The following companies/organizations are Investors of the Cape Breton Partnership and offer services specific to business development.
TD Bank Financial Group
As a top 10 North American bank, TD aims to stand out from its peers by having a differentiated brand – anchored in our proven business model, and rooted in a desire to give our customers, communities and colleagues the confidence to thrive in a changing world. Our small business banking includes: Business Bank Account (Canadian and US Dollar) Merchant Solutions (Debit and Credit Processing) Business Credit Cards Payroll Services Cash flow management – Overdrafts and Lines of Credit
READ MOREDoug Arsenault
Account Manager-Small Business Banking
292 Charlotte Street, Sydney, Nova Scotia
902-539-3640 ext 300
douglas.arsenault@td.com
Visit websiteThe Breton Law Group
The Breton Law Group is a law firm dedicated to providing their clients with excellent service, trusted advice and sound direction. Their lawyers are an experienced and skilled group of advisors. Some of Sydney’s most accomplished lawyers have merged together to form a powerful team. The Breton Law Group is pleased to offer their clients a full range of legal services. The Breton Law Group offers personal services to their clients in the areas of real estate transactions, estate planning and family law. They also offer a considerable range of business services including strategic advice, corporate structures and commercial transactions, tax planning, labour and employment advice. The Breton Law Group has experienced litigators and mediators available to assist you. Their firm is supported by an experienced and responsive staff. The Breton Law Group employs clerical and administrative staff as well as a full complement of property, corporate and litigation paralegal support. This support enables them to offer their clients timely and trusted advice in a cost effective manner. They invite you to come in and talk to them for a complete profile of their team and services. The Breton Law Group look forward to working with you.
READ MORETrifos Design Consultants
Trifos Design Consultants is an Architectural/Interior-Design Firm providing a broad range of services; including complete architectural design, interior design, working drawings and specifications, restoration & heritage design, historic-building assessments, site selection, space planning, master planning, development studies, feasibility studies, materials research, construction-administration services, building surveys, assessment reports, area certifications/analysis, cost advice, and furniture & fittings selection. Noted for excellence in design and Client service, Trifos Design Consultants has been in operation since 1986, with a full staff complement of architectural, design, technical, and administrative personnel.
READ MOREVibe Creative Group
Vibe Creative Group is a creative agency that works on a national stage. Since 2002, the Vibe team has provided exceptional marketing communications results for businesses, organizations and governments within Nova Scotia and across Canada. There are many things that make us who we are – our people, our clients, our ideas. From branding and digital marketing to event coordination, interiors and strategic planning, our dynamic team is ready to work with you to deliver clear, effective marketing communications through inspired design. Our services include: Strategic Branding Creative Graphic Design Web Design Public Relations Consulting Interiors
READ MORETracey Boutilier
Owner
181 Charlotte Street, Sydney, NS, B1P 6H2
902-539-3870
tracey@vibecreativegroup.com
Visit websiteVirtual Adviser Program
Get one-on-one support from an experienced business adviser. Our free Virtual Adviser Program powered by BoomersPlus.com will match you with a seasoned professional to help you solve a unique challenge your business is facing during this difficult time. The program is available to businesses operating in Cape Breton. The Virtual Adviser Program is powered by BoomersPlus.com which specializes in matching organizations with seasoned talent to fill project or term roles. Their network includes thousands of professionals, managers and executives ready to share their experience and expertise.
READ MOREShannon McNeil
Business Planning Advisor
285 Alexandra Street, Sydney, NS,
902-562-0122
shannon@capebretonpartnership.com
Visit websiteVMP Group
VMP Group is all about engagement, from engaging their clients, to understanding their goals, to developing digital solutions, to helping them engage their customers. It’s a philosophy that’s been working for more than two decades.
READ MORELearnsphere – Commercialization Consulting and Mentoring
The Commercialization Consulting and Mentoring (CCM) Program provides funds to assist Atlantic Canadian businesses and institutions in the final stages of commercialization. Businesses or institutions may use the funds to hire consultants or mentors to help them get a new and innovative product, technology or process to market. CCM funds can also be used to cover the cost of group learning activities for businesses on the verge of commercialization.
READ MORELearnsphere – E-tools for Exporting
LearnSphere’s E-tools for Exporting (E for E) provides financial assistance to help you develop and integrate electronic tools that can help you do business more effectively and get your products and services to international markets more efficiently. If you’ve been working on a recent marketing or business strategy that includes updating or improving your potential to export outside of Canada, you may be eligible for financial assistance. This program can help to hire a consultant or agency for activities such as:
Website development, re-design or rebranding
Responsive web design conversion (ensuring mobile-friendly design)
Integration of e-commerce functionality
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Paid advertising (PayPerClick, Google Adwords, etc.)
Social media strategy or integration
Videos, online catalogues and other online customized tools
Translation of website
Creation/design of language toggle
Training on any of the above
Learnsphere – Export Market Access Program
LearnSphere’s Export Market Access Program (EMAP) provides financial assistance to help you market yourself more effectively, increase your exports and grow your business. If you’re working to enhance the way you market and sell your exports outside of Canada, you may be eligible for financial assistance through EMAP to help hire a consultant, mentor or agency for activities such as:
Market research or strategy development
Export plan development
Mentoring / coaching to improve export market research and planning
Lead generation
Sales
Development of promotional materials (brochures, catalogues, trade booth designs, etc.)
The maximum EMAP contribution is 65% of project costs, up to a maximum of $15,000 per year. Total project costs must be more than $5,000 to apply.
READ MORELSI – Innovate to Opportunity Hiring Incentive
Apply for a wage subsidy to help cover part of the cost of hiring a full-time recent Masters or PhD graduate for 3 years to work on export growth innovations for your business. Eligible work includes: Applied research Product and/or service development Process development or improvement Market analysis for a new product or activity Technical feasibility studies and pilots for market launches Improvement of product quality, customer services, business efficiencies This program is available to small and medium-sized businesses with up to 500 full-time employees operating in Nova Scotia. To be eligible for the program, employers must create a new full-time position that: is based in Nova Scotia is focused on innovation pays at least $60,000 a year The new hire must have successfully completed a master’s or PhD program at a recognized university within a year of the date the employer’s application is received.
READ MORELSI – Workplace Innovation and Productivity Skills Incentive
WIPSI supplements employer contributions to train full-time staff (permanently located in Nova Scotia) to: Improve productivity and profitability Increase innovation Adapt to new technology, machinery and equipment, or work processes Increase inter-provincial and international competitiveness Foster workplace diversity If you are a small business in Nova Scotia with less than 50 employees, you may be eligible for up to 100% of your training costs to be covered up to $10,000. For larger businesses, WIPSI provides up to 50% of direct training costs. WIPSI may also cover other expenses such as travel, books for participants and accommodation costs for persons with disabilities.
READ MOREMaritime Centre 1505 Barrington Street., 4N P.O. Box 697 Halifax Nova Scotia B3J 2T8
1-844-850-2030
Ross.MacDonald@novascotia.ca
Visit websiteLSI – Graduate to Opportunity Program
If you hire a recent post-graduate student for at least 2 years, and for a minimum pay of $35,000, you could receive a contribution covering up to 25% of their first year salary (35% for members of a designated diversity group), and 12.5% in the second year. The program is open to: Businesses with less than 100 full-time employees Businesses incorporated in the last 2 years Social enterprises, not-for-profits, and registered charities with recognized standing
READ MOREMentoring
Gain valuable business advice, learn from the experience of a seasoned professional, enhance your business network and gain confidence from having someone in your corner.
READ MOREMitacs Accelerate Program
Learn how your business could receive specialized expertise by recruiting a graduate student or postdoctoral fellow to research your technology project for 4 or more months. Why apply? Expand your R&D program for an investment of $7,500 Recruit highly-skilled future employees Drive your own research projects Start an internship at any time
READ MORENational Research Council Canada – Youth Employment Programs
You could receive a financial contribution towards the salary of a post-secondary graduate to help you research, develop and commercialize new technologies, or to hire a youth to work on a green project. To be eligible, your business needs to: Be incorporated and for-profit Share a portion of the salary costs Have 500 or fewer full-time employees Be ready to enhance its innovation capacity The duration of the internship must be between 6 and 12 months for graduates and between 3 to 6 months for Youth-Green candidates. Candidates must be between the ages of 15 and 30.
READ MORENew Dawn Centre for Social Innovation
The New Dawn Centre for Social Innovation is a 35,000 square foot converted high school in Sydney’s historic Northend. Blocks from downtown, the Centre offers work and meeting space for small businesses, not-for-profits and government departments/agencies. The Centre is adjacent to The Convent – a 36,000 square foot arts centre opening in late 2019/early 2020. Both buildings benefit from ample parking on site and are situated on 2.5 acres of green space. The Centre and the Convent are vibrant, mixed-use spaces that offer small (150-400 square foot) and larger (750-850 square foot) working/office spaces that are bright and spacious. The Centre is three stories with a large Maker Space on the main level.
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