This week’s regional business news features the Driving Miss Daisy franchise in Peterborough up for sale, the opening of You’re Welcome adult boutique in downtown Peterborough, a budget surplus for the City of Kawartha Lakes, and the Victoria County Historical Society seeking volunteers for its board of directors.

New regional business events added this week include the Peterborough DBIA breakfast network on green business initiatives on June 20th, an Innovation Cluster workshop on entrepreneurial burnout on June 20th, the United Way Peterborough & District Annual General Meeting on June 25th, and the Summer Social PBX at Kawartha Lakes Construction on July 3rd.

Driving Miss Daisy Peterborough franchise is for sale

Kathy Doornenbal, owner of the Driving Miss Daisy franchise in Peterborough, has announced she is selling her franchise.

Founded in Alberta in 2002, Driving Miss Daisy is a non-medical service offering assistance, accompaniment, and incidental transportation for seniors and those with disabilities or special needs.

Kathy opened the Peterborough franchise in 2009, after her husband Bob Doornenbal was transferred here from Alberta by Sun Media to become advertising director of The Peterborough Examiner.

VIDEO: Kathy Doornenbal announces she is selling Driving Miss Daisy Peterborough

Kathy was looking for a new opportunity, and having heard about Driving Miss Daisy while living in Alberta and, once she reviewed the demographics of Peterborough she realized there was an opportunity to launch a franchise.

Once the franchise is sold, both Kathy and Bob — who is currently the director of franchise sales and marketing for Driving Miss Daisy across Canada — will be returning to live in Cochrane, Alberta.

For more information about Driving Miss Daisy and franchise opportunities, visit www.drivingmissdaisy.ca.

Adult boutique You’re Welcome opens in downtown Peterborough

The new adult boutique store You’re Welcome held its grand opening in downtown Peterborough on Saturday (June 16).

Locally owned and operated by Diana Stephens and her wife Justina Stephens, the store located at 410 George Street North in Peterborough carries a range of sex toys and accessories.

The LGBTQA++ friendly store, which also plans to offer weekly sex and relationship classes in the future, is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesdays to Saturdays and from 12 to 6 p.m. on Sundays.

For more information, visit www.yourewelcome.xyz

City of Kawartha Lakes announced $1.5 million surplus in 2017

At last Tuesday’s (June 12) council meeting, the City of Kawartha Lakes Treasurer Carolyn Daynes reviewed the city’s audited financial statements for 2017 and announced a surplus of $1,544,967.

In 2016, the city had a deficit of $1 million.

The 2017 surplus was a result of reduced expenditures as well as increased revenue in various areas. The budget for the city’s contract with the Ontario Provincial Police contract budget came in $235,000 under the estimated budget when the 2017 budget was adopted, and the sale of surplus municipal property resulted in $555,000 in additional revenue (which was partially used to offset the 2016 deficit).

Most of the $1.5 million surplus has been returned to reserves to look after the city’s capital assets, water and wastewater infrastructure, and affordable housing. This will reduce the impact on taxpayers and water and wastewater users as the needs of aging buildings, equipment and infrastructure are addressed.

The largest ongoing pressure on the city’s budget is the cost for winter control, including snow clearing and road treatment. In 2017, the budget was increased by $1.1 million, but came in over budget by another $1.1 million for a total of $7.8 million, due to an increased number of weather events. Winter control spending has been increased for 2018 by $1.2 million to keep up with the demands of weather patterns.

Victoria County Historical Society in Lindsay seeking volunteer board members

The Victoria County Historical Society in Lindsay is seeking volunteers for its board of directors.

The Board is especially interested in applications from people with a passion for local history as weel as experience with board governance, charity and not-for-profit law, human resources, marketing and communications, or bookkeeping and fundraising.

Interested applicants are invited to bring a résumé or curriculum vitae to the Olde Gaol Museum (50 Victoria Ave. N., Lindsay) and complete an application before Monday, June 25th.

Successful applicants will be interviewed and required to submit a police background check with vulnerable sector screening. For more information, call 705-324-3404.

Cornerstone Family Violence Prevention Centre Annual General Meeting in Cobourg on June 19

Cornerstone Family Violence Prevention Centre is holding its annual general meeting at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 19th in the Rotary Room at the Cobourg Public Library (200 Ontario St., Cobourg).

David Quesada, Community Outreach Officer with Horizons of Friendship, will be giving a special presentation on that organization’s partnership with Cornerstone, and will outline the itinerary for the upcoming gender-based violence knowledge exchange in Guatemala in which Cornerstone will be participating.

Cornerstone provides immediate shelter, counselling, and prevention services throughout Northumberland County.

To RSVP, email ghuth@cornerstonenorthumberland.ca.

Peterborough DBIA breakfast network features green business initiatives on June 20

The Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) is hosting Brianna Salmon, Executive Director of GreenUP, at its monthly breakfast network meeting from 7:30 to 9 a.m. on Wednesday, June 20th at Empress Gardens (131 Charlotte St., Peterborough).

Salmon will be speaking on the topic of green business initiatives with a focus on downtown Peterborough.

A buffet breakfast begins at 7:30 a.m., with Salmon speaking at 8 a.m. Tickets are $5 at the door.

This is the final DBIA breakfast network for the summer until the monthly event resumes on September 19, 2018.

Peterborough Chamber hosts Leaders Lunch Series on trade and potential of student ambassadors on June 20

The Peterborough Chamber of Commerce is hosting its latest Leaders Lunch Series, “Harnessing Trade Opportunities and the Potential of Student Ambassadors”, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, June 20th at Fleming College’s Kawartha Trades and Technology Centre (599 Brealey Dr., Peterborough).

Dignitaries from Brazil, China, and India will discuss trade opportunities and harnessing the potential of student ambassadors.

Keynote speakers are Sarah Kutulakos (Executive Director of Canada China Business Council), Mr. Anil Shah (National Convenor of Canada India Foundation), Mr. Ademar Seabra da Cruz Junior (Deputy Consul of Brazil to Toronto), and Ms. Paola Saad (Vice-President of the Brazil-Canada Chamber of Commerce).

Other speakers will include Douglas Kennedy from the Centre of Global Enterprise (Toronto) and more.

The lunch costs $20. Register at www.peterboroughchamber.ca.

Innovation Cluster hosts workshop on entrepreneurial burnout on June 20

The Innovation Cluster Peterborough and the Kawarthas is hosting its final Hands-ON workshop in the “Maintaining Mindfulness as an Entrepreneur” series from 12 to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, June 20th at VentureNorth (270 George St. N., Peterborough).

The workshop will be led by Jane Wilders, a registered psychotherapist who provides counselling services to individuals and couples at Community Counselling and Resource Centre and Family Services E.A.P. in Peterborough. Learn how to manage stress and burnout by taking stock of what’s on your plate, learning to recognize your personal warning signs, and developing stress management and self-care activities to overcome and mitigate burnout.

The event is free, but advance registration is requested at www.eventbrite.com/e/hands-on-maintaining-mindfulness-as-an-entrepreneur-community-counselling-and-resource-centre-on-tickets-45980476844.

United Way Peterborough & District Annual General Meeting on June 25

The United Way Peterborough & District is holding its annual general meeting from 4 to 5:30 p.m. on Monday, June 24th at the Holiday Inn Waterfront (150 George St., Peterborough).

The event is free and light refreshments will be provided.

Peterborough Chamber hosts seminar on marijuana and the workplace in Peterborough on June 27

The next seminar in the Peterborough Chamber of Commerce’s Lunch Box Learning series is on the topic “Marijuana and the Workplace” from 12 to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, June 27th in the Chamber boardroom (175 George St. N., Peterborough).

Chris Russell, a human resources lawyer with LLF Lawyers, and Matthew Savino of Savino Human Resource Partners, will present the seminar followed by a question-and-answer session.

The seminar is free to attend with a Chamber membership or a Women’s Business Network of Peterborough membership. Bring your own lunch.

Register at www.peterboroughchamber.ca

Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area Annual General Meeting on June 27

The Peterborough Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) is hosting its annual general meeting on Wednesday, June 27th in the Nexicom Studio at Showplace Performance Centre (290 George St. N., Peterborough).

Networking starts at 5:30 p.m. with business at 6 p.m. The meeting will include updates on what’s happening in downtown Peterborough, as well as a general election of the board.

Everyone is welcome to attend, although only DBIA members can vote.

For more information on joining the board, contact Joel Wiebe at the DBIA at 705-748-4774 or joelwiebe@peterboroughbia.com.

Summer Social PBX at Kawartha Lakes Construction on July 3

The Kawartha Chamber of Commerce & Tourism and the Greater Peterborough Chamber of Commerce have joined forces to host a county-fair-themed Peterborough Business Exchange (PBX) from 4 to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, July 3rd at Kawartha Lakes Construction (3359 Lakefield Rd., Lakefield)

A great opportunity to meet and network with Chamber members and others, there will be lots of games, prizes, carticatures, and delicious refreshments to go around to celebrate the season and the community.

The event is free and everyone is welcome. Register at either kawarthachamber.ca or peterboroughchamber.ca.

The evolution towards Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) advertising is, quite literally, a sign of the times. And Movingmedia Digital is in the forefront, constantly innovating.

Movingmedia Canada Inc. is known for its network of high-resolution video screens peppered throughout the City of Peterborough and periphery, including Lakefield and now Lindsay. They’re positioned at busy intersections and high-traffic areas where drivers are likely to be stopped for minutes at a time.

For those minutes, drivers and their passengers are a captive audience. And that’s when Movingmedia really comes into focus.

“We are excellent at branding,” says Shaun Pearce, Regional Sales Director for Movingmedia Digital. “In fact, we are basically a branding company.”

That’s because Movingmedia is all about connecting an advertiser’s brand with consumers held captive by that extended red. In so doing, a traffic stop translates to an opportunity for brand awareness.

Movingmedia was ahead of the curve when the Peterborough-based company installed its first, red-on-black electronic sign about 10 years ago. In the decade since, monochrome has given way to high-resolution flat screens that rival anything you have mounted on your living room wall.

Through careful management Movingmedia has grown to command the largest chunk of the outdoor digital market locally — with plans to move into Durham, Quinte, and the Barrie-Orillia corridor.

In fact, they’re about to light up a new outdoor sign in Oshawa, at an intersection with traffic counts comparable to Lansdowne and Monaghan.

That’s all part of the science. Pearce throws out phrases such as traffic count, volume, and dwell times.

It’s for this reason that individual ads are never longer than 10 seconds. That’s it.

“But you’d be amazed at what you can do in ten seconds,” Pearce says, adding that simplicity is key.

VIDEO: A sample of a 10-second Movingmedia digital billboard ad

Movingmedia maintains a stable of digital advertising specialists who assist clients in crafting messages than can generate an impression within seconds.

“Keep it simple, and you have an excellent chance to make a lasting impression that’s going to resonate with people,” Pearce says.

Signs in high-traffic areas, such as Lansdowne and Monaghan or at The Parkway, command a higher rate than those associated with a smaller traffic count. But regardless of location, the formula is the same: 10-second ads, with no more than 18 ads in each three-minute loop.

“A common misconception is that the loop never ends,” Pearce says. But it does — at exactly three minutes. Then it loops back to the beginning.

“We have a waiting list for some signs,” Pearce adds. “We’ve actually had to turn people away.”

But Movingnedia also wants their clients to succeed, Pearce explains, and for that reason loops are considered full at the 18-ad cap. They won’t go beyond the benchmark.

“At that point, we’re sold out (for that sign),” says Pearce.

The advantages to DOOH signage remain the inherent adaptability of messaging and, Pearce says, the opportunity to “easily and efficiently update (an advertiser’s) message — daily, weekly or monthly.” Clients can use their ad space to promote weekend events or special sales, “and then just flip back to their generic branding.”

Outdoor digital signs are also independent of one another, allowing for loops to be customized for that particular sign and geographic area.

That said, signs can be networked to instantly display a common message in the midst of a serious crisis — capacity that was of particular interest to the City of Peterborough, with whom Movingmedia has recently partnered to install indoor displays at eight municipal venues: the Peterborough Sports & Wellness Centre, the Peterborough Memorial Centre, the Kinsmen Civic Centre, the Envinrude Centre, City Hall, the Peterborough Airport, the Public Transit Terminal, and the Peterborough Public Library.

The side-by-side screens display ads promoting local businesses on one screen, and information relevant to the municipal location on the other screen.

The company maintains a satellite operation in Newfoundland that has seen particular success with indoor displays. As a result, the Peterborough operation headquartered at Pido Road has just begun to explore the indoor signage market (where dwell times can be longer or, as Pearce says, “the science of the waiting room versus the traffic light”).

As well as the eight municipal venues where Movingmedia’s indoor displays are installed, the company also has an indoor display at Showplace Performance Centre in downtown Peterborough.

The primary focus, however, remains outdoor digital. Movingmedia adds about two or three new locations per year that the company has either scouted themselves, or in concert with a property owner having come to them. If and when they partner up, it’s mutually beneficial to both.

Pearce stresses that DOOH signage can and is used by a wide cross-section of clients, from small business all the way up to corporations. And as impersonal as digital can be in other sectors, the Peterborough company values getting out and talking to people, face to face, where they are.

Pearce — who grew up in Peterborough before studying radio broadcasting and media sales at Humber College — notes that the Movingmedia website has been thoroughly updated within the last few months with complete information on rates, campaigns, and sign locations.

“Anyone can go online and glean a lot of information about us, what we do, and how we can help,” Pearce says. “For anyone who may be on the fence, just pick up the phone.

“We’ll come right out and talk to you, answer your questions, and learn about your needs. We want you to succeed.”

This is where Movingmedia displays its Peterborough roots — the respect, and value for relationship-building in a grassroots, organic fashion that speaks to personal service.

“I believe strongly,” Pearce says, “that it’s our relationships that build success over time, with our clients.”

In other words, a sign of things to come.

VIDEO: One of Movingmedia’s eye-catching 10-second digital billboard house ads

Movingmedia Canada Inc. is located at 347 Pido Road, Unit #18, in Peterborough. For more information, call 705-749-9399 (toll free at 1-877-749-9399) or visit www.movingmedia.ca. You can also follow Movingmedia on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.