Cobble Hill Business Walk

Welcome to the Cobble Hill Business Walk

On Thursday, June 16, 2022, Economic Development Cowichan and partners conducted a Business Walk in the community of Cobble Hill. The team went door-to-door talking to local business owners and managers to learn more about the state of local business.

The Cobble Hill Business Walk was the third in a series of Business Walks planned in communities throughout the Cowichan region. Staff members from Economic Development Cowichan (EDC), as well as community partners, walked door-to-door speaking with the owners and managers of local businesses. Three to four conversational questions prompted discussion about the challenges and opportunities of doing business in Cobble Hill. The conversations took 5-15 minutes, and were designed to help inform future services and programs. EDC also followed-up and provided support for the individual and collective needs of the business community.

A report summarizing the results of the business wall is available here.

Business Walk Questions

The Business Walk questionnaire is centered around four key questions:

What is the state of your business?
What do you like about doing business in the area?
What do you find challenging?
What can be done to help your business thrive?

These questions are intended to be conversational, and include prompts to guide the discussion, with the aim of uncovering opportunities for supporting local businesses.

Business Walks have proven to be a useful tool for business retention and expansion strategies. The information gathered on the Cobble Hill Business Walk will be used to guide the work of EDC, as well as inform programs and services offered by other business support organizations.

If you operate a home-based business, or want to view or complete the survey online, follow the link below:

TAKE THE SURVEY NOW

Follow-up Event

Are you interested in the results of the Business Walk? Would you like to get together with other local business owners and managers to meet, greet, and share your thoughts? Economic Development Cowichan is hosting a networking event and in-person gathering at the Cobble Hill Farmers’ Institute and will be sharing the main takeaways from the Business Walk. Complimentary refreshments are included, and the event will provide an opportunity to talk about some of the broader challenges and opportunities facing businesses. Representatives from Work BC, Tourism Cowichan, Community Futures and the Duncan-Cowichan Chamber of Commerce will be invited to provide a brief summary of the programs and services they provide and answer specific questions.

Date: Thursday, June 23, 2022
Time: 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Location: Cobble Hill Community Hall
(Farmers’ Institute) – Youth Hall
3550 Watson Ave, Cobble Hill

Business Walk Results

A total of 56 responses were received for the Cobble Hill Business Walk. On the business walk day, a total of 51 businesses were visited, and the team spoke with representatives in-person. Five additional businesses followed up by phone after the walk.

Key challenges for businesses in Cobble Hill included: