Things are going well for a majority of businesses in town.
That’s according to results from the latest Castlegar and District Chamber of Commerce Business Walk.
More than 70 businesses were visited during the 2018 business walk and surveyed about the state of their business, their challenges and what issues they would like help with.
Two-thirds of participants reported business was good or increasing, 28 per cent reported a fair or steady standing and only six per cent reported a poor standing.
Those numbers represent the highest level of optimism in the three years that the survey program has been conducted.
Businesses reported that finding qualified employees and space to grow are their biggest challenges. Finding employees was was reported as the biggest challenge by 42 per cent of participants.
The top five training topics requested were marketing, succession planning, human resources, customer service and marketing partnerships.
Participants also said they would like to see the revitalization of downtown Castlegar through beautification, business attraction and marketing.
RELATED: New and expanding businesses abound around Castlegar
Business owners would also like to see joint marketing campaigns promoting the business community and its opportunities.
Castlegar and District Economic Development and the Chamber of Commerce said they will be working with local and regional officials to address these issues.
betsy.kline@castlegarnews.comLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
