More optimism in the Neepawa business community

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Published on Tuesday, May 17, 2016

By Kira Paterson

Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press

The Neepawa Chamber of Commerce sent out a business survey in February of this year and recently released the results. Overall, the results of the survey indicate that Neepawa’s local businesses are currently stabilizing or growing and most responses were similar to, or better than, last year’s. 

There was an increase of 50 per cent in the response rate from last year – 46 per cent of the businesses the Chamber emailed filled out the survey. The businesses ranged in age from only three months of operation up to over 100 years running. 

Marilyn Crewe, Neepawa’s economic development officer, said that the rise in response rate was very significant. She noted that it shows that the business community wants their voice heard and it will help the Chamber provide for the needs of these businesses. 

The businesses that responded had an average of 40 full time employees, four part time and three casual or seasonal employees. Seventy-five per cent said they don’t foresee any changes in the number of workers, while about seven per cent said they are expecting a decrease, either because of layoffs or retirements, and approximately 18 per cent say they are planning to hire more. Last year saw a very similar response.

The businesses were asked whether they are planning to stabilize, expand or downsize in the next three years. This year, just over 71 per cent said they’re planning to stabilize, while almost 29 per cent plan to expand. This was one major difference from 2015 and a positive one at that. Last year, 24 per cent said they were stabilizing, 29 per cent said they were looking to expand and a whopping 48 per cent were planning to downsize. This, along with responses in a later question indicating that business and succession planning are the most important topics in which businesses need training, suggest that most of Neepawa’s local businesses are expecting to be around for a while yet. 

When asked what the business’ primary market was (i.e. local, regional, provincial or other), the majority answered regional, meaning the Westman area, with the next highest in local, being just the Neepawa area. In 2015, the highest response was local, suggesting that the businesses are reaching farther out now. The third highest this year was other, with the responses described as “Canada, US, overseas”, “North America”, “Asia” and “larger trade area of Neepawa, it’s not just local and it’s not Westman either”. The lowest response was provincial.

The survey asked what, from a choice of five, is the biggest business issue. Nine businesses said human resources, including hiring, training and retention are the most important. The next highest, with eight responses, said operations, including inventory, operational costs and growth are important. Then, community challenges, which involves growth and consumers shopping elsewhere, was a close third with seven responses. 

The survey asked if the Chamber of Commerce should hold local political forums before elections happen. Almost 57 per cent said they would like a forum before municipal elections, just under 41 per cent said “yes” to provincial and about 38 per cent said “yes” for a federal election forum. The businesses were able to say “yes” to more than one. Thirty-two per cent said “no” to all elections. 

The Chamber hosts a networking event called Business After 5, where a business invites the Chamber out for a tour of their facilities and to meet the staff after hours, as a chance to let the Chamber get to know the business. They have done it with a few businesses so far and the survey asked who would be interested in participating in a Business After 5. Four of the businesses that participated in the survey said they would be interested in this event, while 17 said they would like more information about it.

Compiling the information, what the Chamber found out through the survey was the kind of seminars and events they should be looking at organizing. Hosting a political forum before the next municipal election would be beneficial for the majority of businesses, according to the survey results. They will also look at opportunities to arrange something to help businesses with business planning and succession planning. 

“There is optimism in the business community that wasn’t there last year,” Crewe noted, concluding that that was the biggest thing that the Chamber noticed from the results of the survey.