The City of Langley has been awarded a B.C. Small Business Roundtable Open for Business Award.
The municipality received the accolade last week at the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) annual convention in Whistler.
Offered by the province of British Columbia, the Open for Business Awards recognize local policies, projects and programs that support small business.
This is the second year in a row the City has been recognized with a win for its commitment to supporting the growth and development of its local small business community.
“The City of Langley values the important contribution small business plays in the development, growth and success of our city,” said City of Langley Acting Mayor Ted Schaffer.
“We are thrilled to be recognized for our commitment to establishing supportive government policies, programs and services, and are especially grateful to the Greater Langley Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Langley Business Association for the excellent work they do in promoting and improving local trade and commerce.”
This year, the roundtable — which provides awards of $10,000 to each winning community to support the implementation of measures that benefit small business — received submissions from all eight economic regions and short-listed 13 community finalists.
Award evaluations were based on local measures that make it easier to do business in that community, including enhancing small business competitiveness, recognizing the contributions of small businesses to the community, and promoting the principles of the B.C. Small Business Accord.
“I’d like to congratulate the City of Langley for its well-deserved win,” said Langley MLA Mary Polak.
“This award recognizes the great work undertaken by the City to support the small business sector, attract visitors and investment, and grow our local economy.”
In addition to offering competitive taxation levels and a streamlined approval process, the City of Langley has developed a number of strategies and initiatives to maximize economic development in downtown Langley. These include the introduction of a Downtown Business Action Plan combined with an ‘Urban Magnets’ workshop and SWOT analysis, a community survey, and the placement of way-finding signage throughout the downtown core.
“We thank the B.C. Small Business Roundtable for this prestigious award and look forward to continuing to work with our community partners to find innovative ways to support our local business community,” said Schaffer.
