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September 1, 2022 | PLBA Newsletter Issue #12

The PLBA Newsletter - September 2022

Newsletter Contents:

• New Members

• Networking Breakfast

• PLBA Update

• Infrastructure Improvement Plan Presentation

• Looking for New Board Members

• Free Training Opportunities

• Beautification Grant

• PLBA - PLCSA Community Center Fundraising

• Remembrance Day Banners

New Members (August 2022)

In the past month, the PLBA has gained four new associate members! This brings us to 61 member businesses; 42 BID members and 19 associate members.

Feel free to check out our new members listed below!

Capri Island Massage (Associate Member)

Melissa - Facebook

Eyelusion Lashes (Associate Member)

Abigail - Website

Underdog Septic (Associate Member)

Catherine - Website

The Good Anchor (Associate Member)

Stacy - Website

PLBA Members Networking Event

The PLBA will be hosting a Networking Breakfast on Thursday, September 22, at the Eastern Shores Gallery (40 E Chezzetcook Rd), at 8:30 AM.

There will be a FREE buffet-style english breakfast and beverages. If you would like to reserve a spot at the breakfast, reply to this email with the name(s) of the attendees or email us at porterslakebusinessassociation@gmail.com.

*Please limit attendees to a maximum of two per member business

PLBA Update

As you may know, Kate Zsiros has been running the day-to-day administration of the PLBA since the summer of 2020. Kate has recently moved on to further pursue her education, so Andrea Hamm (CBDC Blue Water) will take over her day-to-day administrative responsibilities. Kate will remain on the board of directors as an ad-hoc member.

We all wish Kate the best of luck in her future endeavours.

Infrastructure Improvement Plan Update

The PLBA Board will be presenting an overview of the District Improvement Plan that was approved in May to the HRM Transportation Committee on October 3 at 1:00pm in the Council Chambers at City Hall.

We hope that this presentation will help to initiate improvement such as sidewalks, better accessible bussing, way-finding signage as well as road improvements in our community.

The business community is invited to attend and show support at this presentation.

To view the Infrastructure Improvement Plan, click the link below:

Looking for New Board Members

The Porters Lake Business Association is currently looking for submissions to join the Board of Directors. If you are interested in joining the PLBA Board, and take on a more involved role within the Association, please contact us for details.

*Please note that Board positions are exclusively for BID members. Unfortunately, Associate members are not eligible to join the Board. If you would like clarification on your membership type, feel free to contact us.

Marketing in the New Digital Era

This FREE course is provided by CBDC Blue Water and funded by the Department of Labour and Advanced Education. 

Any person residing in Nova Scotia, who is employed or self-employed is eligible to apply to this course. You will have to commit to participate and attend minimum 80% of the time to be entitled to receive the certificate. This is a 40-hour course and will be delivered ONLINE. The estimated start date of this course will be on September 15 from 9:30am to 1:30pm for 10 weeks.

The following topics will be covered during the course: marketing strategy, market research, customer relationship management, product pricing and pricing strategies. Sales techniques, promotional strategies, digital marketing strategies, creative campaigns and marketing budgets will be discussed as well.

To register, please email Sheila at sheila.spicer@cbdc.ca or call CBDC Blue Water at (902) 827-5564.

Microsoft 365 / Google Workspace

This FREE course is provided by CBDC Blue Water and funded by the Department of Labour and Advanced Education. 

Any person residing in Nova Scotia, who is employed or self-employed is eligible to apply to this course. You will have to commit to participate and attend minimum 80% of the time to be entitled to receive the certificate. This is a 40-hour course and will be delivered in person at CBDC Blue Water, 61 Stella Drive Porters Lake The estimated start date of this course will be on September 12 from 9:00am to 1:00pm for 10 weeks.

A laptop and Microsoft 365 are required for this in person course. Please advise upon registration if you DO NOT possess as the facilitator will be able to provide one for you to use during the course.

Learn the core features of Office 365, how they can simplify your workday and make your team more productive. Office 365 includes Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Planner, Yammer to name a few. Google Workspace is a collection of cloud computing, productivity and collaboration tools, software, and products. Previously called G Suite, Google Workspace includes Gmail, Docs, Drive, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Calendar, Contacts, Keep, Hangouts, Meet and more.

To register, please email Sheila at sheila.spicer@cbdc.ca or call CBDC Blue Water at (902) 827-5564.

Beautify Your Business Grant

We all know how important the appearance of your storefront is to attract and welcome customers into a business. Exterior updates such as a fresh coat of paint, colourful flowers in a planter, or even a few strands of twinkly white lights attract more customers and increase sales. Attractive storefronts also help create a more vibrant and welcoming atmosphere for a downtown or main street area.

To help our members enhance their storefronts, Porters Lake Business Association in collaboration with Downtown Halifax Business Commission (DHBC) is launching the ‘Beautify Your Business’ Grant. This Grant will subsidize the cost of freshening up storefronts with a maximum grant of $500.00 including tax per business between the timeframe of June 27, 2022, and November 16, 2022. The Grant is available to businesses that are categorized as retail, food and drink, personal care/retail services, attractions, non-profits, and accommodations. Eligible businesses must be a Porters Lake BID member or associate member. For more details, click the link below.

PLCSA Community Center Fundraising

The Porters Lake Community Services Association (PLCSA) is currently fundraising in order to restore the current tennis courts and replace the roof of the Community Center, and is requesting donations from the public and the Porters Lake Business Association and its members.

In return for your generous donation, the PLCSA will post signs facing the #7 Highway, on the tennis court fence, with your logo as an advertisement and they will remain posted for a one-year term.

The Porters Lake Business Association (PLBA) will match donations made by PLBA members up to $1,000. Please reference the PLBA when making the donation in order to be counted towards the donation matching.

To discuss this opportunity further, please contact Wendy Bracket-Hill at wbracketthill@gmail.com, or contact PLCSA’s treasurer, Melanie MacIsaac at porterslakecsa@gmail.com.

Remembrance Day Banners