Six months after the launch of RE-Activate Laval, it is clear that the pandemic is not over. “The needs are enormous until the economy is revived. Technical assistance is still needed,” explains Caroline De Guire, President and Director General of CCILaval. The message was heard by the federal government, who have allocated an additional $344,165 to CCILaval, allowing for the extension of RE-Activate Laval until June 30th. “By the end of June, we will have been able to support 150 companies in total,” she says.

Adapting to the Needs of Small to Medium-Sized Laval Businesses
RE-Activate Laval is an emergency program that provides technical assistance to small and medium-sized businesses in Laval facing the challenges of the pandemic, whether that be in financial, material, human or technological terms. “Each company is in a different situation,” emphasizes Luc Dupont, consulting analyst for RE-Activate Laval. “We help them identify their needs and focus on the area that makes the biggest impact.”

In the case of restaurants, most of the support is linked to financing. John Concilio owns Chalet du Parc which has been closed since October. Thanks to the expertise of his tax advisor, he received an additional loan of $20,000. Other businesses, like Studio Mondo Danse, need marketing support. With RE-Activate Laval, Christine Gauthier received support from a marketing agency to help her grow on social networks.

Improving the Support Program
The duration of personalized support will go from four to 12 hours on average, up to 20 hours in some cases, still at no cost to the business. “Support linked to the company's strategy requires a consolidated intervention,”, says Dupont. “It can now be organized over time, proceeding step by step, and answering questions to ensure the transfer of expertise.”

The program now offers group training to B2B companies as well as and B2C. “Beyond technical support, we want companies to be able to continue to exchange views, collaborate and be supported by experts,” says De Guire. At the end of March, the first session devoted to the topic of e-commerce was ‘sold out.’

Promoting Laval's Service Businesses
“The more Laval service businesses come forward as potential expert advisors, the better the support choices will be for those that need it," explains De Guire. “And service-based companies will be able to benefit from the visibility linked to their membership to Prox-Service for a longer period of time.”

Outside of RE-Activate Laval, how can we promote service-based businesses, which represent 70% of the local economy? “CCILaval is actively considering creating a community in their image to meet their specific needs, like Prox-Industriel and Prox-Commerce,” affirms De Guire. To be continued!