The Business Link Niagara Ltd.

Niagara's Business Newspaper
13 Secord Dr, Unit #3, St. Catharines
Phone: 905-646-9366
Fax: 905-646-5486

The Business Link Niagara is the brainchild of father and son team, Jim and Adam Shields, who in 2002, conceived of an idea. They wanted to produce a free business to business publication designed to help Niagarans grow and develop their businesses. Jim has lived and worked in Niagara all his life. After years in the broadcasting business, he owned and operated a research company, an advertising agency and marketing firm both in Canada and in the U.S. Being able to share knowledge is paramount to working together in any family business and this team is the perfect combination of new ideas blending with established business practices.

Jim says it is nice to be able to pass on years of acquired knowledge to his family. Watching children grow from infancy to childhood to adolescence is a wondrous thing. As a parent one only has so many years to invest in the development of one's children; the joy of owning a family business according to Jim, is both in the added opportunity to contribute to their adult development, and the pleasure of seeing them continue to grow as business professionals.

As co-owner, Adam, a Brock University Honours grad, brings a high level of energy, enthusiasm, and new ideas to The Business Link. He isn't afraid to wear the many hats of a small business owner. Full of knowledge, ambition, and personality, Adam is willing to share the load and often takes on more than his share. Jim says that over the years he has had many business partners, but Adam is probably the best partner he's ever had.

The goal of the paper is to find needs in the marketplace and to fill them. To that end, the paper serves to educate and enlighten readers, and works as a valuable networking tool. Since issuing its first edition in February of 2003, the paper has experienced a 467% growth (from 12 to 56 pages) in size, and is distributed by Canada Post to all businesses from Grimsby to Fort Erie. Survey results indicate a readership of over 61,500.

The staff at the paper is considered by the Shields as part of an extended family. Together they are working to expand the readership of the paper, as well as the paper's contribution to the community. Their 3rd Annual 40 under 40 Business Achievement Awards this April will recognize 40 businesspeople under the age of 40 for their contributions to business and community in Niagara. Also in its third year of publication, the Niagara Health and Wellness Directory that serves to educate readers about service providers who keep Niagara healthy. Julie Shields, also an Honours grad from Brock, is the driving force behind the Health and Wellness Directory, and brings to the team a level of enthusiasm and brilliance that would be coveted by any successful enterprise.

In March of 2005 The Business Link was approached by the John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport to provide Southern and Southwestern Ontario with a publication that would act as a travel and tourism guide with a focus on the Hamilton International Airport. Excited with the opportunity, The Business Link published the first issue of "flying hi" in June of 2005.

With this new venture still in the early stages The Business Link forged ahead and in September of 2005 The Business Link expanded into the Brantford, Simcoe and Woodstock markets and is in negotiations to expand into five more.

The key to The Business Link's success lies in the old adage: 90% perspiration, and 10% inspiration. Jim and Adam, with the rest of The Business Link family, take pride in providing the communities of Niagara with a quality product that helps business grow.