PRESS RELEASE
Entrepreneurship in Montréal – An urgent need to work together
An entrepreneurial strategy
A Web site for Montréal’s entrepreneurs
Montréal, October 13, 2010 – Starting today, entrepreneurs on the Island of Montréal will have access to a new tool to help them grow their business, infoentrepreneurs-montreal.org, a Web site developed by the Conférence régionale des élus de Montréal (CRÉ de Montréal), in collaboration with the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, the Centre de recherche en informatique de Montréal (CRIM) and the ministère des Affaires municipales, des Régions et de l’Occupation du territoire du Québec (MAMROT).
The site addresses one of the issues identified in the Entrepreneurship in Montréal – An urgent need to work together strategy, whose implementation was entrusted to CRÉ de Montréal, namely, the need for better information on the resources available to support Montréal entrepreneurs. Accordingly, it focuses on the features of Montréal Island such as urban, industrial and commercial characteristics, resources by borough, assistance programs, business networks and profiles of business owners who have benefited from the support of organizations working to further Montréal entrepreneurship.
“We hope that besides being a source of information, infoentrepreneurs-montreal.org encourages and furthers business creation and helps foster a dynamic entrepreneurial culture in our region,” said Richard Deschamps, Executive Vice-President of CRÉ de Montréal. “A strong entrepreneurial culture in Montréal is essential to Quebec’s prosperity, and we absolutely must support our business owners so they can drive economic growth,” added Deschamps.
To this end, a partnership was struck with the Info entrepreneurs team, which will host and update the site as well as provide content and tools.
“The Info entrepreneurs Montréal site was designed specifically to address the often cited complaint of how hard it is to find all the resources available to SMEs. The Board of Trade is determined to facilitate entrepreneurship and pave the way for the “Quebec Inc.” of tomorrow,” explained Michel Leblanc, president and CEO of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal.
Thanks to CRIM’s IT expertise, the site will offer business owners a user friendly and powerful tool.
“This multi-partner project is consistent with CRIM’s objectives to share its technology expertise with the Montréal business community, thereby contributing to Quebec’s industrial growth,” stated Jacques Ouellet, Senior Vice-President for R&D and Marketing.
Infoentrepreneurs-montreal.org was made possible by a financial contribution from the ministère des Affaires municipales, des Régions et de l’Occupation du territoire through the Fonds de développement de la métropole.
The Conférence régionale des élus de Montréal comprises political and socio-economic leaders on Montréal Island. Its mandate is to promote local development through a coordinated approach and to serve as a single point of contact for the government on matters related to regional development.
Info entrepreneurs is the leader in the delivery of high-quality, integrated information about government programs and services for business people. It is a privileged source of commercial information, contributing to the economic growth of small businesses. Info entrepreneurs is a Government of Canada service delivered by the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal. It is part of the Canada Business Network, which has thirteen main centres across the country.
CRIM is an applied IT research centre that develops and transfers technologies and knowledge with a view to adding value to the products and services produced by businesses and other organizations and contributing to their marketing efforts.
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Source:
CRÉ de Montréal
Yvan Thériault
Director, Planning and Communications
Tel.: 514 842-2400
Information:
Mehdi Benboubakeur
CRÉ de Montréal
Tel.: 514 975-9835
mbenboubakeur@credemontreal.qc.ca
Sylvie Paquette
Coordinator, Media Relations
Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
Tel.: 514 871-4000, extension 4015
sylvie.paquette@ccmm.qc.ca
Suzanne Lapicerella
CRIM
Tel.: 514 840-1296
suzanne.lapicerella@crim.ca