Business View Civil & Municipal | Volume 2, Issue 11

47 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 2, ISSUE 11 MI SS I SS I PP I MI LLS , ONTAR IO encouraged a lot of unique people and businesses to set up shop here. A lot of very thoughtful, unique and interesting people are attracted to Mississippi Mills. And because of that you still get that comfortable feeling. You know your neighbors and you’re interested in supporting local and lots of independent businesses. It’s different here than you would find in other communities – even the ones next door to us.” The area of Mississippi Mills was founded along the Mississippi River in 1819 as a mill site, but was officially amalgamated as a larger town in 1998, incorporating the town of Almonte with the townships of Packenham and Ramsay. Together, the area is made up of 14 small communities that come together to support one another. Almonte is the town’s urban center and home to a bustling downtown main street, as well as a developing business park. The business park is home to innovative businesses that make Mississippi Mills stand out amongst other small towns across North America. Companies such as Dairy Distillery, which makes vodka as a by-product of milk processing; HFT- Healthy Food Technology, which is currently producing a “healthier” donut; and Sport Systems Canada, which designs, builds and installs athletic equipment for school boards, municipalities, and sports centers worldwide. “We’ve got some very unique businesses in there at this time,” Lowry says. “We’re quite encouraged to be collecting a number of them and they’re all wonderful entrepreneurs and excellent people.” The business park will soon be opening an additional 10 lots this fall, and there’s already been a tremendous amount of interest in them. “It will be a very interesting process to go through to make sure we find the right fit for businesses moving in there,” she adds. Walking along Almonte’s quaint main street,