PRIOR to the coronavirus pandemic, supporting local businesses was a big focus for regional towns, and now it seems more important than ever.<\/p>\n
With that in mind GROW Bendigo, an initiative from Be.Bendigo, is seeking to remind businesses, authorities and residents to support local, with stickers on the front windows of shops through to business grants from all levels of government.<\/p>\n
Project manager Petra McLoughlin said the program helps connect businesses to each other, as well as the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cBusinesses work better together locally,\u201d she said. \u201cLocal businesses give opportunities to other local businesses and where those businesses prosper, they provide opportunities to people with a disadvantage or barrier to work.\u201d<\/p>\n
As part of the initiative, the GROW Bendigo provides a network for both businesses and government organisations to ensure that, where possible, local companies are heavily considered.<\/p>\n
\u201cGovernment organisations who get government money have a mandate to provide opportunities to locals, so really my position is to help ameliorate that and connect them to other businesses,\u201d Ms McLoughlin said.<\/p>\n
So far, GROW Bendigo has 38 businesses and government agencies in their network and is always looking to expand.<\/p>\n
A similar initiative was launched during the COVID-19 pandemic called Localised Central Victoria, an online database for businesses to better advertise themselves.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we were hearing from government agencies was \u2018we want to do more business locally and with some smaller businesses\u2019 but they don\u2019t know who\u2019s around,\u201d Ms McLoughlin said.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are pretty focused about giving opportunities to local business, but you don\u2019t know what you don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you don\u2019t know that there are businesses in Bendigo that can do X, Y, Z you might be going to Melbourne or Sydney for that when you could indeed be helping your local economy,\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms McLoughlin said GROW Bendigo will also be working with businesses on their recruitment processes to ensure that local residents have the best chance at employment.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the end of the day we want to project local jobs as much as we can,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cLocal jobs means local families and that\u2019s the parents of the kids your kids go to school with, the person you bump into at the supermarket and we want to ensure that Bendigo stays as thriving as it is and protect our jobs,\u201d Ms McLoughlin said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe focus for us is to work with businesses to look at the recruitment process and see where they can make an opportunity to people who are experiencing a barrier.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PRIOR to the coronavirus pandemic, supporting local businesses was a big focus for regional towns, and now it seems more important than ever. With that in mind GROW Bendigo, an initiative from Be.Bendigo, is seeking to remind businesses, authorities and residents to support local, with stickers on the front windows of shops through to business […]<\/p>\n