THRIVE Summit
Are you passionate about Huron County?
Join the THRIVE Summit on May 14th and 15th at Blyth Community Memorial Hall
Expert guest speakers, panel discussions and breakout sessions will dig into opportunities and challenges facing our local economy, including:
Preparing for Business Transitions| Using Artificial Intelligence | Improving Tourism Marketing | Strengthening Workforce Recruitment and Retention | Embracing Placemaking | Celebrating Housing Advances | Fostering Belonging and Welcoming Communities for Newcomers | Exploring Investment Readiness
Brought to you by the County of Huron’s Economic Development Team and our Municipal Partners.
Day 1 Itinerary: Tuesday, May 14, 2024 (8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.)
Updates will happen throughout the day providing opportunities for the Economic Development Department and our Municipal Partners to celebrate successes and speak to future plans. Lunch will be included and the event will be followed by a Networking Reception Sponsored by Cowbell Brewing from 4:00–5:00 p.m.
Navigating the Opportunities and Challenges of Business Transitions
9:20-11:00 a.m. Hosted by Brittany Wise, Sponsored by Community Futures Huron
Join us for an engaging conversation that celebrates the spirit of entrepreneurship and explores the power of strategic transitions in the local rural economy. This panel discussion, featuring local business owners, will offer practical guidance from and for business owners looking to retire or transition out of business as well as prospective buyers seeking investment opportunities within their community.
Unlock the Power of Gen AI: A Practical Guide
12:45-1:45 p.m. Presented by Katherine Scarrow of The Globe and Mail, Supported by The Globe and Mail
This session explores the critical role of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in revolutionizing tourism operations. Discover methods to sharpen your marketing, boost operational efficiency and elevate visitor experiences with actionable Gen AI strategies.
Breakout Sessions:
2:15-3:30 p.m. (Choose One of the Following)
Content & User Experience Tips for Building a Better Travel Website Experience
Presented by Destination Ontario, Sponsored by RTO4
Content and user experience play a key role in delivering value to your visitors by providing relevant product and trip planning information, as well as mobile-friendly and easy-to-navigate experiences that help drive leads. Join the Destination Ontario Content & UX team as they highlight the wins and lessons from their website redesign journey, including web writing, content planning and SEO best practices, user experience lessons and AI tips.
Attracting & Retaining Your Future Workforce
Presented by Emily Van Stratton of ThinkHR, Supported by RED Workforce Project
Learn how to create hiring strategies that actually work and build an attractive workplace that accents your unique retention strategies. This breakout session will transform your approach to workforce attraction by putting humans before resources and supporting employers in strengthening their approach to employee attraction. *Please note this presentation will be held at the Blyth Legion next door.
Recruitment & Retention Panel Discussion
Hosted by Roz Elliott, Supported by RED Workforce Project
You’ll hear from employers, employees, and HR professionals from the region about the importance of being an Employer of Choice and how they are implementing it in their organizations. From creating a values-based culture to supporting the retention of international talent, this discussion will highlight what decent work means to Huron County Employers.
Jane’s Walk (limited spaces)
Guided walk around Blyth with David Sparling, Supported by Canenpak Inc.
Jane’s Walks encourage people to share stories about their neighbourhoods, discover unseen aspects of their communities, and use walking as a way to connect with their neighbours. We will walk from the G2G trailhead (518 Queen St) to the Blyth Festival to Cowbell Brewing. David Sparling, your guide, is the chair of the Blyth Repository of History and a member of the Blyth BIA executive and will discuss some of the history of the main of the village.
Day 2 Itinerary: Wednesday, May 15, 2024 (8:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.)
Updates will happen throughout the day providing opportunities for the Economic Development Department and our Municipal Partners to celebrate successes and speak to future plans. Lunch will be included and the event will be followed by a Networking Reception from 4:00–5:00 p.m.
Placemaking is Your Best Economic Development Strategy
9:20-10:20 a.m. Presented by Leslie Fournier of Your Town Rising
This session will discuss the power of leveraging your local assets and residents, why it’s cost effective, more sustainable, and the most authentic form of marketing. Based on a philosophy that the path to successful, vibrant communities doesn’t start with grandiose plans or million-dollar grants. It truly begins at street level on a much smaller budget. It begins by building momentum. Using a proven community-building approach Your Town Rising is about giving you the inspiration and enthusiasm for creating momentum that snowballs.
Creating Welcoming Communities
10:20-11:00 a.m. Presented by Wayne Caldwell, Supported by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)
Dr. Wayne Caldwell presents a study he and a project team conducted in Exeter, Ontario that invited newcomers to Canada to visit the community and provide their first impressions of the community. Dr. Caldwell will present a list of recommendations the newcomers offered and invites other communities to reflect on how they can become a more welcoming place where immigrants and international workers want to stay.
Brick by Brick: Constructing the Future of Housing
12:45-1:45 p.m. Huron County Housing Video Premier, Followed by Panel Discussion, Supported by the Economic Development Board
This session shines a spotlight on the innovative solutions, collaborative efforts, and tangible progress achieved in ensuring access to safe, affordable, and sustainable housing for all residents.
Breakout Sessions:
2:15-3:30 p.m. (Choose One of the Following)
Building Belonging: EDI in Rural Communities
Presented by Malissa Bryan from The Rainbow Diversity Institute, Supported by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)
This session will increase your understanding of diversity, equity and true inclusion. Together, we will look at systemic barriers to decolonization, along with how to build a more productive and inclusive environment for all members of your community.
Investment Readiness
Hosted by Vicki Lass
This session is a 101 for Investment Attraction for Municipal Staff & Council Members. A panel of experts will outline what it takes to participate in the investment attraction game.
Investment Attraction is the active marketing of a community to targeted industrial markets, with the goal of bringing jobs and economic activity to a region.
Rural Changemakers Displays
Meet the Rural Changemaker Participants from Huron County, Supported by Rural Ontario Institute (ROI)
The Rural Change Makers program, offered through the Rural Ontario Institute, shapes emerging leaders in rural Ontario to lead community development solutions with their communities. In this session you’ll meet several of our Rural Change Makers from Huron County.
Jane’s Walk (limited spaces)
Guided walk around Blyth with David Sparling, Supported by Canenpak Inc.
Jane’s Walks encourage people to share stories about their neighbourhoods, discover unseen aspects of their communities, and use walking as a way to connect with their neighbours. We will walk from the G2G trailhead (518 Queen St) to the Blyth Festival to Cowbell Brewing. David Sparling, your guide, is the chair of the Blyth Repository of History and a member of the Blyth BIA executive and will discuss some of the history of the main of the village.
Meet the Speakers
Katherine Scarrow
Manager of Creative Strategy
Katherine is the manager of creative strategy for Globe Content Studio, the content marketing arm of The Globe and Mail. In her role, she’s spearheaded hundreds of campaigns for clients like Mercedes Benz, TD Bank and Athleta, blending storytelling with multimedia to captivate audiences. In addition to storytelling, she serves on The Globe’s AI Council, driving the integration of generative AI throughout the advertising department.
Chantal Sweeting
Senior Manager, Content & User Experience (UX)
With over 15 years of digital communications and marketing experience, Chantal manages a small but mighty team dedicated to supporting the relaunch and optimization of the DestinationOntario.com website. The purpose of the site is to be a travel planning resource for travellers to Ontario, driving leads to operators and increasing travel expenditures in the province.
Before joining Destination Ontario, Chantal led digital strategy and transformation projects across the Ontario government’s social media channels and website, Ontario.ca.
In addition to work, she is currently in the process of pursuing her Master of Communications Management (MCM) from McMaster University.
Lisa Rennie-Jung
Content Lead
Lisa is an integral member of the Content and User Experience team at Destination Ontario.
She brings her passion for travel and love of Ontario to life by creating high-quality content relevant to web users on DestinationOntario.com, a visitor-centric, data-driven, multi-lingual travel planning resource that positions this province as a world-class tourism destination.
She is involved in every step of the content creation process, from strategy and planning to writing, editing and measuring performance.
Leslie Fournier
Co-Founder: Your Town Rising
Leslie inspires rural communities to see opportunities, build momentum and achieve growth, collaboration and success. She is the driving force behind Streets Alive a unique placemaking program that brings citizens together to enhance community spaces and attract visitors. As a business owner, educator and entrepreneur, Leslie understands the challenges faced by small municipalities and the increasing importance for every community to create a strong, vibrant sense of place. Your Town Rising
Emily van Straten
Gen Z Human Resources Consultant, ThinkHR
Emily is your Gen Z voice and Human Resources Consultant. She provides individuals and businesses with actionable resources and strategies to better their business or organization. With a dedicated following of 1.8K on Instagram — and multiple instances of her story inspiring others — Emily’s unique take on HR advice has made her the go-to Gen Z voice for organizations ready for change.
An honors graduate of the University of Guelph, Emily now writes, speaks, and coaches about human resources, having a life of fulfillment, and challenging the status quo. She is based in Ontario, where she enjoys supporting local businesses, camping, triathlons, and trying to break the status quo everywhere she goes.
Malissa Bryan (she/they)
Rainbow Diversity Institute Founder and principal consultant
Malissa Bryan comes from a specialized background in sociology with a focus on race, diversity, work, education, youth, and political economy.
Malissa received her Bachelor of Arts with Honours degree from the University of Guelph, majoring in Sociology and minoring in Anthropology.
Malissa continued to complete a Master’s degree at the University of Guelph, her thesis focused on Racialized collectives in predominantly White Institutions (PWI); examining the experiences of Black students and Black collectives in these spaces. Malissa is completing a Ph.D. in Sociology focusing on race, work, education, equity and inclusion.
Malissa is a new resident of Bruce-Grey County. She enjoys outings with her wife, kids and pup Bailey.