LOCAL RESIDENTS AND BUSINESS OWNERS CONCLUDE THAT EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION IS THE KEY TO THE FUTURE OF VALLEY EAST

by
Robert Kirwan
Publisher, Valley East Today

    

If you own or operate a business in Valley East, or if you live in Valley East, what I am about to tell you may not be anything you did not know or realize. Nevertheless, now that we have celebrated our 100th Anniversary as a community, this may be the turning point we have been waiting for. It is now up to us all to take action.

Business Owners State That Lack Of Support From Local Residents Is Frustrating

Recent interviews revealed that there is growing frustration among Valley East business owners about the lack of support they are receiving from local residents. Sure, there are many residents who shop locally, but with over 18,000 vehicles per day driving along Highway 69N into Sudbury, an enormous amount of money is being spent on goods and services in the "City". Business owners state that they offer competitive pricing and excellent service, but residents still prefer to shop at the Sudbury establishments.

Lack of Awareness Is Frustrating Local Shoppers

Upon interviewing a large number of local shoppers, it was discovered that one of the main reasons they prefer to shop at Sudbury stores is that they feel there is more variety and better prices in "town". They also admit that they are often frustrated to find that, after battling the crowds and traffic in the city, they could have purchased the same products in Valley East in a fraction of the time and at similar prices. Many of the shoppers indicated that if the business owners would advertise more often, they would attract more local shoppers.

There Is Nothing Going On In Valley East

When asked about how people feel about Valley East, the main comment was that there is nothing going on in the community. Yet, when they are given a list of all of the groups and organizations as well as all of the events and projects in which these groups and organizations are involved, most people are amazed at the variety of things that are happening in the community. The comment that follows is usually about the frustration that is felt when they find out that an event of interest to them has come and gone. They wonder why organizations don’t publicize their events.

Valley East Is Filled With A Lot Of Frustrated People

Based on the results of the interviews I have conducted, it would appear as if Valley East is a community that is filled with a lot of frustrated people. And yet, there is really no need for this level of frustration.

Communication Is The Key

The common cause of frustration among business owners and residents is simply a lack of communication. In order for local shoppers to provide more support of local businesses, the businesses must communicate with the shoppers to tell them about the goods and services they have available. Local residents must communicate more effectively with each other in order to let everyone know about all of the wonderful things that are happening in Valley East. This will create a renewed sense of community spirit which will make people proud to call Valley East home and they will, in turn, go out of their way to support local businesses who are sponsoring their activities.

Valley East Has All The Communication Vehicles Needed For A Stronger Community

My personal frustration in all of this is that Valley East, as a community, has the best communication network in the entire Greater Sudbury Area, and yet people have been reluctant to use it to their full advantage.

The Vision Paper, for example, is mailed to each residence and business in Valley East and Capreol every Wednesday. It is an excellent way for people to get out their message quickly to everyone in the area. The cost of advertising in this medium is relatively inexpensive when you consider the results. As well, the more advertising support that The Vision Paper receives, the more space there is for stories and articles of interest to residents.

Valley East Today, a community web site which has been established to help with the centennial celebrations, is a perfect place for groups and organizations to promote their activities. It is a place where full colour photos and general editorials can be posted and kept forever. Located at it can be accessed by all residents and is also a way of showing people from outside the community what Valley East is all about.

 
 

Copyright © 2010 All Rights Reserved
Valley East Today is published by
Infocom Canada Business Consultants Inc.