneca College, and the Markham Public Libraries) regarding the prospects for increasing the capacity of the MSBEC to address future growth through new partnerships and service delivery paradigms. Among the potential ventures to be considered is the feasibility of relocating the MSBEC to larger premises within a library or on the new Seneca College Markham campus, to be co-staffed and supported by a community partner(s).

As part of the MSBEC 2006 marketing plan, it was proposed and agreed at the Advisory Council Meeting on Jan 27, 2006 that a DVD be created to be used as a promotional piece for MSBEC and as a celebration of entrepreneurship. The purpose of the DVD is to motivate and inspire entrepreneurship and to showcase the diversity of Markham. It will also be a useful resource for small business owners. This project will be funded from the approved “Labour Force DVD” capital budget # 086-6900-6241-005. Seneca College will be involved to lend their expertise in the production.